# burley bike trailer and infant use?



## organicmidwestmama

i just bought a used Burley Bee on ebay for 175$ (not the honey bee model, the cheaper one). i also bought an infant snuggler/positioner which attachjes inside. well, its too late to not buy the trailer but i was just reading the burley website which states it isnt safe to use the infant insert unless using it for a jogger only! eek! plus the cheap bee model cant attach to a handle bar or stroller attachment so even if i wanted to use it for a stroller i cant. ugh.
my baby is 6 months old. do any of you bike short distances with a young baby in a burley trailer or similar situation? would you use a helmet? or would that push the head forward too much?


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## BathrobeGoddess

No you can't use it in bike mode...don't even try. Plus a child that young can't wear an helmet...it can cause a brain injury similar to Shaken Baby Syndrome...trailers are for children at least one year old and most people wait until they are bit older...save it for next summer when it is safe!


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## DahliaRW

And baby/toddler/children should ALWAYS have a helmet on in a bike trailer.


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## Tanibani

I have a Burley trailer and I love it. I know Americans are paranoid about safety and dammit, I'd have second thoughts about putting a baby in a carseat in a Burley too... until I saw this...

I recently saw a woman in my suburban neighborhood on a bike I've never seen before. It has a huge "wooden" box in the front and she was riding it empty to work. She was sweating bullets. It was the coolest thing I'd seen on a bike and I had to pull over and ask her "WHAT are you riding?"
http://www.dutchbikeseattle.com/html.../bakfiets.html

She said the bike company was *BAKFIETS* and she saw families ride them in Amsterdam. I did a quickie online search and *found this fascinating photo page on the bike culture in Amsterdam.*

NOBODY IS WEARING HELMETS!








http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

The actual Bakfiets website has GREAT photos of families (multiple children, 2 infant car seats in one Bakfiet, etc...) using this bike. If you notice, the Bakfiet is *completely open.*
http://www.bakfiets.nl/eng/photos.php

This Portland, Oregon blogger started a site for his Bakfiet
http://bakfietscargo.blogspot.com/

I was so inspired by seeing that woman that I biked with my son to school twice this last week. My almost 5-year-old daughter sits in a Burley trailer.

And have you seen THIS crazy thing. First time I saw it, I thought, "no way". Now.... I'm not so sure. If I had a third I just might.
http://www.ibertinc.com/


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## vbactivist

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tanibani* 
I have a Burley trailer and I love it. I know Americans are paranoid about safety and dammit, I'd have second thoughts about putting a baby in a carseat in a Burley too... until I saw this...

I recently saw a woman in my suburban neighborhood on a bike I've never seen before. It has a huge "wooden" box in the front and she was riding it empty to work. She was sweating bullets. It was the coolest thing I'd seen on a bike and I had to pull over and ask her "WHAT are you riding?"
http://www.dutchbikeseattle.com/html.../bakfiets.html

She said the bike company was *BAKFIETS* and she saw families ride them in Amsterdam. I did a quickie online search and found this fascinating photo page on the bike culture in Amsterdam.

NOBODY IS WEARING HELMETS!








http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

The actual Bakfiets website has GREAT photos of families (multiple children, 2 infant car seats in one Bakfiet, etc...) using this bike. If you notice, the Bakfiet is *completely open.*
http://www.bakfiets.nl/eng/photos.php

This Portland, Oregon blogger started a site for his Bakfiet
http://bakfietscargo.blogspot.com/

I was so inspired by seeing that woman that I biked with my son to school twice this last week. My almost 5-year-old daughter sits in a Burley trailer.

And have you seen THIS crazy thing. First time I saw it, I thought, "no way". Now.... I'm not so sure. If I had a third I just might.
http://www.ibertinc.com/

I love the link to the Amsterdam bikes!!! thanks so much for sharing. It is fascinating to me how different cultures treat bicycles - i think the amsterdam folks have the right idea


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## organicmidwestmama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BathrobeGoddess* 
No you can't use it in bike mode...don't even try. Plus a child that young can't wear an helmet...it can cause a brain injury similar to Shaken Baby Syndrome...trailers are for children at least one year old and most people wait until they are bit older...save it for next summer when it is safe!

do you have a link or book suggestion or study that actually says bike helmet use in infants may have the potential to cause "shaken baby syndrome"? that sounds so extreme, not that i dont believe you but i have done some research, albiet online, and found nothing that attributes bike helmet use in infants with possible SBS.
also why wait until after one year if the manufacturer itself says its ok at 1 year?
im just confused because i live in a city where people bike a lot and i have seen many folks with infants use a burley, some even rigging regular car seats into them, ect. many of my close friends used a burley w/ their infants. i know there is controversy but id love some more information and FACTS on the actual safety of using a burley and or bike helmet with an infant.
love the biking pics from amsterdam.


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## mumofboyz

Six months is young, no doubt about it, but I know of plenty of people who cycled with their LOs, even younger than that. I think it really depends on:

*1. your child's development.* You might check with your pedi and get his/her opinion on where your LO one stands, developmentally. Ask specifically about this activity which will include a degree of bouncing.

*2. your intentions as a cyclist* (smooth pavement vs trails; daily vs weekends only; 10 mph vs 20 mph; 5 miles vs 45 miles, heavy traffic vs cows, etc)

*3. the equipment you have available to you.* The two most popular ways of transporting LOs in this country is via bike seats or trailers. Not all trailers are created equal. Suspension systems, air ventilation, wheel types all have a huge impact on the comfort and safety of child inside. Some parents have installed infant car seats into their trailers to help provide a safer ride. Here is some helpful info about different methods of cycling with your LO:
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~fine/opi...dcarriers.html
http://www.bhsi.org/little1s.htm
http://www.ibike.org/education/infant.htm

Giro and Specialized both make helmets for kids under the age of three.

*4. the laws in your state and community.* State law where I live specifically states the following:

a. If you carry children or other passengers inside an enclosed trailer or other device that will adequately restrain them and protect their heads in a crash, they need not wear helmets.

b. You may not carry any child between the ages of 1 to 4, or weighing 40 pounds or less, anywhere on a single-passenger bike except in a baby seat attached to the bike. The child must be able to sit upright in the seat and must be held in the seat by a harness or seatbelt. Their hands and feet must be out of reach of the wheel spokes.

c. You may not carry any child under the age of 1 on your bike, even in a baby seat; this does not preclude carrying them in a trailer.

Soooo... under age of 1, child must be in trailer (NOT in bike seat). While in trailer child does NOT need to wear a helmet. Why? You ask? Because a good trailer not only has the steel cage covered in fabric surrounding them, but they are also secured by a 5-point harness. I know of parents who have picked up the trailer and turned it over (not riding bikes at the moment) just to see how secure their LO is in there. Good trailers aren't going to tip anyway, even if the bike does, but it is nice to know your precious cargo is safe back there!

PM me if I can help at all. I kinda researched this topic to death a couple of months ago.


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## galincognito

babies with helmets is tricky because most of their necks are not strong enough to support the extra weight of the helmet. the smallest helmets made are (i think?!) 45 cm head circumference.


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## organicmidwestmama

thank you so much Kat, this is the detailed information i am seeking. i have searched a lot on the web and not found much.

my feeling is that since i purchased a 2008 Burley Bee model with a 5 point safety harness and i purchased the infant insert so baby's back is not completely upright (its the second one down here http://baby.become.com/burley-baby-snuggler ), that it will be ok to ride short distances on the street/sidewalk or bike path. i only plan on riding to the grocery store and back which is a total of 3 miles. and im quite a slow biker.


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## Amandacowan

I recently saw those box- style trailers here in Gilbert, Az...


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## Maedze

It is not the helmet which causes SBS. It is the ride in the carrier itself.

As for no one wearing helmets in Amsterdam, that does not mean it is a safe or correct course of action, just that people don't.


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