child seats on push bikes

[Janeway]

dp & I are buying bikes (after a positive experience of getting the three of us around Centreparks by this mode). We need a seat for ds who's 12 months old. Has anyone any suggestions for their favourite rear mounted child seat, or horror stories of ones to avoid? The bikes will mainly be used on cycle paths but also for the nursery run (10 mins by road).

Thanks in anticipation.

For nursery runs you really only need cheap & cheerful; but if your recreational rides are long ones you might want to consider comfort. There are reclining seats, but they are usually heavy and expensive. Or you can get child in front of you (supposed to be better for balance and watching, but has lower weight limit. Would you like something that still lets you have pannier bags? There are some seats that do. Do you care about supporting your local bike shop or just go to Argos?

Anyway, we got ours at Argos; cheap & cheerful, fits on back. Precludes any pannier bags on the rear rack. Even though we are mad keen cyclists (well, used to be...). Went to Argos because it was a super hot day and Argos was the only place selling a light-coloured seat. The company that do Argos seats also sells spare brackets (£10) so we can change seat from one bike to the other easily (well, it's a bit difficult to bang out & back in, but still doable). Tots don't sleep so well in the seat; we use an extra set of reins to hold them tightly in. We have done 2-4 hour rides like that.

We use the kiddy trailer more often, though. Esp. for long rides. Ours is a (2-seater) KoolStop, I think. There are lots around. They are much safer than the seats, but also more work to tow. And more expensive to buy. We intend to get a Trailerbike next spring when DS will hopefully have long enough legs to use one.

We're happy enough with what we've got, but probably don't cycle (with kids) more than 80miles/month in summer, and more like 80 miles total all winter, nowadays.
Make sure you have good helmut fit on the kids:as snug a fit as your child will tolerate. We don't bother with helmuts inside the trailer, although you are told to... And we put DD in a trailer from 8 months; but that was wedged on nappies, next to her big brother. 18 months is more like the recommeneded minimum age.

I have a rear seat for ds, only use it once or twice aweek, but it seems strong and supports him well. I have temporarily forgotten the brand, will check later, but its the most common one you see around, comes in green or dark pink, we got it from a bike shop. It takes a while to get used to the weight on the back, but that will be easier with a one yr old (ds is 3). He loves it, and it is great at the moment as he is completely out of the buggy but still not abla to do long fast walks.
When dd was about 3 we had a front mounted simple seat, just seat and footrests, on the crossbar (has to be a man's bike). I preferred that, as the weight is much better spread. But it wouldnt be any good for longer than a short local ride as there is nowhere for the child to lean. S/he just holds the handlebar and is 'protected' by your arms. I would use that system again for ds but the bike got nicked and we got this seat when he was one.
Zebra, have never used a trailer. We're in London and it scares me to see them in the traffic altho I can believe you saying that statistically they are safer. Do you use it on busy roads or countryside?

We use one called 'Co-Pilot'--though I have seen the same brand labelled 'Road Taxi', can't remember the company that makes them, sorry. It is the grey kind you see around quite a lot, with a cross bar. It's not the cheapest, but we picked it because it has high sides and that seemed to provide a bit more protection in case of a fall, though if a car went into you I'm not sure it would make much difference.

It comes with a special rack to mount it on, and we got an extra rack so that either I or dp can use it. We use it for taking dd to nursery: the one who does the drop off can leave it there and then the collector can put it on her bike when she arrives. Since it rules out back panniers, I've also bought front panniers and a front pannier rack, so the costs add up. But still, loads less than running a car. (Which is also my justification for getting cabs all the time.)

We've also got a Hamax Sleepy, which we're very happy with. It's easy to take on and off (just take the saddle off and pull/push the seat up/down), so once I've bought another fixing attachment, we'll be able to swap it between bikes quite easily. It works on a cantiliver basis, which has the added benefit (which I hadn't thought about) of being more comfortable for the child, as the cantilever absorbs some of the bumps. The other advantage of the cantilever is that you can still use the back panniers if you've got them, plus you don't need to upgrade them to take the greater weight of the seat. It does mean that when you're not using the bike seat, you do still have the fixing bit on your seat post - but that's not a big deal.

The Hamax also has some good safety features: adjustable foot rests, a good five point harness, and moulded "grabs" at the sides for the child to hold on to.

I'm not sure how essential the "Sleepy" bit of it is, ie the recline, as ds seemd to be able to go to sleep in it without using it! The size of dh's bike meant that his saddle is set very low, which meant that we couldn't get at the (very easy) recline mechanism without taking the saddle off. That shouldn't be so much of an issue when we get the attachment for my bike. The cheaper Kiss, without the recline may be adequate - although if your ds is only a year old, then the recline may be useful. But anyway, I managed to get the Sleepy for £50 this Christmas (reduced £10).

Before buying a seat - especially those that using a fixing mechanism rather than the back pannier, or if you already have a back pannier, check that your bike is suitable. My dad had quite a struggle getting the bike seat onto dh's bike (bike plus child seat was dh's Christmas present) and dad thinks he's also going to have difficulty getting the fixing attachment onto my bike (but I have every confidence that he'll be able to do it!). The "problems" are not serious, just awkward, such as how to fit the fixing mechanism around/over/between the mudguards (which my dad insists we have) and the panniers (which I need as I've started to cycle to work). The problem with my bike is a bit more serious - because it's a mixte frame, is there enough room on the saddle post to put the fixing mechanism?

Cycle paths around Edinburgh are excellent Janeway, so I'm sure you'll have great fun cycling together as a family! Maybe I'll see you later this year on the Pedal for Scotland Glasgow to Edinburgh cycle ride!

Thanks for all the advice - dp will be hauling bab as he's training for a half marathon (Great North Run this Sept), has the thighs for it , and needs something to slow him down so that I can keep up. dp looks after ds all day on Fridays and plans to take him out for "boy's adventure days" on the bike once the weather warms up a bit. He'll also use it for the nursery run and getting to/from his work quicker.

Once I'm fitter I'll join in but all I'm likely to manage at the moment is the canal path (very flat). I've not cycled since my college years; though to be honest I've always prefered my bikes to have at least 500cc engines

We've not bought the bike(s) yet (though dp has got his eye one one from a shop in stockbridge) and so should be able to manage compatability of bike and child seat(and maybe a discount)by buying them together.

Thanks again for your advice and help