Baby wearing on a...Bike?

WannaBeCrunchyMama · December 2010

DH and I plan to ride our bikes to the gym after the baby gets here. My grandparents live between us and the gym, and will be babysitting.

We have an ergo and he plans to wear baby, while riding the bike. Is this safe? It doesn't seem very safe to me. I'd rather have him in one of those carriage things.

He told me to ask you guys! haha.

WDYT?

Uiowachick01 · December 2010

IMO it is unsafe. I have seen ads with people riding bikes while BW, but I have yet to put DS on a bike BW or not.

kwinters87 · December 2010

I would not feel safe doing that. There was a thread on this on TBW in the choosing a wrap forum that you could search for. I remember it getting lots of responses.

WannaBeCrunchyMama · December 2010

NVM. got it.

mrs.baum · December 2010

Personally, I wouldn't have my kid on a bike until he could wear a helmet, which I think the smallest they make them is for 2 years, but I'm not sure. It's just not a risk I'd be willing to take.

WannaBeCrunchyMama · December 2010

mrs.baum:
Personally, I wouldn't have my kid on a bike until he could wear a helmet, which I think the smallest they make them is for 2 years, but I'm not sure. It's just not a risk I'd be willing to take.

I hadn't even thought about the possibility of not being able to find a helmet.

I think that pretty much ends the conversation...

Mrs. TLC · December 2010

i agree with pp. i wouldn't feel ok with LO on a bike until he could wear a helmet.

HappyMommy28 · December 2010

I agree with all PP - it seems unsafe. Especially without a helmet.

schtephanie · December 2010

Giro does make an infant bike helmet, I just ordered one on amazon. It has the measurements listed and it will fit my DS (he is 7 months).

That being said, I would never wear him while on a bike. We received an iBert bike carrier for Christmas that attaches to the front of the bike that he can sit in. We plan to use it around the neighborhood, but I wouldn't feel comfortable taking him anywhere else that would be a busy road.

daisyterp · December 2010

I would look into getting a bike trailer...

Tonya_G · December 2010

daisyterp:
I would look into getting a bike trailer...

You can't use the trailers with an infant. I'd get a seat that attaches behind yours. We have both- the trailer for DS, and the seat for DD. Thankfully DS is getting old enough to ride his own bike short distances, but still wants to ride behind on longer ones.

I would not BW on a bike. If you fall, there is no protection for kiddo.

anna7602 · December 2010

PPs seem to have said it all. Doesn't seem safe. I put this in the same category as women who BW to ride NYC taxi cabs (which happens way too often). Car seats were invented for a reason. So were bike trailers and child bike seats.

WannaBeCrunchyMama · December 2010

Thanks for all the responses. Thankfully I didn't have to continue the conversation with H because he decided to do some research. He pretty much found that until they have the head support for a helmet it's a no-no. So he gave up.

I'm curious why you can't use a bike trailer with an infant? I didn't find anything about this.

Lotte134 · December 2010

WannaBeCrunchyMama:
I'm curious why you can't use a bike trailer with an infant? I didn't find anything about this.

It's because their head and neck aren't supported enough. The bouncing can be too jarring without the proper support since their muscles are still pretty wek. My pedi said 12 months is when it's ok to use a bike trailer.

celiabwatson · December 2010

The trailer is because there's no shock absorbancy at all. I did a bunch of research and found that most people like the baby seats that mount in the front instead of in back, and they can be safer. I just bought one for our son. Also, you can get helmets for infants. Our son is 11 months and his head has plenty of control for a helmet.

WannaBeCrunchyMama · December 2010

Oh ok. I guess I just assumed there was some kind of carseat type contraption in there keeping them steady and whatnot.

Thanks.

kelbrian · December 2010

You can't bike with your child until they turn a year old, and no, you should definitely not be baby wearing while cycling. It is not safe at all.

I would recommend waiting until a year, as your baby's neck and spine will not be able to handle the jostling around that will happen on a bicycle, especially while wearing a helmet.

We have a Chariot Cougar and absolutely love it, but we waited until DD turned a year old. It was really hard to wait, as we don't own a car, but I did it because it was the safe thing to do. The trailer has shock absorbers and is really comfortable for kids to sit in, not to mention safe. It acts like a roll cage if there were to be an accident.

You can't fit a car seat into the trailer - there's no adapters.

It's also very hard to find a helmet that will fit properly, even at a year old. DD still fits into the infant size at two and a half.

Oh, and the front mounted seats are not safer. They can throw off the balance of your bike, and it can be hard to steer and keep control. I would recommend a back mounted seat if you choose to go that route later on.

MrsGo4Hockeychick · December 2010

ditto Kel, and we have a very good friend who works in a bike shop (and is a hardcore cyclist). They won't even sell the seats that attach to the bike because they aren't as safe. There's a reason people in the sport refer to them as "baby catapults"

WannaBeCrunchyMama · December 2010

MrsGo4Hockeychick:
ditto Kel, and we have a very good friend who works in a bike shop (and is a hardcore cyclist). They won't even sell the seats that attach to the bike because they aren't as safe. There's a reason people in the sport refer to them as "baby catapults"

Ya I don't really see them as much safer than babywearing. . .

The whole reason I didn't want him baby wearing while riding is because IF DH fell, the baby would fall a LOT farther than in a carriage.

I just don't know why the seat would be any safer...

MrsGo4Hockeychick · December 2010

WannaBeCrunchyMama:
MrsGo4Hockeychick:
ditto Kel, and we have a very good friend who works in a bike shop (and is a hardcore cyclist). They won't even sell the seats that attach to the bike because they aren't as safe. There's a reason people in the sport refer to them as "baby catapults"
Ya I don't really see them as much safer than babywearing. . .
The whole reason I didn't want him baby wearing while riding is because IF DH fell, the baby would fall a LOT farther than in a carriage.
I just don't know why the seat would be any safer...

the seats really aren't safe. A trailer is by far and away your safest option for a baby on a bike. But even with the attached seat, the AAP says no biking with baby before 12 months. Their bodies can't handle the bumps and things in the road and the helmets are too heavy for their heads in addition (no matter how well they seem to be able to hold them up)

panarama99 · December 2010

My mom got DH a bike trailer for Christmas. He's a cycling enthusiast, and at first, was also asking about BWing while cycling. I told him absolutely not - that he would just have to wait until DS was old enough to ride in a trailer. He's taken DS out in it once since he got it, but I'm discouraging him from regular use until DS is 1.

gaijinmama · December 2010

I see a lot of BWing while biking over here in Japan but personally I would never do it (of course the moms who are usually doing it have a child on the front, one on the back, and the third on them).

We bought this bike from bridgestone when DD turned 1 https://gliving.com/electric-bike-for-new-gmoms/

I`ve never seen bike trailers here but then again it can be sometimes hard enough to find parking for just your bike here let alone a trailer.

Want a personalized experience?

Baby wearing on a...Bike?

Re: Baby wearing on a...Bike?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards