Bikes and Babies

[kirsten74]

Hi, my DH and I want to get into bike riding with the older kids now that they can ride their own bikes. We are having problems however finding something to do with our 11 week old. There are kid carriers out there but they are designed for older kids who can sit up on their own and can hold their heads up. We really need something where the baby can lie down or at least have a good amount of head support. Anyone know of a product which fits this? We're looking more for a pull along "trailer" thing that will attach to the back of the bike.

[Ellibam]

the trailors that you pull along they are still in a sitting position! and they also need to wear helmets! the smallest helmet you can get is 43cm(head circ) so you will still have to wait until bubs can sit by himself and support him self!
if you by the trailor that also converts to a pram/jogger you could walk with it while the kids and dh ride

[Emma1979]

sorry to put a dampner on things but ive read and also heard that it is not advisable to put a helmet on a child before 12 months..... 10 months at a stretch. the reason being it puts added weight on their necks (which isnt very good for them)... i was also wanting to go bike riding and was told this by two separate baby bike seat retailers/manufacturers.

hope u can figure something out though :-)

[kirsten74]

I hadn't thought of the helmet being too heavy for their heads. Guess that would be a problem too.
We tried him in the pouch being carried by DH, but everytime he lifted his leg to pedal it bumped Ben and he got upset. Guess I am going to be walking behind for awhile.

[Nai]

There is a guy in Ballarat who imports cargo bikes (they can be sent to anywhere in Australia though) and he has put a carseat in the cargo area (it is in front of the bike not at the back) with his kids. You would have to buy a whole new bike but it is a very handy bike to have. DP is impressed that you can carry a keg of beer in it PLUS a child - MEN!

Anyway if you google cargo cycles the website will come up and you can check them out. I have seen them when the guy came along to a cycle event with his little one in the cargo thing - she looked very comfy!

[Tanya]

Have you thought abut a sling (eg; hug-a-bub or the like)?

[barefoot]

Sorry for digging up an old thread, but I was just told that we were being talked about over here.

Yeah, I'm the Cargo Cycles guy Nai was talking about :-D

I won't plug our bikes too hard, just to say that they come set up with a seat and harnesses for two kids... no attachments required.

The car seat setup Nai saw on my bike is a custom fit that I've done for our two year old, who has a few issues, and isn't strong enough to sit upright for long.

Tanya's suggestion:

Have you thought abut a sling (eg; hug-a-bub or the like)?

Seems like a good idea, until you think about the possibilities in a crash.

With a regular baby bike seat or trailer (or cargo bike), in the worst case, the child could have the bike land on him. If your baby is strapped to you, and you instinctively roll when you fall (most people do), there's a real risk of crushing your baby. The child needs some protection from having 50+kg of parent landing on him.

Please, don't ride with your baby in a sling.

tim

[Nai]

Hi Tim, glad you came in to clarify more about the bike. I am not great at explaining some of these things

The cargo bikes do look great!

[HotI]

I saw a bike rider with a baby carrier set up (not the cargo cycle but it had a trailer like set up in front of the bike) riding in heavy traffic in Carlton, Melbourne. There is no way i would be riding in that traffic with kids in the carrier.

I have seen enough bikes being hit by cars in the CBD to wonder about the safety of riding itself, but no way would i be doing it with kids.

I like the idea of the front carriages, but would only be riding on bike tracks or off road. It's not so much, the kids having far to fall if the bike tipped, but more a car hitting the bike and taking out the carriage at same time.

[barefoot]

Thanks Nai.

Regarding the original poster's question about taking an 11 week old (now must be 17 weeks old!) on a bike... the insurmountable problem you'll face is helmets.

The law requires anybody on a bike to be wearing a helmet. I don't know of any helmet that is small enough to fit a baby, and I can't think of any way to make a non-sitting baby comfortable (or safe!) while wearing a bulky helmet.

In Europe, you can buy off-the-shelf brackets to mount a baby capsule in a cargo bike. It's standard practice. No helmets. Nobody in Europe wears a bike helmet (just like how they don't wear pedestrian helmets). In case of an accident, I'd reckon a bare-headed baby in a crash-rated capsule, mounted low in a plywood box is going to be better off than a helmet wearing child in a bike seat mounted up high on a luggage rack, but my opinion isn't important - the law is the law.

If you're intent on riding with your baby regardless, I'd be looking for a way to mount a capsule or some other car seat. May be possible in a trailer or a cargo bike. Google for "bakfiets" (Dutch for cargobike) and "maxi-cosi" (a popular European baby capsule) for ideas.

For my daughter, I've modified a car seat (added some internal padding) so she can wear her helmet, and added mounts and attachment points to the cargo bike. We did that in consultation with her early intervention physio... not something I'd recommend doing yourself, especially for a very small child.

tim

[Daydream Believer]

Your best option is to go to a specialised bike store (eg Goldcross, or similar)and speak to a mechanic or manger, regarding suitable products for such young children. DF works as a mechanic at a bike store & said not to ask sales staff because most of them are casuals and are not experienced enough to help with this sort of safety issue. HTH