I use a bike trailer to take the 2 yr old to the babysitter or pick him up. He absolutely loves it and gets really mad when I take him out of it. I also sometimes carry both the 2 yr old and the 7yr old - our trailer is rated for 50lbs per kid and they're about 65lbs put together. That really sucks, so I try not to do it for long stretches. But the 2 yr old by himself (25lbs) is usually barely noticeable unless we get a strong headwind or go up a huge hill.

Traffic is actually nicer to me when I have the trailer. They tend to give me a wider berth and are more patient before passing me. I've never been honked at or yelled at when I'm towing the trailer. In fact, most people smile and some ask questions at stop signs. The majority of my commute is on side roads, but when I do take the busier road, the trailer definitely helps.

I'm always nervous when I take the trailer on the busier road, though. I mean, it's obnoxiously bright, with one of those big orange flags sticking up out of it, but there are still people who are stupid. I always make sure the boy is wearing a helmet and buckled in the 5-point harness. That and riding smart are pretty much the only things you can control. I've taken him on gravel roads with no shoulder, where the cars pass at 45mph. As long as you're aware of what's going on, it's really not that bad.

I saw a guy the other day blow through a stop sign (granted, there were no cars anywhere), no helmet, pulling a toddler trailer with a really little kid (younger than mine) with no helmet. I could have screamed. But around here, we're practically the only family that insists on everyone wearing helmets when they're on a bike, so it wasn't really that unusual.

My bike falls over sometimes when the kids are getting in or out of the trailer, and the trailer always stays upright. I much prefer it to a bike seat. It's so much easier to get the kids in and out of it, and if I fall over, they barely notice - except to complain that we stopped