Hi,

I love to cycling and I have a young daughter that I want to pull in a child carrier. (http://www.chariotcarriers.com/html_english/cx1.htm) I would like my wife to come with us, but she said that she don't like idea of the carrier that much. She finds it to dangerous and wants me and the baby to go only on cycling path which is not always possible.

How could I convince her that it is safe and a fun activity do to together ?

Well first off there is risk in everything. But I believe it is worth the risk. My one daughter is 16 now. One of our favorite memories is of her riding in her bike seat on the back of my bike.

One fond memorie is when she was 4 her and I went on a picnic with her in the bike seat. She still remembers it clearly. I'm glad I took the risk. Two summers ago this same daughter and I went on a 5 day rafting trip down desolation canyon. Once again I was glad that I took the risk and added yet another fun memory to our collection.

Hi,

I love to cycling and I have a young daughter that I want to pull in a child carrier. (http://www.chariotcarriers.com/html_english/cx1.htm) I would like my wife to come with us, but she said that she don't like idea of the carrier that much. She finds it to dangerous and wants me and the baby to go only on cycling path which is not always possible.

How could I convince her that it is safe and a fun activity do to together ?

1) Maybe have her post here so she get her questions/fears addressed directly.

2) Have her articulate what it is exactly that she is fearful of. What about it is dangerous? As mentioned, anything comes w/ risk. Walking out of your house, down the stairs can kill you. But you have to overcome and live your life. As long as you mitigate the risks, you should be fine.

3) Have her talk to other riders that also use carriers. They can help her be more comfortable.

My 2.5 year old and I have been using her Burley for about a year. We have "dad time" on weekends, riding to breakfast and the park. We have family time, where we don't drive a car at all for one day a week. We have treats by riding to have ice cream. She loves it. I just make sure that we ALWAYS wear a helmet and that at nite/dusk, we have the right combination of reflectors/lights. I live in the SF Bay Area and our area is VERY bike friendly, w/ lots of bike paths and bike lanes on the roads. Is it risky? Sure, but not any more than me riding alone on my bike.

I have a friend (pretty active guy) who bought a bike seat for his kid. He's never used it because his wife is not comfortable riding in the street. The wife is a little risk averse so it makes for a lot of negotiation. (Not insinuating that your sitation is like this.) You have to figure out a way that she herself is comfortable and that'll make it easier for her to be OK w/ the kid on the bike.

Perhaps you can "create" a route w/ her that she's comfortable with. Hit streets w/ little or no traffic, bike paths, whatever is safest. Start from there and work your way around town.

Hmmm I am all for the family cycling together and higly recommend the type carrier you linked. Put a flag on it I'm sure it already has reflectors and roll on!

I have a Chariot Cabriolet that I use to pull my two year old around in. Mum comes for rides, too. We tend to use recreational paths the most, but we do ride on quiet streets. I find I get lots more space and courtesy from drivers while pulling the trailer than without it. They trailer is also good for hauling groceries or the occasional case of beer.

I took a spill last year on a wet wooden bridge pulling the chariot, and it remained upright. My daughter didn’t even wake up… ;)

Thank for the advice. I am still working on the convincing part slowly but surely !!! Just can't wait to get on the bike and have fun with my daughter and bring my wife along.

Just can't wait to get on the bike and have fun with my daughter and bring my wife along.

My wife finds the carrier very comfortable. She said as a joke, perhaps I'll go in the carrier with my daughter !!! That could solve the problem !!!

When I got a trailer for my twins I looked into the safety issue. Basically what I found is that there is no statistical information on the safety of either trailers or child seats. The one study I found said the problem (from the researcher's point of view) is that accidents are so rare that no statistical inference can be drawn. Bicycling in general is not particularly dangerous, and when people are towing their kids they tend to be extra careful, so the accident rate is essentially zero. I wish I remembered where I saw the article so you could show it to your wife.

If you look at bicycle accidents in general, and then exclude people who ride at night without lights, are drunk, ride on the wrong side of the street, disobey traffic signals, race, are too young to drive .... you've pretty much excluded everything. Accidents are pretty rare among competent cyclists riding legally with proper equipment.

I've always found that drivers are much more considerate when I'm pulling kids.

[QUOTE=DCCommuter] I wish I remembered where I saw the article so you could show it to your wife.

QUOTE]

Interesting comment. If you do find the article, let me know. Thank you.