Bicycle Mechanics - Can I safely raise the height of my rear rack?

I think I need something to elevate my rear rack, but I'd like to get some opinons / advice before I get started. i just got a used copilot taxi kids seat and blackburn ex-1 rack that I want to mount on my cross check. Problem is that when the seat is mounted the foot rests hit the upper arms of my cantilever brakes. I'm thinking that I could use some sort of bracket to raise up the rack so that the seat would clear the brakes. Any idea if you can buy something like this or what a safe way would be for me to make a set of my own?

I've attached a photo of a rack that comes OEM with something like what I'm envisioning.

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/NA-R2.gif


The exact seat and rack that I have:
http://www.mytoybox.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/taxichildseat2231502002.jpg


I should also note that I tried just leaning the rack back until the seat no longer hit the breaks. The problem with that was that it was WAY too much weight behind the wheel and it made the bike handle really screwy.

Raising the seat up higher will also have a destablizing effect. How much extra height do you need?

why would you want to put a baby on your bike, you know if you go down the kid at the back is gonna get hurt too. some people like to bike but this is going too far, you should just take the car in this case....

No! Don't take the car!

Those baby seats will make your bike very unstable, even when fitted well, and as exas said...if you go down, the baby's melon smacks pavement.

Get a trailer instead. :) They really are much safer and easier to use, and they're handy for getting groceries when you're not hauling kiddoes.

+1 on the trailer

Bullocks!!! You want to pull a trailer get a truck!

Teach the kid to ride, he spent nine months in the womb being a parasite.

It's time for the child to be self reliant.

saw off the part of the seat that interferes. For safety put a helmet on your child when he/she is in the seat. Handling of the bike is affected by the weight, so practice riding on quiet streets first, and never dismount by swinging your leg over the bike behind you. The people who tell you not to put one of these on a bike are the people who never ride a bike because it is "too dangerous".

why would you want to put a baby on your bike, you know if you go down the kid at the back is gonna get hurt too. some people like to bike but this is going too far, you should just take the car in this case....

So what exactly are the stats for kids getting hurt while in child seats over the last, say, 40 years (when my Dad was toting around my little brother this way)? This is the mechanics forum, sounds like you need to take your rant to A&S.

Bullocks!!! You want to pull a trailer get a truck!

Teach the kid to ride, he spent nine months in the womb being a parasite.

It's time for the child to be self reliant.
ROFL!

OK, I was assuming the kid was an infant. Hell, if the kid's old enough to work in a sweatshop, he's old enough to pedal for himself.

EDIT: And no...I didn't suggest the trailer because I haven't been there. I have 3 kids, and have tried all the above solutions. I found the trailer to be the most convenient as it easily detaches from the bike for solo rides, leaving no bulky hardware behind, and as I stated, has more uses than just carrying a kid...unlike the seats.