Bicycle ride with a baby: from newborns to newborns to toddler

Note: Keep in mind – I’m not a doctor or expert in the child’s development. I’m a mom and a cyclist. Talk to your pediatrician about when cycling with your baby is appropriate.

One question that is constantly asking me is: “When can you start a bike ride with your baby?” This inquiry comes from parents who are enthusiastic cyclists and itching to return to the bike, as well as the moms who are new in cycling, but are eagerly to leave the house and do something active with their young baby.

A quick and easy answer to this question is “a year. “This is a recommended age provided by the American Pediatric Association (AAP).

With our own son we waited until a few weeks before his first birthday to start driving. Although we desperately wanted to start driving before, we decided to go wrong on the side of caution and follow AAP recommendation.

We used both a trailer ia the children’s seat on the front Immediately after his first birthday. Both his and our favorite at this age ended up with the front headquarters. This allowed him to be close to the dad where he felt safe, giving him a great look at everything that was happening, and let us watch him, without having to turn to.

Despite our choice to wait, there is another more controversial, The school thinks That baby drive (in a safe way) is not only okay, but also something we should absolutely do. As more and more families understand the devastating impact of automotive culture, they renounce their cars for bicycles.

If you don’t have a car and you have a baby, you’ll have to drive. Parents in Europe – and in the whole world about it – do they work; so we should.

In fact, guidelines in other countries are milder than those in US organizations in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK, recommend that Watting up to 9 months or old or old or When I can sit without help. This seems to be the last point mostly universal.

In this article, we share cycling capabilities with babies that this means cycling with a newborn baby or a newborn baby or I wait until that most important first birthday.

Options for cycling with newborns (under 12 months)

For people who are not willing to wait for up to a year, there are several options to pull the baby. With any placement, you want to ensure that their neck is supported, that they are not sent and that they are reasonably protected in the case of typovers.

Here are some of my favorite options.

A freight bike

One of the strangest articles I read about my baby’s cycling was on the now -defective Totcycle blog. A doctor headquartered in Seattlu, was recommended using a a freight bike with a bucket – examples are Dutch bakfiets or Ludsen.

Our friends to CyclogProg Also have an article by Juliet Kemp about how she started riding a bicycle with her 5 -week baby at Cargo Bicycle Christian.

In this scenario, they would simply provide a baby carrier in the bucket. Among the family cycle, a burden crew, it is probably the most common lineup.

One thing you need to be aware of in this setting is that in the Bakfiets style bike it can reach a fair amount of jerk. You will need to drive additionally carefully and slow down down for Speedbumps and other dangers. Bakfiets with a suspension, like those from Riese and MullerIt may be your best option.

Find out more:: The best freight bicycles to draw children.

Trailer

For recreational cyclists, the most popular option for cycling with baby is good Bicycle trailer. This is my least favorite choice because of the potential jerk of the baby, but on the other hand, it is best.

If you decide on your baby’s bike in the trailer, make sure you get a really good one. I recommend Thule Chariot Cross Because it has a suspension and a “roll cage” will do a good job to prevent injury in the case of typos or accidents.

Many trailer manufacturers have an infants of the seat or strap, but they trade them for a walk only under 12 months. Nevertheless I know a few parents who have used the straps for cycling with great success.

Some of the brands offering a child belt or hanging networking Thula,, Burleyand Hamax.

Another, perhaps even safer, the option is to simply pull the office into a bicycle trailer. Keep in mind that cassettes are designed for cars, not trailers, and there are actually no studies on their safety in the cycling trailer.

Still, a lot of parents from whom we have heard from it and we feel that it is completely worth any risk. Here’s a video showing someone using a car seat in a bicycle trailer.

Read more: The best trailer for cycling with children

Options for cycling with a baby (more than 12 months)

For those of you who have arrived by that critical year, your options have just grown. All of the above options are still sustainable, although you can now throw out the carat. In addition to a cargo bike and trailer, you can also consider:

Front -set baby for babies

As I mentioned before, our favorite way to ride with my son at the age of 1 was the front set seat (specifically Ibert). These seats are attached to the front of the adult bike and allow small people to have an interactive ride.

At this age, the best seats for baby cyclists have a belt to make the little ones safe. We love the front seats because they allow you to keep your baby close and talk to them while exploring the world together.

Read more: The best front seats for babies

Baby seat on the back of the baby

The rear mounted bicycle seat is attached either to the mail for adults or on the rear stand on the bicycle. The advantage of this setting is that it can grow with your child (expect it to take several years of driving). Because babies like to nap on a bicycle, we love the seats of the rear bikes that offer a place to rest, floppy heads.

The disadvantages of the rear bicycle seat are that you cannot see your little one while you are driving, and that can reject you a little balance.

Read more: Best Baby Seats on the back

Baby helmets

If you decide on a infant bicycle, you should not put a helmet on them. Why not? As one, their neck simply are not strong enough.

The helmet will do more harm than it uses by adding weight to the head and pushing the head forward. Second, if there are a car seat in one of my proposed settings, there will never be a linear fall-which is all the helmet designed to protect.

Once your baby is one year old or when you switch to the riding schedule without tickets, then you should put a helmet on them. It is important to choose a light helmet that fits with small heads. Make sure they can sit upright and keep their head straight with the helmet.

Read more: Best Baby helmets and young children

Law

Before bike with a baby, make sure that Know the laws in your area. Some countries strictly prohibit cycling with a child under 12 months of age, and some require that they carry all the children a helmet (something they can’t do).

Of course, these laws are often neglected and not implemented often, but it is still a good idea to know where you are legally standing before cycling with your baby.

Tips for your first ride with your baby

For your first cycling adventure with your little ones, choose a smooth, straight track away from traffic – construction trails or quiet streets in the neighborhood are ideal. Keep a maiden trip with a short (10-15 minutes) so you can estimate your child responding to experience.

Often check your baby throughout the ride, look for signs of comfort or trouble and be prepared to stop and adjust as needed.

Bring comfortable objects such as your favorite toys, blankets or pills and driving time between tensions and feeding when your child is most likely to be satisfied.

Keep in mind that this first excursion sets a tone for future driving, and a priority priority with a positive, relaxed experience at distance or speed. On our first rides with our son, he would quickly be welded, so we would take a lot of breaks to cuddle and play.

Bottom line

If you want to make a mistake on the sides of caution, wait until your child is for a year to start driving with them. At that moment, they have the strength of the door to endure running that creates a bicycle ride.

On the other hand, if you are a bicycle addict or do not have a car – and you are ready to take the educated risk – there are ways to drive with your baby.

Find out more about the little tickes biking

About us

Rascals are three families. Kristen (Mom), Blair (Dad) and Parker (Kiddo). We started driving, when Parker was born and we didn’t want to give up our passion for cycling. As we found out, we shared. Over the years, we have tested hundreds of children’s bicycles, helmets, bicycle trailers and more.

Kristen is a coach of certified cycling in the USA -ui likes to share his passion for cycling with other families. Blair is a cycling geek, a mechanic and a hill for mountain bikes. Parker is our resident tester and inspiration.

If you see us on the track, say hello!