Recreational & Family - Is there a way to cycle with a newborn/small baby?

I'm pretty sure our trailer says its only for one year and up. And and plastic kid seat on the back would probably be the same too. Is there a way to rig the trailer to hold a bucket car seat?

No. The CPSC will not certify anything to carry an infant on a bicycle.

I am certainly no expert but I am sure its because the infant's neck is not strong enough for the weight of a helmet

Here is a couple of links I just found that explains it better that me
http://www.bhsi.org/tiny.htm
http://www.bhsi.org/little1s.htm

How about those fabric baby carriers for just carrying a baby around? (Might take a bike with more upright posture than normal).

There is not product that I know of that you can buy to secure a baby car seat to a trailer that I know of.

There are any number of ways that you can do it yourself.

Here is an interesting resource:
http://www.ibike.org/education/infant.htm

I wouldn't think that all the jostling around would do an infant any good, I wouldn't do it period.

No. As stated above, it has to do with the infant's neck muscles not being strong enough for helmets, or to compensate for any unfortunate adverse events that might take place as you're riding down the road....and this includes the inevitable bumps that you will go over. Bottom line.... It's not safe, and it's not worth the risk. Wait until the baby is one year old, and you'll both have a blast!

Glue works well. On the baby itself.


/hates babies.

I felt the same way when my kids were infants, but trust me, it's just not worth worrying about. Just wait until the child is a year, more or less.

It's ironic that the weight of the helmet is what actually causes the risk of injury. Without it, there's any number of safe ways to carry a young child.

If I wanted to carry a very young one, I would put them in something like a BabyBjorn carrier. You'd need an upright bike, but it should work.

--------

Maybe the Americans and English have thin skulls or something. The Dutch have miraculously survived their non-use of helmets without killing off their population. Maybe it's the extra exercise that's toughened them up ;)

...yes, I realize their roads are more bike friendly, but I'm not talking about carrying your kid out on an arterial road... 99% of family rides never leave the quiet suburban neighborhood, or the bike path with no cars at all. Those are the rides that people are scared to take.

I feel bad for my daughter who will be forced into a helmet by nanny laws.

Depends on your risk tolerance. If you use a 2 wheel trailer and a car-seat _securely_ strapped into it at the correct angle, the kid will be fine as long as you don't crash or get run over.

It's the crashing or impact that causes problems.... same as in a car.

Glue works well. On the baby itself.


/hates babies.
Don't hate just 'cause you're incapable of having any.

The skull isn't even intact over the brain yet. At the very least wait for the fontanels to close.

I would not, although I catch a lot of grief for things my kids do, so I know how this must sound.

I don't know if you are a woman or a man....but you know what we say?

when fathers are watching children....GOD is watching children, lol

seriously, this sounds like a *man question*

if not, my apologies, but you might want to check your estradiol levels?

Having said that, entire families ride mopeds in Bali, moms side saddle with newborns, etc.
weaving in and out of traffic.

[SIZE="5"]NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Dont even think about it
a newborn doesnot have the stregnth to hold there head up
Can you even imagine the damage that woulod be caused by jostling and
bumping the babys fragile neck around
If you want to seriously injure or kill your newborn this is the way to do it

This may sound melodramatic but it has happend
for the 1st year youll just have to ride without baby

as for the baby bjorn
How confident are you in your riding ability let alone everyone eleses
if you come of its useually head first with your chest weight full on the baby

Be safe with the most important thing in your life

as for the baby bjorn...
I did this for kicks with my 4 month old. Total distance about 200ft. roundtrip @ < 10mph. Didn't work well on a road bike because of the way his body had to stay tilted due to my normal riding position, while my thighs kept colliding with his legs. Even if I was sitting bolt upright, my thighs would still collide with his legs. This idea, on a scale of 1 to 10, is a 0.

I just got a brand new grand baby, and I never considered him going with, only way I could see it happening would be in his car seat tied down in a trailer, that just ain't gonna happen.

http://sheldonbrown.com/images/carrababy.jpg

A pedicab!

I did this for kicks with my 4 month old. Total distance about 200ft. roundtrip @ < 10mph. Didn't work well on a road bike because of the way his body had to stay tilted due to my normal riding position, while my thighs kept colliding with his legs. Even if I was sitting bolt upright, my thighs would still collide with his legs. This idea, on a scale of 1 to 10, is a 0.

A sling works better than the Baby Bjorn. Not something you'd want to ride miles in, but it works for the occasional spin around the block.

Chariot sells several accessories designed for small children in their trailers. They state one product is for infants 1+ months old, and another is rated for 6-18 pounds. Go to www.chariotcarriers.com and look at the accessories (Baby Bivy, Infant Sling,Baby supporter, bunting bag).

As far as Chariot trailers are as a brand, I believe they are the best ones on the market. We went through a couple cheap trailers with our kids. Once with a cheap trailer I dumped it over at low speed, and the seatbelts broke! So we looked at everything on the market, from Trek, Burley, etc., until we found the Chariots. They are a bit pricey, but looking back It's been one of our better buys.

We have now owned a Chariot Cougar 2 for several years, and it has been fantastic. The U shaped padded 5 point harness are great, as our son would unbuckle the cheap ones. The one downside is the time it takes to convert from 1 kid to 2, but we don't do that often. I also really like the suspension system. My daughter used to complain about bumps with the cheap trailers, that mostly went away with the chariot (Now she ride beside us). The hitch is also brilliantly simple.

The cheap trailers attached with a spring clamped to the frame; it jumped all over as you pedaled and scratched up the frame. The Chariots use a rubber ball, and a socket that attaches under the skewer. The first install takes less than a minute, and only seconds once the joint is on the bike. It pulls wonderful (no jolting) and doesn't damage the bike.

I don't know about the neck issue. To me it would depend on the child, and how strong they are. They would still need support for their heads so they can rest their neck. I don't know if you could get them to wear a helmet. Personally I might ride with them, once their necks are strong enough (not newborn), with appropriate support, in a trailer, on a bike path only (no cars).
Hope this helps

Having had 3 kids, who the heck has time to ride in the first year?

I went through all this in the fall.

method: car seat strapped into trailer.

Vedict: It was to bumpy. (instep rocket)

My wife watched as I rode by and she didn't like the way it looked.

I can't wait to try it in may, he will be one year at that point.

[SIZE="5"]
as for the baby bjorn
How confident are you in your riding ability let alone everyone eleses
if you come of its useually head first with your chest weight full on the baby

Be safe with the most important thing in your life


Strapping a kid in a car is about the most dangerous thing you can do. Funny how noone seems to give that a second thought.

Carrying one up or down stairs would be right up there as well...

I'm just saying that in the US, our perceptions of danger have been forever skewed by the media, the legal system, and lobbyists.

We are just revisiting this issue since our daughter is seven months old and my mother's group is starting up a cycling club for moms and babies. We have had a Chariot Cougar since before she was born, and she's just started to enjoy it as a jogging stroller. (She hated it until very recently.) My husband and I are on the fence about how seriously to take those warnings from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute. We've read them before, many times, and they do seem fairly alarmist. On the other hand, we certainly are not experts about infant development and we just don't know the right answer.

Among pediatricians the advice seems to be all over the map. I don't think being a pediatrician necessarily means that you know jack about this issue. One of the mothers asked her pediatrician about bike trailers when her son was six months old, and the doctor said, "Sounds like a great idea!" and left it at that. Others say fine as long as the baby wears a helmet, ignoring what seems obvious to me, that a helmet is far too heavy for a baby's neck. And others don't seem to want kids on bikes, period. So it's hard to feel like anybody is an expert on the issue.

I'm eager to get back on the bike and I really want to do this with my daughter, but I am reluctantly feeling like maybe we should wait another five months just to be on the safer side. She is very strong and stable for her size and age, but she is also quite small -- barely 15 pounds. My husband is concerned that she won't even get the benefit of the Chariot's shocks at that weight, since they are meant for a baby that weighs at least 25 pounds.

Does anyone have any further thoughts? I've read a whole lot and still not come to a conclusion.

Does anyone have any further thoughts? I've read a whole lot and still not come to a conclusion.

The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute is little more than a paranoid scare group. They describe themselves as alarmist, and even refer to their kid info page as their "scare page". The same type of people that make the A&S forum such a pleasure...

I think each parent needs to determine their own comfort level. Without any clear answer most people are going to try to be on "the safe side" - which lately tends to verge on fanatic-paranoia.

I think you're going to have to make your own decision with this. My daughter has been riding in the bobike for quite a few months now, and she's just turned one. I'm not going try to sell anyone else on the idea, but I will argue against blind trust in arbitrary dates and "better safe than sorry" logic.

I use a trailer when I take my daughter. Now 11 mos, I started when she was 4 mos. I strapped the car seat into the trailer and she was fine. Fell asleep every time. Plan to go slow because the trailer doesn't track the way you are used to so you have to slow way down for a lot of bumps that a single track bike could just go around.

There are other ways, for example there is this dutch-made car-seat adaptor for the rear rack:
http://daddytypes.com/2008/03/14/steco_bike_accessories_for_your_babyfilled_carfree_life.php

I've also seen bakfiets and xtra-cycles with a car seat strapped to them.

I wanted to add that my car seat has lots more head protection than a helmet, but it surround the whole body, so we don't use a helmet. She's about strong enough to sit by herself now, so I'm going to use a rear bike seat.

We thought about the carseat option, but an infant carseat will not begin to fit inside the single Chariot. We tried two different carseats and it wasn't even close.

Having had 3 kids, who the heck has time to ride in the first year?

If someone is car-free, one either rides or is housebound.

Back to the original question, what about a bakfiest? (www.dutchbikes.us)

I have a weber babyschale http://www.weber-products.de/zubeh/baby_main.htm

I have a weber babyschale http://www.weber-products.de/zubeh/baby_main.htm

And for those whose German is rudimentary or nonexistant:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr

I would ask over in the Cycle Chic Copenhagen girls on bikes site. They show pics of moms/dads riding with their kids all the time since bike riding is like driving a car here. I haven't noticed infants, but I wasn't looking either. They might know or suggest something.
address:

http://copenhagengirlsonbikes.blogspot.com/

I don't know if any of these are available in the US:

http://www.christianiabikes.com/english/uk_main.htm

You might also want to try: http://www.catoregon.org/hpm

Their Long Hauler can be used for child transport.

http://picasaweb.google.nl/simon.quantrill/ThingsThatDontHaveALabel/photo#5184008952818209986

here is mine..

I will just divulge my own experience, rather than pretend to know what I am talking about.

My son was born on November 3rd of 2006. Spring of 2007 I purchased a Burley D'lite Trailer. When my wife was researching helmets for babies (we will say this was May so he would have been six months old) she came across the different websites preaching not to take your child on a bike until he was a year old. We also came across the New York State law forbidding children under the age of one on a bicycle.

Personally, I wanted to strap the infant carrier in the trailer somehow and go. My wife wouldn't hear it though and the idea of riding a bike without a helmet seemed foreign to me. I refused to wait until he was a year old because that would mean November and not very nice weather. Instead I decided once his neck seemed strong enough I would try it out.

I waited and waited for him to have really good neck control. Unfortunately he seemed to develop slowly. August 25th I decided to head down to the LBS for a helmet fitting. I purchased the helmet but did not take him for a ride, yet. I do have a picture of him in the helmet, I'll attach it when I find it. In September, when he was past 10 months old, I started taking him for short trips. He really seemed to have a hard time in the trailer and we'd only go for twenty minutes or so. The straps seemed awkward for him and the helmet seemed to push his head forward. We rode through October, perhaps going out once a week, having the trip get longer little by little. He adapted to the trailer and he never really had a problem with the helmet, though there were times he did not like it.

Honestly, I feel I may have been a little premature, but I wouldn't have done it any other way. I wasn't going to wait for him to officially be one year old, because it would be really cold out for him. You really need to gauge your child's ability. Once he is comfortable enough to sit in the trailer and has a neck strong enough for the helmet, I say try it out. There was a time or two were he just wasn't happy in the trailer. I would take him out and carry him as I walked my bike home.

I can't wait to get started this year. I am just waiting for the time. In these early months of spring his mother and I go for a lot of walks with him. Once nice days are more commonplace I'll have the ability to take him out after work. His mother does not cycle, yet. I am hoping to get her on a bike this year as she will want to be with the little guy and I.

Well, that is my experience, I hope it helps!

http://home.twcny.rr.com/podolak/HunterHelmet.jpg

Podolak, your son is adorable! I have a little lady who will be turning one year old on the 24th, and we're getting her a bike trailer and helmet for her birthday (so that poor Mom doesn't go stir-crazy being bike deprived in nice weather).

Thanks for the nice comment Jen! He is the love of my life. So much so that I gave up biking solo after work for him. I get up an hour before work every week day to ride while he is sleeping. My Saturday ride is not as considerate though I am usually home when he and his mom get home from MyGym.

Not to highjack the thread but here is a more recent picture of him for your viewing pleasurehttp://home.twcny.rr.com/podolak/h20080403.jpg:

As soon as your child can hold their head up (w/ helmet!), and you feel comfortable, I recommend the iBert safe-t-seat.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2399067935_cd1a3a602f.jpg?v=0

Here's our little guy at 8 months, he loves going for rides! He's a solid little dude and has no problem with the helmet, he's always looking around, checking out the scenery!

I reiterate that unless you live in a very hilly area I suggest a bakfiest, not the least because it can do double duty as a cargo cycle.

I reiterate that unless you live in a very hilly area I suggest a bakfiest, not the least because it can do double duty as a cargo cycle.

I think the Bakfiest is a good idea but less practical than other options. There is much more flexibility with a bike & bike trailer combination than with a dedicated cargo bike. If you have a need to regularly haul 100+, unwieldy pounds, then by all means, get a dedicated cargo bike. Otherwise, a trailer is more efficient (less energy to move) and better able to handle hills if hooked to an appropriately geared bike.

Cute babies!!! My daughter will be 8 months old on April 21. She has been sitting up on her own for a little over a month now. She's still wobbly at times and can lose balance. My whole family including my wifes side makes fun of me for being way too over protective. I will freak out over the littlest things. But for some reason I disagree with the 1 year recommendation. Last weekend my wife and I got ourselves bikes and a trailer for our sweet daughter. We ended up getting a chariot caddie (cheapest of the chariot's brand) and a baby supporter. When I strapped my daughter in, she was smiling and laughing and cheering. Unfortunately the bike store didn't realize the hitch/coupler that mounts onto the bike was missing and I only picked it up yesterday. I plan to only go on bike paths at first (since I never rode with a trailer) and during the day during warmer weather. I actually am more concerned about the weather/temperature then if my daughter can handle the trailer. This weekend might be a little too cold and forecast is rain and possible wet snow on sunday so I might have to wait some more. I will post back to let you know how our first ride goes. Oh and since people are putting pics up of their cute babies. Here is my precious!!!

69205

Marco,

Cute baby, what part of the world are you from?

Marco,

Cute baby, what part of the world are you from?

Montreal Canada. This picture I posted was taken when my daughter was just under 7 months old. Also if you saw me now you wouldnt recognize me I finally cut my hair. My last hair cut, at the time of this picture, was about 2 months before my daughter was born. Thank you for the comment about my daughter, she is such a cutie!!!

I would go with whatever your pediatrician says. In our case, this meant no cycling until one year.

I've sometimes wondered whether most of the arguments against transporting babies by bike would apply equally well to transporting them by car. After all, the bumps, vibration, and potential for accidents are similar with the two modes.

My daughter and I had a great time with the trailer, until one day, at about the age of six, she tried a Trail-A-Bike. That's her favorite way to travel today. The trailer has been demoted to shopping runs to a grocery store with very limited car parking. You have a lot to look forward to!

Paul

I've sometimes wondered whether most of the arguments against transporting babies by bike would apply equally well to transporting them by car. After all, the bumps, vibration, and potential for accidents are similar with the two modes.
Paul


I hit some really hard bumps on the road with my car while my daughter was in her car seat. Numerous times i've pulled over to check up on her cause I found the bump hard on me. The roads in the montreal area are really an eye soar. Especially this time of year. I cannot imagine hitting anything remotely close with the the bike. Especially when riding on the bike paths. I rode the other day with my wife around town and we did a lot of street riding cause the paths were still snowed in and the cracks and bumps on the street felt like nothing compared to the big bumps/pot holes I hit with my car.

I have a weber babyschale http://www.weber-products.de/zubeh/baby_main.htm

That is truly awesome. If I ever lose my mind and have another baby, I'll have to find a way to get one of these.

Marco - very cute little girl! I'm sure you'll have many wonderful rides with your new trailer. I also stick to bike paths with my little guy.

My little lady has not gone for a bike ride yet (we pick up the trailer on Sunday, wheee!)...but she has figured out how to drink from Mom's sport bottle.

This is Liz, born April 24, 2007:
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q284/girljen_bucket/Liz11mos005.jpg

For those whose German is rudimentary to nonexistant:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.weber-products.de%2Fzubeh%2Fbaby_main.htm&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

For those whose German is rudimentary to nonexistant:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.weber-products.de%2Fzubeh%2Fbaby_main.htm&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Those look great, too bad they are not available here. I guess if you speak German (maybe they have someone who can speak English on staff), you could contact them directly. It would be interesting to find out the cost.