Bike Ride with Baby

uhmmmmmm I'd wait a long, long time to put her on the bike in anything but a pull behind trailer. and even that is months away.

we had a trailer and even with that, my pediatrician strongly suggested we wait until they were a year old AND we could find a properly fitting helmet. The problem, just like in cars, is the weight of her head is disproportionate to her body. Thus, stopping is an issue, even at slow speeds - her neck just cannot control the forward momentum of her head. And a crash, shudder to think about it.

also, are you going to be able to keep the bike in balance with her shifting all over the place? that was one of the reasons we went with a trailer. the other was that we felt there was less likely to be a crash that would affect them and the trailer had a full roll bar if we did crash.

while I know people who did put their infants in a trailer, we would not. If the child is not big enough to be forward facing in the car (1 year AND 20# when mine were young), they are not ready to be sitting upright, facing forward, in any kind of vehicle (car, bike, trailer, etc).

use a stroller for a few more months. she will grow up quick enough to do all these fun things.

I owned this and I hated it. Honestly. We are a huge biking family and have relied on the pull behind trailers and pull behind bikes as they get older...but I HATED this thing. I'd really recommend a pull behind enclosed trailer for SO many reasons.

Let me just give you one scenario. If your front tire hits a rock and it flies up, who's the cute little shield sitting in front of you? Exactly. Whereas if they are behind you, in an enclosed trailer, they aren't going to be hit by flying debris.

Also, I remember as a child I was terrified of riding in one of those seats because you have no sense of control, you are high up off the ground, etc. In the trailer they are low to the ground, there is good shock absorbancy, you can put a nice cushy blanket under their back and butt to make them comfortable and still strap them in snugly, and there's little pockets to hold snacks, toys, books, whatever.

Also, never put an infant under one on a bike for any circumstance. Even after one, I still would wait until they have decent body control (i.e. walking). Six months old is WAY too young for a bike. Stick with the stroller and enjoy the weather! :)

I've heard mixed reviews about the front-mounted seats, especially those mounted to handlebars. I'm trying to choose a good baby seat right now as well, and am leaning towards a rear-mounted seat.

Also, I have always heard that you should not ride with a baby in a seat or a trailer until they are at least one year old. Their heads and necks are not strong enough to support the weight of the helmet and the jiggling/movement of the seat before that. I'd wait another 6-7 months if I were you.

I wasn't keen on trailers til we got one and DD loves it. When DH had a large stick hit his tire and throw him off his bike, DD was given quite a ride, but she didn't tip over or fall down, while DH was all scraped up. I think the pull behind variety is a good idea now. We got ours from freecycle. The other thing is, very small kids can barely keep their own heads up, nevermind a helmet. Make sure your DD can do both or no seat will be a fun experience. We put a small throw pillow behind DD to allow for a gap between the trailer seat and her head so she's more comfortable in her helmet.

I think that until she is older, a jog in a stroller will be much more fun and safer. It'll give you time to plan ahead. Oh, and some trailers can be used like strollers. Go to a bike store and check a few out.

In many states or cities, there are ordinances against riding with babies less then one year. In my city there is. The reason why, is to protect their brains. It's a VERY BAD idea to ride with a child under one. Here is a link as to why bikes and trailers are so dangerous for babies.
http://www.bhsi.org/little1s.htm

There are guidelines for a reason!

My husband and I bought the green one for our son to ride in, and he LOVES it! I recommend this one to everyone looking for a child's bike seat!
She may be too young now, but I would definitely get this one when she fits the criteria :)

Um... if she doesn't have great head control and can't sit up on her own, I'd say wait. I mean, it's going to be warm in a few months, that time in itself if probably enough to make me feel comfortable with it. I'd give it a few months and then go for it! I always wanted one of those with my son, and now he's too big and has his own trike ;)