[malyita]

We're missing going for bike rides since dd came along 12 wks ago. My parents have offered us their little drag behind trailer. It's one of those that is sort of a little triangular nylon room with a seat with seatbelts. My mom claims you can put an infant seat in there somehow. Does anyone have any experience with that? Have there been major advances in these things in the past 20 years and we'd want a newer one no matter what? What's your favorite way to ride with someone who can't sit up yet (but has good head control)?

 

[calicocj]

I've heard of people rigging stuff like that up and also directly buckling a carseat into the trailer. I personally would never try this with such a young babe, I'm still holding off on DD bc she is a small 18 mo. I think the "official" rule is that they need to have enough neck control to be able to support wearing a helmet.

 

[dejohe]

My friend had one of those trailers and it came with a 'sling' that attached, in which she placed her baby. I don't know if it was safe for biking, but definitely for use as a stroller (they weren't bikers). You could maybe check at the store and see if you can buy that for your trailer.

 

[pixiepunk]

we used to take DD (and then DS) along in ours starting about age 4 months. we have an Equinox, and it has an optional infant attachment that is sort of similar to a baby bjorn - a bit of a crotch dangle, so you don't want to have the kid in there for hours at a run, but it was great for shorter rides. fwiw, we were riding on the C&O Canal - which is a pretty much flat, gravel trail. i wouldn't have felt safe with them in it had there not also been a screen on the front, so no way could gravel kick up from our wheels and hit her.

 

[smaug20000]

I had read in several places that the baby should be over 12 months old for 2 reasons. One was to have enough neck control and to be able to support the bike helmet. We got the smallest one, and it still seems bulky on our 16 month old. The other is because the spine is still developing, and that you don't want to jingle their spine until they are a bit older.

My dh still wasn't totally convinced though, so he bought a bike trailer that you drag along behind the bike from REI. He brought it out for a trial run without the baby when she was 6 months old, and he just drove it around our parking lot for a trial. Afterwards, he was convinced that it did jiggle and joustle too much for our baby, and we first started biking with her when she was about 14 months old. He even had tried to weight down the trailer similar to her weight.

 

[ex-stasis]

People in my ddc are talking about installing a carseat in the bike trailer for young babies. No helmet, though. I guess it depends on where you're biking and how you feel about it.

 

[thismama]

I've heard that the jolting that comes with riding a bicycle, even over smooth terrain, can cause neck injuries and head injuries akin to shaken baby injuries. Is this true?

Unless this is false I would not ride with a baby until they are twelve months. That is what I heard is safe.