Best way to take baby on bike ride . . .

[lph]

We put our sons car seat in the Burley Solo and rode with him on the sidewalk and bike paths* when he was a baby. In fact it was easier the smaller he was, he had a really small car seat up to 9 months that reclined very well, he slept, well, like a baby Great way to get around, get groceries etc. We didn't have a car back then so that was basically how we got around and sure beat manhauling the huge stroller on and off the bus.

We let out a little air from the Burley tires to give a smoother ride.

* not on the road in traffic, as my MIL liked to tell her shocked friends.

PS. I forget if we put a helmet on him, but I suspect we didn't when he was very small. There was basically no way he could get thrown out of the Burley. I seem to remember a folded towel on either side of his head for support when he was sleeping.

[Tuckervill]

+1 for the carseat in the Burley. Can you put both the kids in the Burley at the same time? I'd cushion his head, too. Lucky kid.

Karen

[Selkie]

Don't forget to put a sign on your carrier:

BEAR ON BOARD!!

[Jolt]

I would think the car seat in the trailer is the safer way to go (much less risk to him if, God forbid, you were to crash), although it would be a much bumpier ride than having him in the Bjorn. Maybe the trailers should be made with some sort of suspension to smooth out the bumps. If there's a way to configure the car seat so he's just about lying flat, that should make the fact that he can't yet hold his head up a non-issue (but still cushion his head and place padding around it to keep it securely in place).

ETA: What do people with babies/small kids do in countries where cycling is a routine form of transport and many people don't have cars? They must have ways of taking the kids along when they do their errands etc.--I don't suppose they just stay home. Seems that those would be the places to look for safe and practical solutions here.

[sgtiger]

Car seat in the trailer would be preferable IMO. I've seen it done and I don't see the harm in it as long as you're not going too fast or braking too suddenly. I'm guessing DD will be riding by your side? I think the 1 yr. recommendation came about when it hadn't occurred to anyone yet that they could strap their car seats in it for children younger than that who are not able to sit fully upright and whose necks cannot support the additional weight of a helmet. Were anything to go amiss, the trailer acts as a roll cage.

[limewave]

We had a successful ride this afternoon. While DS was napping, I played around with the best way to secure the car seat and then took it for a test ride in front of the house to make sure the seat didn't jostle or shift position. Once I had I was confident it was secure, we were ready to go!

I did have the car seat positioned so that it was laying a little more flat than it rides in the car. I braced his head with the rolled towels. He really seemed to enjoy the ride: looked around alot and cooed. I think he also liked the warm breeze.

We got about 6 miles on the bike path. It was sooooo nice to be on a bike again.

[Jones]

Congratulations on a successful first ride. May you share many happy miles.