bike riding and BW

[katieroo]

I already have an opinion on this and it is a no-no for me. But, I wanted to hear other peoples take on it. mostly because I found out that is is completely legal here in Idaho.

http://www.lostrivercycling.org/idcode.html

"49-715. RIDING ON BICYCLES.

1. A person propelling a bicycle shall not ride other than upon or astride an attached permanent and regular seat.
2. No bicycle or human-propelled vehicle shall be used to carry more persons at one (1) time than the number for which it is designed and equipped.
3. An adult rider may carry a child securely attached to his person in a backpack or sling or in a child carrier attached to the bicycle. "

[thismama]

Everyone here will be horrified. But it's done more in Europe - I remember a Didymos ad with a mama bike riding and she had the baby in a back carry.

[lifeguard]

I wouldn't do it.

[octobermoon]

GAAHH! i couldn't do it.

[greeny]

I wouldn't do it.

[SilverFish]

well, it's all very well and good to be totally against it, but for many people, biking is legitimately their only mode of transport, or a significant part of their daily transport, especially in many european and asian countries. and since a child really can't ride independently in a bike carrier until at least the age of one, what would you have people do? stay at home for a year? not everyone has the means to buy and operate a motor vehicle, and for many, bike-riding is not the leisure activity it has become in north america.

[JenBuckyfan]

I wouldn't do it, but when I was little my mom wore me in a carrier and rode bike all the time (leisurely anyway). I also have a picture when I was a toodler in the seat attached to the bike and my sister was on the front of my mom. She said she loved doin it. Mind you we lived in small more rural community - in fact, two of the roads she would have ridden on were local highways with speed limits of 55mph. I don't think she'd do all that today, but at the time it was common (I'm 31).

[rcr]

Well, I wouldn't do it, but I am in the U.S. If I lived in Amsterdam or somewhere like that, I would have no problem with it (and we bike evrywhere on an xtracycle). I guess for me it is about bike culture, I don't really see it as a safety issue if everybody else in the country is doing it - then people would actually see bikes.

[*MamaJen*]

My sister does it with the Ergo. I kind of feel like it's safer in many ways than one of those bike seats. I'd be interested to see actual studies.

[mamadaan]

The Netherlands

I live in the Netherlands and for many people bicycles are their main or only method of transport. This is the officially recommended way of transporting babies up to about nine months: http://www.kinderwagensupply.nl/Auto...e-Fietsdrager/ Some people use a cargo bike: http://www.bikeshop.nl/products/2products_bakfiets.htm or a trailer: http://www.fietskarren-fietsaanhangers.nl/b_31.jpg There are seats for on the front and back of bicycles for kids from about 6-9 months to about 10-12 years. After that teenagers just sit on the backs of bicycles. Dutch bike are made that way.

Some people use backpacks or front carriers on bikes. Some people are concerened that a baby's back may get damaged if the adult has to stop suddenly and the baby is thrown against the handlebars.

I did not, as I am prone to falling off my bike even when the kids are on it :-(

By the way, some organizations have really cool bikes that can transport up to 10-12 toddlers: http://www.deredding.nl/kindervervoer.php

[MoonStarFalling]

I've done it in a pinch when I had no other transportation. I seriously doubt I would do it again unless the baby had a helmet. I lived in a rural area with no traffic, gravel or uneven roads.

[SAmama]

Done it. Many times with dd and will probably with ds as well. We live in Asia and have no car. We even did it with dd when she was old enough for a seat and helmet. So many times it was the only way she was willing to go anywhere.

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by SilverFish

well, it's all very well and good to be totally against it, but for many people, biking is legitimately their only mode of transport, or a significant part of their daily transport, especially in many european and asian countries. and since a child really can't ride independently in a bike carrier until at least the age of one, what would you have people do? stay at home for a year? not everyone has the means to buy and operate a motor vehicle, and for many, bike-riding is not the leisure activity it has become in north america.

I agree. And fwiw, and to totally lose my cred on here, I did this once. Wrap carrier with a 1 yo on a sidewalk for only a short trip to the store when I didn't have a bike seat and it was too long to walk (and a storm was coming) and no one to watch them. Honestly, it felt more secure than a bike seat or trailer. I have a bobike now but they never feel as secure as the carrier.

[MsVyky]

I'd probably choose to wear my baby in an SSC over one of those little seats you affix to the back of a bike. I think having her closer to my centre of gravity would have less of an effect on my balance (which isn't so great to begin with, LOL)

But I'd definitely choose a bike trailer over any of the above options.

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by MsVyky

I'd probably choose to wear my baby in an SSC over one of those little seats you affix to the back of a bike. I think having her closer to my centre of gravity would have less of an effect on my balance (which isn't so great to begin with, LOL)

But I'd definitely choose a bike trailer over any of the above options.

I think that's one of the reasons it felt safer-those trailers even can sometimes tip your bike if you get off of them and the seats really throw off your balance. I guess with 20+ years of bike riding, you are better at catching yourself than something behind you on a bike if you have to stop suddenly.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by SilverFish

well, it's all very well and good to be totally against it, but for many people, biking is legitimately their only mode of transport, or a significant part of their daily transport, especially in many european and asian countries. and since a child really can't ride independently in a bike carrier until at least the age of one, what would you have people do? stay at home for a year? not everyone has the means to buy and operate a motor vehicle, and for many, bike-riding is not the leisure activity it has become in north america.

So walking isn't a legit mode of transportation anymore? Why didn't I get the memo?

I walk everywhere with my little guy - we don't have a car, and the bus is expensive to use all the time. And I'm terrified of bike riding - and in NYC theres no way in he!! that I would ride anywhere, and especially not with my LO attached to me or in a bike seat.

ETA - and isn't it a bit hypocritical for people to be all up in arms about people saying that babywearing isn't safe? Theres lots of, "When you do it safely, and the right way, its perfectly safe!!" Riding a bike with a baby attached to you and not wearing a helmet isn't safe, so it makes babywearing less safe.

[*MamaJen*]

I was just thinking about this. I'm going to be biking DS to daycare and then me to school (less than a mile for the whole trip). I was thinking about putting him in the Ergo, but I'll be wearing a backpack with school stuff. And the streets are just a little too narrow for me to feel comfortable with a trailer. I think I'm going to get one of the front seats that go on the handlebars.

[yamilee21]

I looked up the law for New York state, and babies under 1 cannot be on bicycles, period; it specifically mentions: "nor shall such person be carried in a pack fastened to the operator."

[eirual]

:

I did a few trips around town with DS in an Ergo on my back and LOVED it!! It felt great, was quick and fun way to get around (trailers personally freak me out, and bike seats might have been a possibility but I didn' have one). Well, one day some woman stopped me and offered to put DS in her trailer...um...no, thanks. It made me feel like cr@p 'cause I was all of a sudden paranoid that I'd hurt him and was wrong. I wish we had kept doing it to be honest- the level of freedom, the more we got to do, just the experience of it I think outweighed any risks that came with it.

If the concern is rolling on the child during a fall (which from my research, was the priamry concern). I may be wrong here, but I can't see how a fall with a child secured to the bike or in a lane of traffic would be any better than a fall while being worn.

[SAmama]

I totally agree with feeling safer with a babe on my back than on a seat. Those trailers seem way more dangerous to me, especially here where no-one has ever seen such a thing (and they seem so low to me) and won't know to possibly expect it. And I feel like in the event of being hit, a baby on my body is safer than one on the bike. Walking is great and obviously safer, but we live in a spread out mountain town with everything far from everything else (takes me at least 20 minutes of cycling to get most places, although I obviously cycle slow and carefully... and walk when it is closer) so walking mostly would just not have worked for me. Just how I feel and what we decided to do.

Originally Posted by eirual

:

I did a few trips around town with DS in an Ergo on my back and LOVED it!! It felt great, was quick and fun way to get around (trailers personally freak me out, and bike seats might have been a possibility but I didn' have one). Well, one day some woman stopped me and offered to put DS in her trailer...um...no, thanks. It made me feel like cr@p 'cause I was all of a sudden paranoid that I'd hurt him and was wrong. I wish we had kept doing it to be honest- the level of freedom, the more we got to do, just the experience of it I think outweighed any risks that came with it.

If the concern is rolling on the child during a fall (which from my research, was the priamry concern). I may be wrong here, but I can't see how a fall with a child secured to the bike or in a lane of traffic would be any better than a fall while being worn.