cycling - child seats

[rooibosh]

What experience does anyone have of the child bike seat that fits to the seat post rather than the bike rack? Also, any advice on what to look for in a bike when having a child on it as we're buying a new one.

Hi, I had one, can't remember the make, but bought if from eBay (brand new). It was one that fixed straight on to the frame (the upright bit of the frame which the seat posts slots in to rather than the seat post itself) - but still the upright bit if that makes sense. It was for dd age 4 & the stated weight range was up to 22kg. DD weighs 17kg, so thought it would be fine. And it was.....until I cycled over any dips/bumps in the road. Found it was so "bouncy" that the bottom of the seat scraped the back tyre which was obviously not good.

So then tried a hamax one which fixes to the upright post like the one above, but also on to the frame bit either side of the back wheel (not onto a bike rack as I don't have one). This one is great over bumps....but I find my feet hit her feet as the pedals go round! Am going to try lowering/highering her footrests to see if I can get them in a better position. Other than that it works well.

Things I would look out for:
Sides - to give a bit of side protection if you came off your bike
Head rest that allows space for helmet
harness - I think they all have these
handles that they can hold on to. Some bike seats have a "handle bar" at the front which also makes them feel a bit safer

If you have a search on eBay you'll see lots of different types to give you an idea of what's out there HTH.

Thank you!