Bike trailers

[kittybloom]

Off on hols to France with 3yr DS and 5 month DD. It should be hot. Cying is popular where we are going with limited traffic do we want to take the bikes.

Am I right in thinking that DD can only go jn a trailer as too small for a seat? Thinking that might be better anyway as shaded from the heat.

Any recommendations for a trailer? It would be good if the seat is slightly reclined as DD is still a little floppy to be sat bolt upright.

Thanks!

[kittybloom]

With apologies for typos....

[Moomoomie]

We have got a halfords trailer which takes two children. It is great and not too upright, not sure at what age/ weight it can be used from. You could take both children in it together.
Our dd who is 19 kg still fits comfortably in it.

[PestoPenguin]

Trailers aren't really recommended for children under 1 year, although lots of people do use them and some manufacturers even sell special reclining fur-lined carriers for young babies. The reason they may not be a good idea is that they don't have a suspension, and so do bounce and jerk an awful lot. Children under 1 do not have strong neck muscles and there is the risk of damage from the jerking and bumping. This is especially true when they fall asleep, which they are likely to do, with their head lolling forward. The same is true of bike seats.

There's lots of info on the net if you search for it, e.g. here

[AdventuresWithVoles]

5 months too small for a seat OR a trailer, ime, not for long, anyway, too small to be safe. Not enough head control. Mine not happy in trailer until 8 months, and needed a booster cushion even then. Although a friend managed with her 6m old for short spells (he walked at 8 months, too). I think a lot of the trailer makers advise not before 10-12 months.

You could stick the 5m old in a regular infant carseat inside the trailer, seat strapped down tihgt in lots of ways (all the trailer makers advise strongly against this, btw, but many cyclists do it anyway). And put 3yo in a seat, we've done that.

[kittybloom]

moomoomie, thanks. I've just had a look online and do you know if it was the Halfords own brand or the Bellelli?

pesto, just researching our options at the moment so will have a look at the link, thanks. It would just be a real shame if we couldn't cycle at all. It is an island with sandy cycle tracks and we will only use it on this holiday for the immediate future so hoping it may be ok.

[PoppadumPreach]

5m is a little young for any kind of seat though - can she hold her head very firmly? i'd have her on secure seat on her own (perhaps front fitting seat??) and your ds on separate seat/trailer

this is a great trailer for 2+

which? do a good overview of pros and cons of child seats/trailers.

[kittybloom]

Both my children and I hate car seats! So I don't think that option would work. DD will be too small for bike seat, I just hoped that trailer would be more like a pram. Sigh, doesn't look very hopeful. Looking forward to the years ahead, out of interest, it has been helpful to hear people's views about the different types of trailers, so I would be interested to know any other recommendations.

[PestoPenguin]

We looked into the various trailers. Ultimately I wasn't keen on dragging the kids along behind us where it was hard to chat to them. Also have seen trailers turn over, as the cyclist can easily not notice something like cornering too fast or one wheel coming off the kerb.

My preferece would be for one of the specific child-carrier bikes (cargo bikes), like a Triobike, Zigo leader, Kangaroo or Christianabike. They are more expensive, though.

[kittybloom]

Just wanted to complete this post in case it comes up on a future search. We are back from a lovely holiday and ended up doing what adventures suggested and put the car seat in the trailer with 3yo in regular bike seat. Worked well. The car seat faced out rather than backwards like when in a car. We padded it out with beach towels to stop any bone shaking and limited the bike rides to 30 mins and in cycle tracks only.

[hrvoje]

thanks for the update on how it went. my sister is having same concerns... so if ok, i'll share your experience