Baby on board: a guide to carrying babies and toddlers
About this page
Everything you wanted to know about buying equipment for carrying kids on (or behind) your bike
Drawing on the expertise of Kelly-Ann Wickham, owner of Epic Cycles in Brisbane and a woman with considerable experience of kids on bikes, this guide will help you make decisions about carrying kids on, or behind, your bike.
The article is set out like a FAQ. Read it in its entirety or skip to particular sections using the links below.
When can you start cycling with a child?
When is a child too old to be carried in a child seat or a trailer?
What are the options for carrying babies and toddlers?
What are the pros and cons of the various carrying options?
- Front-mounted seat
- Rear-mounted seat
- Is it harmful for a baby to sleep in the child seat with his/her head bobbing about?
- Seat vs trailer
What should I look for when purchasing a child seat?
- What about the way the seat mounts to the bike?
- What other considerations are there when buying child seats?
What should I look for when purchasing a trailer?
What should I look for when purchasing a helmet for my baby or toddler?
How much do I need to spend on equipment for cycling with a child?
When can you introduce children to their own bike / trailer bike?
- Are training wheels necessary?
- I've heard of products called Likeabike or first bike - are they worth it?
When can you start cycling with a child?
It's widely agreed that babies shouldn't be carried on a bike or in a trailer until they have the neck strength to support a helmet on their head. For most kids, this is around 12 months old. A child being carried will need strength enough to support themselves through cornering, braking, swerving and over bumps.
Kelly-Ann Wickham of Epic Cycles (KAW): "Most manufacturers recommend that the child be about a year old. The tricky bit is that there is equipment out there for carrying younger babies, and there's no legal reason not to, but manufacturers are mostly covering themselves. The main legal issue for Australians is that the baby is supposed to have a helmet on. The Chariot trailers (pictured) are designed to be a jogger-trailer - they recommend one month old to put a child in a jogger and 12 months for the bike trailer.
"On the other hand, I think you're putting your child at less risk in a trailer on the footpath, than putting your child in a car at Easter time."
The US-based Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute website is adamant about babies being at least a year old before carrying them in a child seat or trailer. Its page Should you take your baby along? (a self-described alarmist page) urges parents to consider waiting until their child is at least two years. It discusses the risk of accidents and the possibility of brain injury from vibrations and bumps.
KAW: "I look to Europeans who tend to cycle with their kids - they don't have a higher level of brain damage. What concerns me is that if people don't cycle, they use a car and the car is a big killer. The trailer can have less vibration than a baby seat and lots of trailers come with suspension. And the fact is that kids are pretty tough. We're constantly putting them in cotton wool, but you watch even toddlers playing together and they're tough."
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When is a child too old to be carried in a child seat or a trailer?
KAW: "We talk about weight rather than age. A front-mounted child seat has a carrying capacity of 15kg, while a rear-mounted seat can carry 20-25kg. You can still get a five to six year-old in a seat [weight-wise], but they're outgrowing it [height-wise]. New parents look at the weight their babies put on in the first year and think, 'oh they'll have outgrown [the weight capacity] within six months'. But after children start walking, they tend to put on height rather than weight."
What are the options for carrying babies and toddlers?
KAW: "Babies and toddlers can be carried in a child trailer, or in a child seat mounted either in front of the parent or, more commonly, at the back. Many rear-mounted seats sit on a rack (usually sold with the child seat); others attach via a bracket on the seat tube."
What are the pros and cons of the various carrying options?
Front-mounted seat
KAW: "The advantage here is that the baby is near the front with you. The risk for the adult rider is that you could come off onto the baby seat. Front seats have a lower weight capacity of around 15kg, compared with the rear, which can take 20-25kg depending on the rack."
Be clear about what's legal in your state. Front-mounted seats may not be illegal, yet this does not mean they have necessarily been approved to meet the same safety standards.
Rear-mounted seat
KAW: "Because of the greater weight capacity, you can carry your child for longer on a rear-mounted seat. It's also safer for the rider: you won't catch yourself on the seat in front. However, it's difficult for the rider to carry a backpack because it gets in the child's face." [And you can't carry rear panniers with a seat on the back - Ed.]
Is it harmful for a baby to sleep in the child seat with his/her head bobbing about?
KAW: "I think there's potential there. I recommend taking a little pillow, or positioning the seat to tilt back a little if the baby is at the stage of falling asleep often.
"It's interesting that you get people saying, 'that looks a bit uncomfortable', so they put their child in the car. The kids still fall asleep in the car seat and sometimes roll their head forward too. We're in this culture of wrapping our kids up in cotton wool, but the kids simply enjoy getting out."
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Seat vs trailer
KAW: "A child seat mounted on the bike is a cheaper option than a trailer and it's also easier to carry on a train. On the other hand, while a trailer is more cumbersome, it's not as cumbersome as people may think. Also, trailers have numerous advantages:
- a trailer can take two children (it is also possible to carry two children in child seats, with one on a front and one on a rear-mounted seat);
- the centre of gravity is behind you, which makes it easier to handle the bike (although going downhill you will feel it behind you);
- carrying heavy loads is more manageable, especially for smaller women. I weigh 45kg and I can tow 50kg. Because of that low centre of gravity, I found it much easier to carry my son in a trailer;
- it's easier to put a child in and out of a trailer;
- a trailer is fully enclosed so won't risk injury to exposed limbs (e.g. on a seat, hands could get grazed as you lean the bike against a wall). Also, if you fall, the trailer doesn't fall with you;
- many (especially the more expensive) trailers have UV tinting on the plastic, which provides sun as well as rain protection;
- trailers have space for a blanket, a pillow, a teddy, a banana etc, so children can be more comfortable;
- you can take the shopping home, the bag for kindy, and the trailer can even double up as a shopping trolley. My children are now almost 10 and 15 years old, and I would rather have my bike stolen than my trailer - that's how much we use it!
What should I look for when purchasing a child seat?
KAW: "Look for seats that have a head-rest (some cheaper ones only come up to shoulder height). It's best to buy one with a head-rest at a different angle from the seat, this provides capacity for the helmet. It also gives the child another option for resting their head while they sleep [instead of their head bobbing forward].
"Some seats have a function that allows you to tilt the seat back a little before you put the child in, but you can't tilt it when the child is already in the seat.
"Some people use little blow-up travel pillows around their kid's necks. This definitely keeps their head more upright while they sleep."
What about the way the seat mounts to the bike: I've heard that seatpost-mounted seats give a softer ride because they're suspended, and they're easy to remove if you want to ride without your child- are they the best way to go?
KAW: "There are two types of attachment - those that attach to the seat-post, and those that attach to a pack-rack. You can take more weight on a rack if you have a bike with braze-on points to fit a rack onto. Note: the more 'scaffolding' you put on to carry a seat, the more you're compromising safety. A bike with braze-ons is going to be the strongest possible arrangement.
"Most baby seats - even rack-mounted ones - have a simple slide-on, slide-off arrangement. This can be useful, for example, at childcare: one person can drop the child off and leave the seat there so the other one can pick them up.
"Baby seats are mounted over the rear wheel where it gets more bumpy (I noticed with my son once he got out of nappies he felt the bumps more). Topeak do a rack-mounted seat with suspension points on it." (Pictured right).
What other considerations are there when buying child seats?
KAW: "Some seats have concealed compartments for storing keys, etc. You might also want to think about possibilities for strapping a bag/pannier/kindy bag to the back of the seat. The Topeak seat has notches where you could use webbing to attach a bag, and the Beto seat also has holes. Others have a smooth back with nowhere to attach anything.
"One thing that shouldn't be underestimated is the secure attachment of a rack onto the bike. Racks aren't difficult to put on, but they do need an easing in and patience. Some people wouldn't be happy to hear that we charge $20 to fit a rack, but even though we've done thousands, some racks can take us 30 minutes to put on depending on the fit of the rack. People shouldn't undervalue the time taken to fit a rack properly or get a bike shop who knows what they're doing to do it.
"Another tip is to look at getting some 3M reflective tape (which can be expensive to buy) on the back and side of the baby seat. Be careful to position it according to the road rules: red signifies back, orange signifies the side, white signifies front. It can be difficult to find sometimes, so try Workwear safety places, some bikeshops have it, sometimes even bigger places like Officeworks or good newsagents stock it."
What should I look for when purchasing a trailer?
KAW: "The best trailers available in Australia are Chariot (a small family factory in Canada) and Burley (another small family factory in Oregon, USA). Other brands (eg Trek) are also manufactured by these companies.
You then get cheaper look-alike brands (eg Pacific) coming out of China.
What are the disadvantages of buying cheaper trailers (eg Pacific vs Burley or Chariot)?
KAW: "Overall, they're of lesser quality. The thing I say to people is that it depends on how often you're going to use your trailer - it's the same as buying a bike. If you only use it irregularly, the Pacific is a great price point and you won't see the wear and tear. In comparison, the more expensive Chariots are designed for someone who's going to ride a fair bit: they're plusher inside, and the top model also has reflective piping all over it.
"The Pacific has no tinting on windows. It's also not as weatherproof as the better trailers, which have a plastic window overlay and a mesh inside. The Pacific is also smaller, particularly in the height (that's one area they make savings), which means your children will be out of it sooner. That cuts a year or two off your ability to use your trailer.
"There are three types of walking/jogging systems for trailers: a walker kit, a stroller kit (where the stroller wheel sits under the chassis - easier in a crowd) and a jogger kit (which has a jogger wheel out the front).
"The Pacific converts to walkable trailer, not a jogger. With the Chariot, you also have a really nice stroller and it converts to a jogger. You don't need to buy a separate stroller. With cheaper Burleys and Chariots, you can just get a walker (not jogging) attachment.
"Most trailers are easily collapsible, and you can buy a second mounting system so you can easily switch the trailer between bikes."
What should I look for when purchasing a helmet for my baby or toddler?
KAW: "All of the bigger helmet brands have good quality helmets for children. All have a fitting system that will grow with the head (if your child is 
between baby size and the next size up, you should look for that fitting system). For example, Met and Netti baby helmets have two different pad sizes for the top of the skull, so you have three levels of adjustment: the helmet band (around widest part of helmet), the padding, and easily adjustable side straps. Better quality helmets have easy adjustment and easy flick-out clips so you can ease the tension on the straps. A better quality helmet will cost maybe $10 or $20 more than a generic model at K-mart."
A UK-based BBC webpage on bicycle helmets and children suggests avoiding 'aero' shape helmets: 'The tail of the helmet may hit the back of the seat and force the child's head downward. A cushion behind the child's back may prevent this. If your child falls asleep in a seat or trailer, their head is likely to roll around, and you should prevent this with some support such as a cushion.'
How much do I need to spend on equipment for cycling with a child?
Front-mounted child seats range from around $135 to $170
Rear-mounted child seats range from around $100 to $230
Trailers range from around $400 to $1000+
Helmets range from around $30 to $70
When can you introduce children to their own bike / trailer bike?
KAW: "Essentially, two-year-olds can get little tricycles to introduce them to the joys of cycling, and then, at around three, four or five years, move up to their own bike with training wheels."
Are training wheels necessary?
KAW: "They're pretty good to start with, to help the child get used to handling the bike. Sometimes people leave training wheels on too long, because they think it is too hard for the child to get the balance, which may then create bad habits."
I've heard of products called LIKEaBIKE or FirstBIKE - are they worth it?
[These products are simplified 'bikes', with no pedals, cranks or sharp bits (or training wheels), designed to help children learn to balance on two wheels.]
KAW: "They're a great product. Taller three-year-olds to smaller five-year-olds are really quite capable of riding them."
They're quite expensive - couldn't you just remove pedals off a normal bike?
KAW: "Yes. If you're going that far, you can take the cranks off too so they're not in the way."
Need more information?
Check out the following links:
Bicycle Victoria's Children's bikes, seats, trailers and tandems includes a PDF file Taking your toddler with you. This answers common questions about travelling with children, including comparisons between different carriers.
Bicycle Victoria's guide to tag-alongs gives you information about the tag-along method of carrying older children on bikes.
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute website: a US-based site with comprehensive information about bicycle helmets, some opinionated (but worth reading) advice about when to start riding with your child, and more.
BBC webpage on bicycle helmets and children: useful information on buying helmets for children, plus when to start riding with your child.
CHOICE - test: Kid's bicycle helmets (Feb 2006): this link is to the report preview only - if you want the full report, you'll have to pay.
Mamabike: a site about riding with children, promoting Dutch-style bikes with front and/or rear child seats (includes details of hiring and buying in Melbourne).