# Safe Bike Trailer?



## Belleweather (Nov 11, 2004)

Given the astronomical price of gas (It was $3.59 on my way in to work today, and I nearly started crying), I've been using my bike way more, and DH and I would both like to start biking as a family. But that means finding a safe way to bring two little ones -- ages 4 months and 2.5 -- along with us.

I really feel like a bike trailer is far safer than those attachable bike seats, although I don't have any data to back that up. But that's what we're looking into initially. We'd try to ride mostly on side streets, but we would be on the streets since we live in a city that isn't overly-blessed with bike paths. We're thinking we'd use it mostly for weekend errands, like running to the community garden or farmer's market or maybe the pool or playground.

Are there some bike trailers that are safer than others, or features that I should be looking for as far as safety? We'd absolutely get helmets for the kids (hopefully, we can find one that's somewhat adjustable for the little guy...), but beyond that I kind of don't know what to check for or be wary of.


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## WhaleinGaloshes (Oct 9, 2006)

I recommend this article Should You Take Your Baby Along?. It highlights some of the less obvious risks of trailers.

I have serious concerns about a child as young as your younger babe in a bike trailer. In some places (including my state) it's illegal. The concern is that the jostling the infant experiences will be too much for his developing neck muscles, with his disproportionally large head and particularly when you add in the weight of the helmet. (And I don't think that you'll be able to find a workable helmet for a 4 month old.) This could cause, at the most extreme, shaken-baby-syndrome type brain injury.

So the safety features I think are imperative would be large wheels and a good suspension system. The Chariot brand of trailers are considered very good, and they have integrated suspension. In addition, "infant slings" are available for at least some of them.

I wouldn't do it. But if you do, you want to make sure the infant experiences minimum "bumpyness" and has the best possible head support. And I'd check your local laws to see if it's legal, just to know if nothing else.


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## apple_juice (Apr 17, 2008)

I have done the research and have decided that trailers are safest. We are avid cyclists and couldn't wait for summer to go riding. However, I learned that they really shouldn't ride back there until 12 months. This is due to neck and shaking injury risks as well as risks with containing the unfused head in a helmet.

We (husband and I) used to race so a summer without bikes will be murder.

The chariot or BOB trailers seem to be the best. They have helmet pockets, suspension and versatility (stroller and trailer). The infant slings are not intended for cycling. They are for use while jogging or walking so baby doesn't flop or get crushed by the toddler.

Hope this helps.


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## treqi (Dec 31, 2006)

I have seen pictures of a trailer converted with a rear-facing bucket for younger babes but it would take up a whole trailer so you could only bike with 2 adults ....


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Everything I've read said biking with an infant (under 12 months) is an absolute no-no. I wouldn't risk it.

-Angela


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## treqi (Dec 31, 2006)

i would say walking is prolly your best bet until your babe is ready for a trailer and i will disagree with alegna and think that it could earlier than 12mo as my ped said they can ride when they can sit up by themselves (like getting from laying down to siting up all on their own) and have good head control and a helmet fits them properly which for my dd was around 7mo......


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treqi* 
i would say walking is prolly your best bet until your babe is ready for a trailer and i will disagree with alegna and think that it could earlier than 12mo as my ped said they can ride when they can sit up by themselves (like getting from laying down to siting up all on their own) and have good head control and a helmet fits them properly which for my dd was around 7mo......

All of the BIKING sites and TRAILER sites I have seen say 12 months and over and give very good reasons (too much stress on neck and head)

I would absolutely not risk it before then.

-Angela


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## treqi (Dec 31, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
All of the BIKING sites and TRAILER sites I have seen say 12 months and over and give very good reasons (too much stress on neck and head)

I would absolutely not risk it before then.

-Angela

I'm sorry but you're wrong. I own a Burley trailer and this is what they say about age

Quote:

Q. How old should a child be to ride in a Burley trailer?

A. Your child should be able to sit upright unattended and hold his or her head up while wearing a helmet. Please check with your pediatrician if you are in doubt about your child's neck strength. Children typically are able to ride in the trailer until about age six, or until they become too tall for their helmet to fit below the internal roll bar.
it says nothing about a lower age limit but does suggest that a 6yo would be too tall to fit properly in the trailer so I stand by my previous statement....


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## sunny*pa*mom (Mar 28, 2008)

We have a Wike and love it. Dh uses it to take my ds to preschool and to do the grocery shopping on weekends. Great trailer and great company.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treqi* 
I'm sorry but you're wrong. I own a Burley trailer and this is what they say about age

it says nothing about a lower age limit but does suggest that a 6yo would be too tall to fit properly in the trailer so I stand by my previous statement....

Well, I would in no way be comfortable with it- here is some information I found in a quick google:

http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm

-Angela


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## WhaleinGaloshes (Oct 9, 2006)

Quote:

Your child should be able to sit upright unattended and hold his or her head up while wearing a helmet. Please check with your pediatrician if you are in doubt about your child's neck strength.
This is the problem area, IMO. The factors at work here are not unlike the factors in keeping a child rear-facing. I think it's easy to check "holds head up well" off the list when we see them holding up their heads and looking around -- sometime after a few months old usually. But for an infant (and even a toddler) their heads are so huge in proportion to their bodies and the neck muscles really are still developing strength and control (to absorb jostles) well past the time they look like they have "head control."

15 years ago, we turned babies forward-facing around 8 weeks, because they had the famous 'head control' at that age. But now, we understand how fragile that control really is.

When you add the weight of a helmet, the neck muscles are that much more challenged. I really feel that an infant jostled around in a bike trailer (quite a rough ride back there) could be injured as his neck muscles and control couldn't keep up with the impact and acceleration to hold his head still, and there is plenty of literature that supports the idea.

Burley in the statement quoted is covering themselves by not giving an age, and instead saying "when they are ready" and "check with your doctor."


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## Jes'sBeth (Aug 30, 2004)

My trailer (chariot) says 12 months. It was a long wait until DD could ride with us and we could bike again and it will be again. We're not really tempted to start earlier though because both our kids have spring birthdays so by the time they hit 7ish months bike weather is winding down anyway... sigh.

But then we convert to a ski trailer and you can do that earlier than biking so it all works out in the end!

I don't know if I'd feel comfortable with a child younger than 12 months in a trailer myself. It does bounce around quite a bit. I do know a car free family that used an infant car seat in thier trailer but that's them, not me.


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

I'm an engineer who is about to become a parent. I've looked at the dynamics of a bike trailer (hoping to get one for my kiddo) and at the dynamics of rear facing vs forward facing and some other safety kinds of things. I'm not, generally speaking, a safety fanatic.

However, I'd be more comfortable with a 4 month old forward facing in the front seat of a car than in a bike trailer. I'm debating whether my kid will be ready next year (she'll be barely 1yo) for a bike trailer. The reason? A carseat protects a kid in case of a moderate or serious accident, which the child may never encounter. If they do it's probably a once- or twice- in a lifetime event. The odds of a child being in a major wreck during the rearfacing years are not that high. It happens, of course, so we all put our kids rearfacing in the back (as we should), for their safety.

On a bike, the risk is not just of a major crash (still a risk, of course), the risk is getting shaken baby syndrome from the trailer shaking due to gravel, steel grates on the road, rough roads, potholes, curbs, sticks on the road, grooves in the road, etc... Keep in mind that the ride is much rougher for an occupant sitting directly over an axle (as a trailer occupant is) than for an occupant sitting between axles (ie the bike rider). Also, there is a risk of the trailer turning over (one wheel gets caught on a curb, for example) or the bike spraying something like rocks back at the kid in the trailer. How often do you bike over a rough patch or a big bump? How often have you been in a major car accident? Compare the risks....

Also, a bike helmet increases the baby's head weight, which worsens the damage to neck muscles. Try putting a bike helmet on a 4mo and you'll probably find that they don't have as much head/neck control as you thought

Carseats are designed to protect a baby in the case of a major impact. If you could strap it down well enough, it might help if you ran into something with your bike, and possibly in a rollover situation. Carseats are NOT designed to cushion against little bumps and jolts. It might help, depending on how you secure it, but putting a baby rearfacing in an infant seat in a trailer is not the same thing as putting a baby rearfacing in an infant seat in a car. Pediatricians are trained in medicine, not the rigid body dynamics of a vehicle. I'm sure that many of them may underestimate the forces that would be exerted on a child in a trailer, even if they have an excellent understanding of the child's body itself.

I do think trailers are reasonably safe for older kids, even toddlers, but I'm really convinced that infants should not ride in them. Wait another year. Then you'll have a 16mo who will be MUCH more ready for a trailer ride.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TheGirls* 
I'm an engineer who is about to become a parent. I've looked at the dynamics of a bike trailer (hoping to get one for my kiddo) and at the dynamics of rear facing vs forward facing and some other safety kinds of things.

Have you done any looking into the dynamics of sidecars as used in the UK for use with toddlers? On the face of it, it looks like they resolve many of the problems with trailers, and would theoretically be less bumpy since they're mounted between the axles.


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## KarenEMT (Aug 10, 2002)

I know Chariot sells an infant sling for their trailers, but I believe the official position is that the sling is to be used when walking/jogging with the trailer and not for all-out cycling.

I never used our trailer until my kiddos were 15 mos or older just to be extra cautious.

I have a Burley Cub with an axle that "gives" a bit to absorb shock, but it would still be a pretty rough ride for an infant IMO.


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## Eaglevoice (Nov 30, 2004)

We have a Burley d'lite and I love it! I'll admit that I did let my dh talk me into putting dd2 in there when she was much too little. She fell asleep and her poor little head was bobbed forward under the weight of the helmet and the bumpiness of the ride. That was the only time we've used it with her. She is almost 12 months now and I'm considering giving it a ride around the block to see how she does now, but I think I might hold off a couple more months still...


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