Baby Seat or Trailer

[el_d00der1n0]

My kid is nearing 10 months now, and I figure around 1 year I can somehow drag her around on a fun ride with the wife so we can somehow get the wife back on a bike.

So, I'm looking at either a trailer or one of those seat things that you attach to the back of a hardtail.

So, what do you all think? Which is best from your experience? How old/big should she be before I put her in one?

Gratuitous cute baby pic:

[Red Hot Sloth]

I have no experience with either, but my thoughts are to use a trailor..strength training and safety

[surlygal]

Trailer - We used to carry Maddie around all the time. You just need to put the car seat in the carrier just like you would in your car and strap it in backwards. When she does get older you can turn her around. We started at age 3 months, but were very careful on bumps and such (shaken baby sindrome - no shaking your little ones head around).

Your little one is a little older and wouldn't have to worry so much.

We used a Burly Trailer

[Kid A]

I was told (insert wife's voice) baby should be 1 year old /be able to hold its head up stong before trailing kid.

I know there are a few on board who took there kids out before that age but we waited.

I use the chariot trailer (see pic) for my son and it works great. solid harniss system and good "shock absorbtion" not cheap but works well. its' got pocket for his drink/food etc.
Never used seat but imagine trailer has a bit better balance particulary when hucking

btw - cute kid

[PacMan]

As has been said, the child should be old enough to hold their head up and be pretty independantly stable.

Also, just my opinion, but I'd go with the trailer. Everytime I see one of the seats that attaches to the bike itself, the over-protective father in me can't help but imagine a crash with the kid in the seat. They'd be helplessly "going down with the ship" so to speak, and could get seriously hurt--even with a helmet. Think about some of the crashes you've been in. The bike gets the worst of it sometimes. I know the riding you'd be doing wouldn't be techy or anything like that, but the possibility is still there.

That being said, I have a trailer and it works great.

[autoduel]

Definitely a trailer. At 6 months it'll be difficult to find a helmet that fits. A trailer will serve as a safety cage in case of a rollover (which hasn't happened to me yet with all the off-roading.) My kid started at 9 months, but he could give the jumping exersaucer a workout at that age. A trailer won't upset the balance of the bike either.

[amor587]

+1 for the trailer. I use a burley solo and it works great. A friend of mine has the chariot and it is an awesome trailer as well. Be sure to check out craigslist when your ready to buy one.... every so ofter they show up on there at a reasonable discount.

[el_d00der1n0]

Originally Posted by amor587

Be sure to check out craigslist when your ready to buy one.... every so ofter they show up on there at a reasonable discount.

in the bike section?

[dump truck]

target sells this one for $100

[amor587]

Yeah in the bike section as well as the "baby+kids" section as well. FYI... that's how I found my trailer.

[Kirin Belly]

The only trouble I found with the trailer was that if you take it on a dry dirt route it kicks up dust into the trailer from the rear wheel. The front screen helps with the pebbles. I usually switch to a carrier on the dirt rides and the trailer on street or non dusty rides.

[tbowren]

I have a wee-ride carrier for my 2 year old

http://www.weeride.com/index.php/Kan...icycle-Carrier

We LOVE it. I like having him between my arms rather than behind me. We chase cats around the neighborhood and ride with his big brother on the bike path. We can talk about the moon and the cars and all the stuff that he notices.

IF you fall, he does have farther to fall, but I lower my seat enough that I can but my foot down and reach the ground. My knees DO stick out a bit more than is ideal, but I don't care about the loss of power, ride with the boys are not training rides.

[amor587]

FYI....
A problem with the target and wally world ones are they are not compatible with bikes with disc brakes.

[surlygal]

I'm kinda partial to spending the money on something I know will keep my child safe when i'm choosing to drag my little on around. When buying used just make sure it's in prefect condition!

[carbonman]

I was just like you. Wanting to get the family out on a ride but reading that he baby should be 1yr old and able to hold his head up. My wife and I talked to somebody that told us he had strapped the car seat into the trailer and it worked just fine. Well after some thought we gave it a try. We buckled Adam into his car seat then secured the car seat into the trailer. Everything worked fine. We started out on safe and sane rides but after about a month of riding Adam was now 4 months old we took him on the 24hrs of Fullerton, needles to say he won his age class. There has been no looking back and Adam is now out of the car seat and wearing a helmet and doing just fine. Now we have flipped the trailer a few times and Adam may or may not cry, but as soon as we get him back up on 2 wheels he is always good to go. Now that Adam is 20 months old we can ride any trail that is wide enough for his trailer. PM me if you have any ?s.

[Blue Rat]

My daughter is 22, so it's been a few years since I've had her on my bike ... Anyway, I had a "Cookie Monster" child seat on the back for her.

My memory tells me that it was pretty unstable, really ugly, and threw off my balance. If I had to do it again I would use some sort of a trailer. Maybe for some grandkids?

[el_d00der1n0]

She can hold her head up just fine. I might try it with the car seat though...

If I get a trailer, I prolly won't buy it from Target. My baby is worth the extra 150 or whatever.

[carbonman]

Check ebay, craigslist, or any used baby outlet and get a good quality trailer. I'd suggest either a Burley or a Chariot.

[Flat Broke]

I opted for the trailer, but like many decided to wait until my daughter was over 1 to have her ride in it. As far as helmets, the Giro ME2 has been good for our daughter. The easiest fitment system I've seen on kids/infant helmets, and it really cradles our daughter's head well without being painfull. Whatever you do, stay away from cheapo helmets that will be uncomfortable, a hasle, and just generally a PITA.

As far as the Target brand carrier vs. a Burley or Chariot, I have a cheap azz Bike Nashbar one. I'm not fond of it, but it was a gift and gets the job done. If you're worried about the trailer protecting your kid, you're placing your concern in the wrong equipment. The biggest differences I noticed between a Burley and the lesser makes/models was the build quality, weight, and hitch systems. I ended up buying a Burley hitch for my Nashbar trailer. Fit perfect, works great, and added about $30 to the total cost had I purchased the trailer. If you can only afford the Target version, that's fine, but after living with some of the squeaks and creaks from a lesser build quality trailer; I'll likely be buying a Burley when the time comes for a replacement or upgrade.

As mentioned, the only downside I've really found with trailers is dirt in the trailer/on your kiddo. If your trailer has the actual clear plastic winshield and you can keep your kid cool, use it. Even with the screen down, too much fine dirt/dust gets back there. My daughter has never complained, but I've had to dust her off on occaision, and that's just riding mostly paved bike trails.

Chris

[b5driver]

Also watch the REI sales. When they have their 20% off sales you can save around $100 or so.

Brian, if you want to borrow our double to see if your daughter likes it let me know. We can meet up at Lake Miramar for a road ride. I'll bring Allie along to keep her company.