Baby Carriers For Bicycles - Which One Should You Get?

I want to ride my bicycle; I want to ride my bike! There's something just plain exhilarating about riding a bicycle. If this is an activity that you love to do, it's likely you'll want your baby to learn to enjoy it, too!

You may have done some research to find the best baby carriers for bicycles already, or you may be just getting started. There are three main ways to transport your baby with you on a bike. Backpacks - Front and Back Carriers - Third Wheel Cycles or Trailers. We'll talk about each of these in just a moment.

But, first a safety check. Some states have laws that require a child to be at least one-year old before they can ride with you on a bike. You and your child may also be required to wear helmets. Check your state laws!

Second, regardless of which kind of baby carrier you get for your bike, baby is going to have to have some control over his head. Biking isn't exactly the smoothest activity regardless of how well the greenbelt is. You don't want to toss your newborn in until he isn't going to be at the mercy of the bumps on the road.

Now, on to the types of baby carriers for bicycles!

Backpacks or slings. There are risks to bike riding with a baby backpack - and in some states this is also forbidden. If this seems like a viable solution, you want to make sure you have a certain level of skill.

You'll be carrying more weight on your body; your center of gravity will be higher and harder to control; if you're both wearing helmets, you could bump each other; and if you happen to fall, the falling distance is going to be greater for the child and he may end up underneath you.

The advantage is that baby will be close enough to tell if there's something wrong and if you're used to wearing baby in the backpack or sling, then the instabilities of getting on and off and stopping won't be as unstable.

Front and Back Bicycle Carriers. These both can cause gravity issues when starting, stopping, getting on and off, and keeping the bike balanced while getting baby in and out. Your center of gravity is again higher, so the bike won't handle like it normally does.

You'll also want to be aware of baby head hands and legs. You won't want her head sticking up too far, nor do you want hands or feet getting caught in spokes. And falling is again an issue. Baby could be stuck in the seat, or if an impact is severe enough, he could be thrown from the seat. But, again, it depends on what you think your skill level is.

The advantages here is being closer to baby, or in the case of front carriers, being able to see how she is doing on her ride. Another advantage is having a smaller footprint for possible traffic, whether it's foot, bike, or vehicle traffic.

Third Wheel Cycles or Trailers. These have more advantages than disadvantages. The disadvantages are your baby being farther away from you, so you're not as aware of how they're doing. The biggest problem for the kids is that they sit low, so they won't see quite as much as they would in a bike-mounted carrier or backpack. Chances of tipping are higher if you hit the right sized bump or curb. Infants can be jostled. And if it isn't hitched right, you could lose it.

Bike trailer makers have addresses most of these issues by providing low gravity trailers that don't tip easily, have good harnesses to keep them from being bounced around, hitch chains so you don't get separated, and roll cages so if it does tip, the children are safe.

Bike trailers also don't affect the balance of your bike, and are easy to pull. Plus, many trailers are designed so if you fall over, the trailer will stay upright. They also provide more protection from the elements and can accommodate toys and bottles for the kids. Many are also designed to carry more than one child.

Which you choose is entirely up to you. More technical information can be found on The International Bicycle Fund Web site at http://www.safetyed.org/babycarrierinformation.html.

One of our favorite things to do is ride to a local festival. Our HugaMonkey baby slings pack into the space of a t-shirt, so when you get where you're going, you have the perfect thing to keep baby close as you romp through the parks!