To think this is a bit mad

[Bream]

I saw a woman this morning on a pushbike, towing a trailer with two babies inside and another one (looked about a year old) in a sling on the front of her body. This was on the road during rush hour in city centre traffic. Is this safe in your opinion?

I used to see this all the time when i lived in London and it looks so dangerous

A woman whose kids went to the same nursery as mine used to do this! Always frightened the life out of me imagining a car going into the trailer!

Completely nutty.

I find it strange that using the correct car seat is a legal requirement but as far as I know, you are breaking no laws by sticking them in a push bike trailer like this?

I can see it would be good on a cycle path or super rural area but when I see them on roads with cars I always think it looks terrifying.

The trailer is dangerous.

The sling is insane.

Dangerous, insane and irresponsible.

Darwin's Law, epitomised.

Terrifying

Everything about that gives me the heebie jeebies, but the 1 yr old in the sling made me physically scrunch up a bit.

Trailer on a towpath with no cars? Lovely. Fetch the picnic.
Trailer on a quiet road with few cars? Trailers have their place, so in the right circumstances of course.
I can’t fathom feeling like cycling with a baby in a sling would ever be safe though.

I saw a man skiing with a baby in a sling on his front. The weather and conditions were appalling and he was still on the slopes with a baby that I reckon was no older than 8 weeks. Some people are just idiots.

The trailer worries me as cars just may not expect there to be something extra at the back and not see it as it’s so low, and surely the sling affects her balance and ability to move around? What happens if the toddler in the sling has a tantrum or something and starts moving around wildly?! I just don’t understand why you would take that sort of risk. Is it even legal?

I know a grown many who broke several bones when he hit the curb trying to avoid a car. I don’t want to think what you have happened if he’s had a baby strapped to him. Even in a separate cycle lane this would have been very dangerous but on a road it’s sheer stupidity.

Ring the police.

From a sling wearing, cycling, stereotypical, hippie

That’s not just dangerous, it’s stupid.

No it's not safe. Many car drivers think nothing of hitting other cars, lorries, motorbikes, bicycles, horses or pedestrians. Why would you put your children in the firing line?

hate those trailers look so unsafe kids must be terrified i know i would be.
i was travelling along a road once bike in front of us and the car in front of him stopped suddenly for something and the bike went straight into the back of him didnt have time to stop.
imagine that or rather dont if they had had a baby in a sling on them
shudder

No common sense whatsoever.

Many car drivers think nothing of hitting other cars, lorries, motorbikes, bicycles, horses or pedestrians

What?? Who are these many car drivers? Stupid comment

As for the OP, that's insane. Car drivers would struggle to see the trailer on the back whilst concentrating on a busy road like that. Stupid woman

Tbh I think both the creator and the users of those child bike trailers are insane!
You worry so much about proper restraints etc for children in cars, helmets for kids on bikes etc, then you see a bike with a poorly visible, soft and squishy trailer at bumper/wheel height with a small child in it. In London traffic especially, how often do minor collisions or scrapes occur - the sort that are a minor but harmless nuisance in a car but would be fatal if a car hit one of these things?

And the sling is ridiculous- the rider doesn't even need to be hit by a vehicle, just to come off of the bike for any reason and the baby is likely to take the full force of the impact into the ground.

YABU the trailer is fine. I've always cycled in London with my child until he became too big. Cycling looks dangerous from the outside but on the road if you use common sense it's fine.

Great idea at Center Parcs (assuming cars are parked away from lodges) or a cycle track away from the road.

Not practical or safe in cities.

Perfectly normal in The Netherlands. Should imagine the cyclist in question was Dutch.

Having said that, the UK isn't as good with/kind to cyclists and as such I can't say I think it is a good idea to do so in the UK.

But your OP doesn't clarify where it is.

That reminds me of an amazing picture I saw of a Dutch mother breastfeeding her baby in a sling whilst cycling. (I think it was in a park though so fairly safe).

The trailers are normal in NL but slings are advised against. You see them but it is still stupid.

I've been to the Netherlands and there are dedicated cycle lanes everywhere. We don't have this in the UK so it's very unsafe to use these trailers on the road.