Travelling with childrenCycling

Cycling with your child can be a quick, convenient way to travel

If you used a bike a lot for transport before you had your baby, there’s no reason to stop using it after he or she is born. As long as you have the right equipment, cycling with your baby can be a quick and convenient way of getting out and about.

Safety first

• It's not recommended that you take a baby who cannot support his or her own head out with you on a bike – as until this time he or she won’t be able to wear a cycling helmet. Ideally, your baby should also be able to sit well and unaided.
• Wearing a cycle helmet reduces the risk of head injury by 85% and the risk of brain injury by almost 90%. You and your child should always wear one when on a bike.
• Baby bike seats tend to be designed for use by babies from about six months of age. Trailers, designed to carry one or two children, are also available. Whichever option you are interested in, check with the bike retailer that your bike is suitable for use with a child seat or trailer, as not all bike designs are appropriate.
• Child seats for cycles should carry BSI number BS EN 14344:2004. This shows they comply with required safety standards.

Rear-mounted seats

These are the most widely used bike seats. They fit over the back wheel and will usually have a high back and raised sides, leg guards and a harness.

• Pros Younger children are well supported if they want to sleep while you are cycling, you can use the seat to carry shopping when you don’t have your child with you
• Cons Carrying extra weight on the back of the bike can make stability a problem, you can’t see what your child is up to while you are cycling

Front-mounted seats

With this type of seat, your child sits in front of you and you place your arms around the seat to hold the handlebars. Because your arms have to go around the seat and your vision of the road needs to be clear, front-mounted seats are more compact than rear-mounted seats.

• Pros You have closer contact with your child, stability can be easier to maintain because the extra weight is at the front.
• Cons Although popular in mainland Europe, these seats are less generally available in the UK than rear-mounted seats and may be hard to find.

If you have difficulty finding front-mounted seats in conventional bicycle stores, try bike specialists such as www.realcycles.com, www.kidsonthemove.co.uk or www..weeerideuk.com.

Bicycle trailers

You can get trailers designed to carry one or two children

With these, you tow your child behind you in an enclosed ‘carriage’. They have two bicycle-type wheels and a long hitching arm that fastens to your bike.

Your child is seated and strapped in inside the zippered, weatherproof and ventilated compartment, which has fabric or plastic windows so he or she can see out.

Any trailer used on the road should have a tall pennant and rear lighting so that it is clearly visible to motorists

• Pros Spacious inside, comfy seating, storage places for toys, two-seaters are widely available, feels more stable than a bike seat, some makes can be converted into a pushchair using a special handle attachment.
• Cons You won’t have the same physical closeness to your child as you would with a bike seat, can tip over especially when turning abruptly or going over bumps, can be expensive.