What to do about helmet in bike trailer - Page 2

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by mrsfrenchy

I agree. Now, if you were putting her in a trailer that did not have a 5pt harness and the roll bar, among other things, then I would probably feel differently. But with trailers that are designed not to flip when the bike does and have saftey features if it actually does, I don't think you have as much to worry about.

Same.

My kids don't wear their helmets in the trailer. They're completely enclosed and we only ride on the bike trail where we possibly come into contact with one or two bikers/rollerbladers...that's it. They always wear them when riding alone and of course if I had them in a bike seat I would definitely put the helmets on. It was just too uncomfortable looking when they had them on in there. Common sense IMO.

[New_Natural_Mom]

Originally Posted by treqi

My dd is 3.5 and is a good helmet wearer but i jus wanted to say that you shouldnt be riding your bike on the sidewalk it is illegal in some places and isnt a good practice

We always ride our bikes with the trailer on the sidewalk! I think it is much safer than the street. I always think people who ride on the streets to be kinda weird.

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by New_Natural_Mom

We always ride our bikes with the trailer on the sidewalk! I think it is much safer than the street. I always think people who ride on the streets to be kinda weird.

Riding on the sidewalk is illegal here. You might want to check where you live.

[Mom2M]

Originally Posted by New_Natural_Mom

We always ride our bikes with the trailer on the sidewalk! I think it is much safer than the street. I always think people who ride on the streets to be kinda weird.

It's illegal here too. I can see why you would want to ride with the trailer on the sidewalk, it looks so vulnerable on the street. There is someone around here who rides with one (in the street) and it's been fine, they have a huge flag on the trailer.

[mumm]

I would rather have my children enjoy the bike rides and want to do it more often. One of my girls wears a helmet in the trailer, one does not. We also have a burly.

However- I almost always make everyone wear a helmet in the Madsen. To me it feels dangerous not too. The only exceptions have been once when my then 2 year old just would not keep it on. I kept stopping and putting it back on and realized that I was never going to get home before dark and she and I were both getting overly frustrated, so I let it go. She's never fought it since then.

The other time was at the bus stop on our little dead end street and a bunch of 5 & 6th grade kids challenged me to ride with 4 of them in the madsen. Their parents were there and we were just goofing around, moving slowly, etc.

[Comtessa]

The issue is most likely what the PP's said, that the helmet pushes her head forward uncomfortably. This happened with DD until we put some pillows in the trailer. We put a small one right behind her back, which pushes her forward enough that there's space behind her head for the helmet. That way, if she falls asleep, she can lean back comfortably and not have to slouch forward. The helmet actually seems to support her head while she sleeps. She used to fight it all the time, until I realized that the straps were too tight and loosened them. D'oh! Now she likes to wear it all the time!

I think the PP's are right about the relative uselessness of a helmet in a trailer, but I'm also aware that people already think I'm a crazy-dangerous parent to be riding a bike with my baby at all, so if she has a helmet on then I get at least a few less negative comments about it.

[cycle]

Originally Posted by New_Natural_Mom

We always ride our bikes with the trailer on the sidewalk! I think it is much safer than the street. I always think people who ride on the streets to be kinda weird.

Riding on the sidewalk is illegal in most places. Its a danger to pedestrians, it is much more dangerous for you on the bike when crossing streets and for traffic because it confuses them as to what you are doing. You are much safer on the street, riding with traffic, obeying traffic laws. If you are not comfortable riding in the street there are a lot of bike clubs that give classes on street riding safety. Obviously you wouldn't want to ride on a high traffic street with no shoulder or bike lane if you have a trailer.

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by cycle

Riding on the sidewalk is illegal in most places. Its a danger to pedestrians, it is much more dangerous for you on the bike when crossing streets and for traffic because it confuses them as to what you are doing. You are much safer on the street, riding with traffic, obeying traffic laws. If you are not comfortable riding in the street there are a lot of bike clubs that give classes on street riding safety. Obviously you wouldn't want to ride on a high traffic street with no shoulder or bike lane if you have a trailer.

I always ride on the sidewalk as I live in a small town and DS1 is only 6, riding in front of me on his own bike. Have never checked if it's illegal but I've never been stopped. There's no bike lane in town, however.

[mumofboyz]

Some tips on how to ride on the road safely: http://bicyclesafe.com/
If you insist on riding your bike on the sidewalk, here are some safety tips just for you: http://commutebybike.com/2008/07/09/...-the-sidewalk/

[treqi]

I would be scared to ride on the sidewalk I feel like traffic wouldn't notice me and if I were to cruise though a street crossing a right or left turning vehicle might hit me. If you're in the street tend to notice you.