Bike Trailer and Baby

[Rev]

My son is a strong 4.5 month old (he can sit up if I hold his legs). We just got a bike trailer for him and he loves it. He is strapped in and has no issues holding his head up and the trailer has large rubber tires that seem to make for a smooth ride. We don’t go for hours at a time, and we stick mostly to Toronto bike paths, some paved, some smooth packed dirt with small gravel. We do have to take a short stint on a road that has a bike lane, and then about 100 meters without a bike lane to get to the path, and cross streets at crosswalks from time to time.

With this background info my question is at what age do you feel it is safe to take your child in a bike trailer? I have read some alarmist stuff that says it shakes your baby’s brain etc etc. but my son looks happy as can be back there and is not bouncing around any more than in the truck. Obviously I want him to be safe, but we also want to get out there and explore as a family if it seems reasonable.

I looked up local law and it said that we need to put him in the car seat and then put that in the carrier. That is fair enough. But I’d like other people’s experiences.

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo209/revx/P4240122.jpg

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo209/revx/P4240123.jpg

[Nay]

He looks good in there - the fact that you are concerned means you are probably being safe, and so I wouldn't worry much about it as any risk would really come from something like rolling the trailer.

A little bumping doesn't create a "shaken baby", but it does put them to sleep for a couple of hours :rockon:

If you really are that concerned, and you want to spend a lot of money again, you could get a Chariot. They are on tiny little leaf springs and it really softens the ride, plus you can get the front stroller wheel conversion and the XC ski kit.

I am selling that entire setup now as mine have outgrown it. It really is awesome.

[WoldD90]

If you open this up to a lot of opinions, you are going to get a lot of opinions.

Talk to your pediatrician to make sure that they say it is ok for his age, weight, size and development. A car seat, as weird as it would seem, make work well. To protect him in case of an accident. On our local paths, people are always cutting in and around people, not looking and stopping in the middle of the path. So, there is always a small chance of an accident.

[Rev]

Opinions wanted.

But even better would be real world experience.

[Nay]

I had my kids everywhere I could take them in any manner I could take them as soon as they could hold up their heads when needed and before when in a rear facing carseat.

This included a lot of pretty technical fourwheeling.

I have four kids and we are extremely safety conscious. The fact that they have traveled extensively in many different ways since tiny also means I can drive 30 hours straight across country each year to visit relatives without any complaining, and take the entire family wheeling on long, hard days.

Biking at speed is a risk - we mostly had our in jogging strollers and out wheeling or in a pack snowshoeing.

Your doc would likely advise you to wait, and that is the safe move. Still, babies are a lot harder to snuff out than we fear...

[EuroJoe]

tough to give advice as dont know you or the kid or the trailer or the paths, what i did was rent a bakfiets - a dutch bike for hauling kids, the wee guy loved it, hated the helmet but mad him wear it anyway and he was 16 months but regardless, have a blast and get a good bell, or whistle and watch out for roller bladers

[4x4mike]

We have a one year old and we bought a Chariot CX2 ( not full price ). She likes it but we don't put her in the car seat. The CX2 has really nice seats and harnesses and she is in their really good. Max distance has been 20 miles and any longer she gets bored. Ours is a 2 kid model but it's just her so I fill it with her toys so she has something to do.

[SilverBullet]

We used our bike trailer with my 2 year old and his 4 month old sister. For her, we used the head pads made for car seats, and the 2 year old was helping "hold" her. It was fun, no off road, but the trailer rode nice, now Dad just needs to get stronger, those are a heavy combniation up hill...

[Rev]

Hmmmm. seems like a number of reasonable folks have taken their kids in these things without any damage.

[dport]

I have a 7 month old, and did not like the way he sat in the second hand trailer we picked up. My solution was to mount a piece of plywood to the trailer, and strap his carseat to that. It made me feel a lot better about having him in there, esp since the common recommended age is 1 year old from what I've found. I mounted a small strip of plywood vertically on the base piece, so the carseat can but up against it like it does the back of the seat. We rode a 4 mile gravel trail with no issues, except for a little trail grime getting on him. I may change out the plywood for plexiglass to save a little weight, but It seems OK for now.

[stonehenge]

looks a damn sight safer and more comfortable than bouncing in a wooden buckboard wagon many children came across country in oh say about 150 years ago

[R_Lefebvre]

We bought one of these years go, and used it with our son starting at about 4 months old. It was all on-road, in quiet neighborhoods, so little safety concerns. Nobody could tell me his brain has suffered. He's 4.5 now, is bilingual, can count to 100 and is learning addition already (all that, and he's never been to a Montessouri school!)

We're now using one with our 6 month old daughter.

I'd never heard the shaken brain thing before, caused by trailers. Sounds rediculous. I don't know that I'd take it off pavement at less than 1 year.

[elmo_4_vt]

Like the rest.. We took our son out all summer in the 5-8 month range. He loved it. We did make him wear a helmet just in case something happened, but we did mostly on road, or slow off road stuff, and he was always smiling...

-

[greenmeanie]

We've got a double wide Chariot as well. Its good as if our 3 yr old son gets tired he can hop in too which is a nice thing to bear in mind if you plan on adding another little snot blower later. As stated earlier it makes an ideal toy hauler when going to the park. While it is heavier than a single place unit the double wide has the advantage of being more stable due to its greater width.

As for the age thing we have had our daughter in ours as a jogger since she was about 3 months. She is now 9 months and we use it behind a bike on pavement to go to the park. Slow gentle and on residential streets. I wouldn't take it off road behind the bike until she can wear a helmet which I will buy her at 1 yr old.

I think we are probably considered the local crazies as it is not unknown for us to have a 'road train'. Our malamute out front on a bungie leash, mum or dad on the bike in the middle as the power house, bike trailer loaded with daughter and toys and then our son out back on his bike which gets a tug up the steeper hills using a leash onto the back of the bike trailer. Note this is on the pavement and not playing in traffic. Its a work out.

[digitaldelay]

We waited for both our daughters to be >1 year old after talking to our pediatrician. Also, I couldn't find helmets that fit small enough, so I had to wait for them to grow a little anyways. One bike shop told me the reason they don't make newborn-sized helmets is they want the kid to be a little older before they ride in a trailer (neck-strength / bobble-head concerns).

To the OP - your kid looks a lot stouter than I remember mine being at that age!

Jason

P.S. - I have the same trailer (in yellow/black).

[R_Lefebvre]

I don't put helmets on them in the trailer. I dunno... never even thought about it. They are so low to the ground, and I figure it's like a little roll cage. As long as we're not going fast, I really don't see the risk. The serious risk to me, is getting hit by a car, and a helmet really won't help that that much.

[digitaldelay]

I had a bit of a scare the first time I took the girls out in the trailer together. A kid, maybe 10 or so, tried to to pass us on the right. He got caught up between the right wheel of the trailer and an electrical box beside the sidewalk. It really jolted the trailer, scared the crap out of me:Wow1:, and sent the kid flying down the sidewalk. The girls seemed unaffected in their little cocoon, but I almost felt like packing it in right there. We weren't more than 100' from our garage!

After that, I am really careful with towing a wide load, especially since I try to stick to the sidewalks and bike paths.

Jason

P.S. - The bike kid was OK, but I think he'll be more cautious when judging passing clearances next time!

[Rev]

To the OP - your kid looks a lot stouter than I remember mine being at that age!

He was 11 lbs at birth and 10 days past the due date so he has always been physically strong for his age. He is a very active boy and if he keeps growing like this he will tower over me by the time he is 10. Maybe then he can pull me in the trailer. ;)

[Rev]

We bought one of these years go, and used it with our son starting at about 4 months old. It was all on-road, in quiet neighborhoods, so little safety concerns. Nobody could tell me his brain has suffered. He's 4.5 now, is bilingual, can count to 100 and is learning addition already (all that, and he's never been to a Montessouri school!)

We're now using one with our 6 month old daughter.

I'd never heard the shaken brain thing before, caused by trailers. Sounds rediculous. I don't know that I'd take it off pavement at less than 1 year.

Good to hear! Yes it does seem like a silly theory. Like someone else said, it has to be better than the old wagons kids used to use.

[Rev]

I have a 7 month old, and did not like the way he sat in the second hand trailer we picked up. My solution was to mount a piece of plywood to the trailer, and strap his carseat to that. It made me feel a lot better about having him in there, esp since the common recommended age is 1 year old from what I've found. I mounted a small strip of plywood vertically on the base piece, so the carseat can but up against it like it does the back of the seat. We rode a 4 mile gravel trail with no issues, except for a little trail grime getting on him. I may change out the plywood for plexiglass to save a little weight, but It seems OK for now.

interesting idea for sure.

[dport]

It makes me feel MUCH better having him in this way. Even if I hit a bit of a rough patch, he still has the support of the seat around his head.

[keating]

Another Chariot fan here. We have the Cougar 1 (http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/cougar.php)
Made in Canada with a lifetime warranty. Can't beat it.

My daughter will be 3 next month. She's been in the Chariot since we bought it at about 5 months. Walking, jogging and skiing in the infant sling (http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/accessories.php?accID=2) for the first year. Only started biking the spring after she turned one. She's got the seat support, similar to the Baby Supporter (http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/accessories.php?accID=3) with a pillow around the back of the head, and side bolsters, so she's actually supported in an upright position. I guess it's been redesigned, as I can't find the one we have.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with her any smaller and just bundled in with blankets and straps.
It's about neck strength and support. I wouldn't take her behind a bike untill she was ready to be front facing in her carseat.

And she doesn't get in it without her helmet on. When it's converted into a trailer and attached to the bike, the Chariot is "her bike" and everybody wears a helmet on their bike. Necessary, or not, it instills good safety rules.
Though, I'd hate to collide with another cyclist or jogger, or whatever, and have the trailer roll over such that a rock or curb was able to reach her head.

She was 2 1/2 and her poppy was going to take her for a ride with dad's bike. She stood next to the Chariot with her helmet on and would not climb in until poppy put a helmet on.

[cmgraves]

chariot fan here as well!

We had ours walking through bumby trails at age 4 months with the baby sling. worked fantastic. then upgraded to the additonal seat support when she was ready at age 15 months?? i believe.

Currently, we use ours as a jogger off road, biking on and off road pretty much everday.

One item to mention, when our daughter was 18-19 months old, I was biking offroad with the trailer attached. The trailer wheel hit a 9+ inch rock that flipped it pretty hard and solid. My daughter was shocked up and had the, "what the hell was that look" then said "boom". My mood of oh crap what did i just do, switched to laughing in miliseconds. The trailer obtain no damage, and my duaghter did not shift at all with the 5 point harness. This reminded me why i obted for the more expensive item for safety and reliablility are incoroporated.

[ijeep_2]

I too love my chariot. I just took my 4 year old for a rough trail ride in it. He has been in it since he was about 2 months old. Of course we started on easy pavement with lots of blankets for support and padding but he has no fear now. He was riding with a buddy and his daughter for a while and I saw about 10 inches of air under their trailer and they later tipped onto his side in a rut. They were laughing the whole time.

[bunduguy]

Remember that the childs skeletal system is highly vulnerable at this early age. Though he is strong, his neck is still floppy, and holding it up is a very different physical effort from resisting a bump or a jarring.
we had our little guy in a bike seat from around7-8 months, wearing a helmet, and now, at 2, he goes on trails with me. But please remember that the muscular system develops ata different rate from the skeletal system.

BTW - my dad is a pediatrician. So, real world experience as a dad to my own toddler, and knowledge from a physician dad.