Cycling on a road with a child seat: HAVE YOU DONE IT?

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Is it safe to cycle on a main road with a child seat, if you're sensible....?

I live in the UK, two miles from town and have no car, and the buses are few. The road that links my village to town is a so called "main road" - though with only two lanes. During the cycle, an average of about ten to fifteen cars usually pass me going the same way, and I never travel at very busy times. I am a woman who cycles with her toddler in a rear child seat and he loves it. It means we can get about faster, instead of pushing a pushchair for half an hour! I am also very careful and vigilant when cycling with my precious cargo.

And we both get exercise and fresh air.
However today when I got back home, my neighbour who had passed me on the way said "you're brave!" - implying what? that i was stupid for travelling on the road? there is a back road i could take but it's very steep hills and i have to push it! i always find traffic very considerate and have been cycling like this for ages now, with no probs at all

would be interested to hear opinions. i assumed it was ok, what do you think?
PS i am an experienced cyclist, and the road *feels* safe to me, and lots of other cyclists use it.

Answer
Canadian

Absolutely it is o.k.. Both of my daughters grew up on the back of my bikes. The girls loved the rides. Threw them in the seats with a bottle and off we went. A little hat underneath their helmet to protect against the sun, and they were good to go for hours. One DIaper in my jersey pocket and one for an emergency tucked under the seat pad and we could handle the only bio issues that may arise.

Don't be afraid of the hills as an alternate route. As you get in better shape and you start to enjoy the challenge... you will find them to be quite enjoyable! Just lower you gears, and keep your cadence in the 70+ range you can get up almost anything.

Enjoy the riding. Your next step is a good road or mountain tandem with a child's stoker kit, My girls rode with me on the 'big bike' from the time they were five years old... too much fun!

Soccerref

A or B - which gift should I get my step daughter aged 2 & 1/2? (Please vote)?

Faith

Hi everyone

I first want to apologize by posting this question in this section. I have acknowledge many attend to this section and will really appreciate your votes on this question.


Out of these gifts, please help me choose which one you think will be a good gift for my step daughter:

A - http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Toys-R-Us/Bikes-and-Rideons/Battery-Powered/6V-Aloha-Jeep(0014515)

OR

B - http://www.mothercare.com/richContent/B000JFFCH2


I THANK THOSE WHO TAKE THEIR TIME TO RESPOND TO THE ABOVE CHOICE.
The Mrs. - Thank you for your suggestion, I am going to look into buy something similar like that in some months for her.
Punchybaggy - I am going to add learning activities as an addition to this gift. But out of these gifts I posted it in terms of leisure equipment as she likes activities of leisure.
Thank you so far everyone for elaborating on the safety..blessings to you all.

Answer
Agree with Zahrah Beauty 100%-B is prettier, but A is safer-toddlers still are shaky on the coordination thing, and she could fall out of B pretty easily.

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Baby in a bike seat- what's the youngest age?

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Mrs. Kelly

I want to get a bike seat for my baby so she can ride with me. What is the minimum age she can be to ride/wear a helmet? Anyone know?

Answer
Obviously a child can't be on a bike until they can safely wear a helmet.

http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm
Nobody we have met in the injury prevention field recommends taking an infant of less than 12 months in a bicycle child seat, trailer, sidecar or any other carrier. Nobody. And we do not either.
New York state law prohibits it. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission thinks it is dangerous to take a child under one year on a bicycle, and here is their rationale:

Maurice Keenan, MD, from the American Academy of Pediatrics [21], requested that a minimum age of 1 year be reflected on the label for helmets intended for children under age 5. This would better convey the message that infants (children under age 1) should not be passengers on a bicycle under any circumstance.

The Commission agrees with the commenter that children under 1 year of age should not be on bicycles. Children are just learning to sit unsupported at about 9 months of age. Until this age, infants have not developed sufficient bone mass and muscle tone to enable them to sit unsupported with their backs straight. Pediatricians advise against having infants sitting in a slumped or curled position for prolonged periods. This position may even be exacerbated by the added weight of a bicycle helmet on the infantâs head. Because pediatricians recommend against having children under age 1 as passengers on bicycles, the Commission does not want the certification label to imply that children under age 1 can ride safely.

Source: 16 CFR Part 1203 Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets; Final Rule, page 11726

That explains why you will not find a child helmet on the market sized for a tiny tot. You certainly do not want to ride with a bare-headed child, and in some places it is illegal. In fact, several states have laws against taking children under one year of age on a bicycle, even with a helmet.

Parents love their babies and love their bicycles, so it is natural to want to put the two together. That thought occurs to every bicycling parent, generally before the child is born. We see messages on the Internet indicating that some parents do put their children in baby seats of one design or another and take them along on trailers starting as young as five weeks. Others use a baby backpack. At slightly older ages, people use front or rear-mounted child seats. A few (mostly in the UK) use sidecars. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. A disclaimer: our purpose here is to cover the risks, so you know what you are getting into. We are hearing more these days about undiagnosed brain injuries, with symptoms too subtle for doctors to detect, but very real to families. And that comes to mind whenever someone asks us about babies and biking. We worry about your six-week-old entering the first grade six years from now with a small but detectable mental handicap. That is alarmist; this is an alarmist page.



http://www.ibike.org/education/infant.htm
Infants: Child Seats Vs. Trailers Vs. Backpacks Vs. Third-wheel Cycles

The primary determinant of when an infant can join his or her parents on bike rides is the strength of the the child's neck. Because of the jostling and the additional weight of a helmet (8-10 oz.), this is a few months after a baby can first hold their head up. Note: Some jurisdictions have laws requiring passengers on bicycles to be at least one year old.

Usually by age 12 months parents can start checking with the child's physician to see if they have the neck development to safely go for a bike ride. Most toddlers' neck and shoulder muscles can tolerate the weight of a helmet and absorb shock from bumps in the road at 1 years old.

We know of no comprehensive study on the best method to carry an infant on a bike and there are risks associated with all of them.. Here are some factors to consider:

What Is Your Opinion On Pacifiers (dummys)?

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(they are called dummys in the UK, im not just being rude!) (",)

Answer
they are okay for an infant---but when I see an otherwise normal five year old girl with one I want to rip it out of her mouth!

They help some infants sooth themselves---the problem is when adults choose to use them as corks instead of dealing with the kid OR when they refuse to help the child learn other ways to be calm. Then you wind up with preschoolers and older toddlers with speech and teeth problems and social issues.

Folks say that the kids will give them up eventually---but I know a 5 yr old girl and a 4yr old whose parents (2 diff families) let the girls hang onto them because they didn't like to hear the girls cry! They climb on playground equipment and ride their bikes sucking on them.

One girl's teeth are horribly messed up--if she smiles (with the dummy not in her mouth) you can see her front teeth don't meet properly and there is an oval shape where the dummy fits. I am serious--her side teeth have come in longer than the ones right in the front because she sucks on the thing day and night.

whew. i better stop. I am soooo fired up about this, but you asked for opinions...

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A or B - which gift should I get my step daughter aged 2 & 1/2? (Please vote)?

best toddler bike uk image

Faith

Hi everyone

I first want to apologize by posting this question in this section. I have acknowledge many attend to this section and will really appreciate your votes on this question.


Out of these gifts, please help me choose which one you think will be a good gift for my step daughter:

A - http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Toys-R-Us/Bikes-and-Rideons/Battery-Powered/6V-Aloha-Jeep(0014515)

OR

B - http://www.mothercare.com/richContent/B000JFFCH2


I THANK THOSE WHO TAKE THEIR TIME TO RESPOND TO THE ABOVE CHOICE.
The Mrs. - Thank you for your suggestion, I am going to look into buy something similar like that in some months for her.
Punchybaggy - I am going to add learning activities as an addition to this gift. But out of these gifts I posted it in terms of leisure equipment as she likes activities of leisure.
Thank you so far everyone for elaborating on the safety..blessings to you all.

Answer
Agree with Zahrah Beauty 100%-B is prettier, but A is safer-toddlers still are shaky on the coordination thing, and she could fall out of B pretty easily.

What are toddlers "into" these days (in the UK)?

_butterfly

Hey everyone

I'm 22 and about to start full time work experience as a teaching assistant in a nursery class and have just realised how clueless I am! I love children, but have no siblings or younger cousins and at the moment the only experience I have at home is with 11-13 year olds (boyfriend's little brother and his friends)

So my question is what do 3-4 year old children like these days? More specifically what TV programs, toys, books, films, (magazines even) etc are targeted at children this age? I know which programs and cartoons I liked as a child but I'm pretty sure times have moved on...I'd really like to know in case they start talking to me about things they like and watch and do...

Any other advice and help also welcome :) Thank you!

Answer
my boys like
handy manny
mickey mouse clubhouse
scooby doo
toy story
timmy time
phineas and ferb
riding bikes
playing with there little sisters
going on there trampoline
running around the garden
pirates
cars
aeroplanes
going on there daddy yacht
football
swimming in the pool
playing with the dogs
dr. seuss books

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