# Bike trailer age



## Sades (Oct 27, 2007)

We have a new baby girl, almost 3 weeks, and don't own a car. I was biking for transportation up until the day she was born, but since her birth we have been walking everywhere. We have a burley solo that I was able to attach the infant seat and base into. Now I am curious when other biking families first put their babies in a trailer? I was thinking 6-8 months with the carseat in there, but don't want to hurt her neck going too soon.


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

When she can hold her head up by herself, she can ride in the trailer. No sooner. Your precious little one is just that -- TOO precious to be impatient with.

You're not missing out, trust me; when my lil girl was old enough, she hung off my chest in the harness for family rides, or, less often, in the bike-mounted carrier on mama's bike. She sees every ride as an adventure now -- gonna be 11 in three weeks.


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## rcharrette (Dec 14, 2005)

*Chariot*

Chariot Trailers do some pretty cool stuff for young ones. They have an infant sling (basically a hamock with seat belt) for 0-9 months and then a baby supporter for 9 months until they can control their head. 
Although not recomended by Chariot we had our son in the infant sling attached to our cruiser at just a few months old for slow trips to the market etc. This worked for us because we would rather roll on our bikes slow then walk!
Good luck:thumbsup:


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## Sades (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking the same thing about waiting until she can hold her head up, though I have read about people riding sooner with the infant seat installed. I looked into getting a chariot but my inlaws bought us the Burley solo, which I think also has an infant sling you can buy, though it is only supposed to be used for the stroller. I think the infant carseat would be just as safe, if not more than that, but I don't really know. I think we will just hold off until it seems she is ready, and then introduce it with slow rides on flat, smooth roads.


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## Team Fubar Rider (Sep 3, 2003)

My son was 9 months old when we started out, strictly pavement/rails-trails type riding. It will advance quickly though...he's 6 now and we're riding our tandem off road together!


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## pahearn (Feb 17, 2006)

I think my daughter was ~12 months old when I started taking her in the trailer. I folded the seat down and winched a carseat into the trailer with light-duty cargo straps (available at the h/w store). Only fireroads and gravel paths, any bit of rough terrain can be uncomfortable at best and dangerously rattling at worst.


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## bme107 (Jul 23, 2008)

We put my daughter in at about 6 months just because that was when the weather broke enough to allow her out for extended periods with just her own body heat. We use the 5 point harness in our double Chariot and she was wedged in next to her 4yo brother, not including the pile of blankets over the top of them.
This was for road and gravel toe path riding only.


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## Sades (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks everyone. I know I had read somewhere online that people had gone out around 3-6 months with an infant carseat in the trailer. We will probably give it a try this summer on the bike paths, when she is around 8 or 9 months. She won't be able to wear a helmet yet, but will be in a carseat and not around any cars.


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## LSett (Jan 9, 2004)

I had my daughter in the Charriot stroller with the infant sling at around 3 months. I waited until roughly 6 months before hooking it up to the bike, and even then I was extra careful - slow and short rides. Once she was around a year, I had in I there regulalry. I got one of those sheep skin sleeping bag bivy sack things and we use it through the entire winter (as a stroller). 

Most of our rides on a rail trail, but I took her out for an organized 30 mile MS ride over the summer with the roadbike.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

Both my kids didn't go in a trailer until they were one year old, but then, I don't use a bike for transportation. We bought the Chariot for my son. We never used the sling. I'm so glad we spent a fortune on that thing and he grew so quickly we got to use it for almost two seasons. Now, when I try to sell it to someone with kids for HALF of what I paid for it, they look at me in horror, like why I spent 800 dollars on a trailer.


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## gord962 (Aug 11, 2007)

I was advised that kids shouldn't go in a trailer until they are 1 as their neck needs be able to support a helmet. My son came out with me the day after his 1st birthday! When he is awake, he absolutely loves it!


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## rcharrette (Dec 14, 2005)

Put your Chariot on e-bay, those thing's hold their value very well. We've sold several of them.


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## Nor'Easter (Apr 13, 2004)

What I did was put the car seat into the trailers with 4" wide velcro straps. That worked to keep my son in the correct upright position. it always took several minutes to get it right. but the car seat gave another level of protection as well as keeping his head up.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*I always heard...*




Sades said:


> We have a new baby girl, almost 3 weeks, and don't own a car. I was biking for transportation up until the day she was born, but since her birth we have been walking everywhere. We have a burley solo that I was able to attach the infant seat and base into. Now I am curious when other biking families first put their babies in a trailer? I was thinking 6-8 months with the carseat in there, but don't want to hurt her neck going too soon.


one year old, AND they can hold their little head up well.

IIRC, California State Law says 1 year old to be on a bike.

Now in a trailer, that may be different. I would imagine that bouncing around in a trailer can't be good when bones, muscles and joints are not developed enough, not to mention that their little brains will be rattling around in their skulls.


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## CupOfJava (Dec 1, 2008)

I would say 1 year would be bare minimum age for her to sit in the seat. I was able to put my daughter into a car seat and and tie it into the trailer using the seat straps.

You could look at something like this for a child under 1 years old. http://www.rei.com/product/766985


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## GuruAtma (May 17, 2004)

According to Chariot, their infant sling is for stroller mode only, not for when it's a bike trailer.


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## HardyWeinberg (Aug 3, 2007)

Burley has a sling for 3-12 months old:

http://www.burley.com/products/accessories/index.cfm

(they only specify stoller/jogging on that site though)

Our youngest waited until she could defend her space against her big bro seatmate. That might have been as little as 9-10 months (it was 3+ yrs ago, details are fading) but each kid needs to be individually assessed for his/her own development I would think.


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## tedsti (Oct 22, 2004)

My wife would not let me put my son in the trailer until he was 1. I wanted to put the infant seat in there earlier since the burley rides smoother than my truck does. If the infant seat provides enough neck support for riding in a bouncy vehicle, it should be enough for riding in a burley on a smooth path.


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## Thinkly (Apr 9, 2007)

When your child can sit upright in the middle of the room by himself and turn around and look at you when you call his name from behind, he is ready. Till then don't do it.


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## Sades (Oct 27, 2007)

Trailer update. 

Our pediatrician gave us the go ahead to use the trailer with a carseat in it at our 6 month appointment. She said not to use a helmet yet. We gave it a try, and unfortunately my daughter hated it. She doesn't like the carseat at all anyway, so I'm guessing that was part of the problem. We don't own a car, so she has only had to be in it a few times. I have found that if I swing the carseat until she falls asleep, I can put her in the trailer and she will stay asleep. This only works until she wakes up again. I found this out the hard way, and ended up pushing my bike and trailer 2 miles up hill, while carrying my daughter in her Ergo front carrier. It was not quite the workout I had planned! 

She is a little over 7 months now, sits up very well, and is starting to crawl. I am thinking of ordering the Lazer Bob's Infant helmet from Jenson and maybe trying her in the regular seat on the bike path. I may give the carseat another try too, but a slightly shorter trip this time!


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