I want to get a seat to attach to my bike for my 2 1/2 year old so we can ride casually around town. I'm wondering if any one can advise whether to buy the kind that goes in front of you near the handle bars- seems better for the kid, but can you still see okay?- or the kind where they sit behind you. Thanks for any insight!
I've heard the ones in front are dangerous. The ones in back are much larger and go up over their head and just seem safer.
We used the wee ride- not sure if it's big enough for a 2 1/2 year old because we used it for our 1 year old. It sits in front- LOVE that because it's so great to see and interact with your kid- you can talk about what you're looking at and I just feel safer. One down side- on my bike I have to pedal with my knees just slightly pointing out due to the seat. However, this has not made me regret the purchase at all.
I had the kind where he sat behind me and it was great.
When I was researching these, this is the one I would've gone for, as it seemed the safest:
But now that my child is 3, is so much heavier and has the potential to wiggle around enough to throw me off balance, we are going with a trailer.
When I saw that your child is only six months younger, I thought this might help.
My husband is Dutch and we spent 4 years in the Netherlands with only bikes for transportation. The ones in the front are very safe but I think that your child is probably too heavy for them. I think the limit is 25 pounds or so. We have one for the front for our little one and one in the back for our older one. They obviously can't see through you but they really enjoy being close to you and can see plenty from the sides. The front ones take a little bit of getting used to because they are limiting you from standing up when you stop and are a bit harder to balance.
I would recommend one that has straps that close on the sides rather than over their head to make it easier when you have their helmet on. I'm not sure what statistics the other person is talking about with the trailer being preferable. They are difficult with the fishtailing effect. Like they said - try them out and see what you think.
I was looking into a bike seat, before I became pregnant. From what I read, there seemed to be more people against the behind the seat one. One mom even said that the sales person at her bike store wouldn't sell it to her and showed her the in front of the seat kind. I was really looking forward to buying the in front of the seat kind this year. The pros: theres some support from the metal bar underneath, the child has a view, and you can tend to your child more easily. The cons: Some have said that you have to pedal with you legs spread out a little and the height of the child. Check out the height and weight limits on both seats. For safety reasons, I choose in front of the seat.
Good Luck!
Years ago I baby-sitted siblings and would take them on the bike, one in front and one behind... in Europe this is pretty common, since people actually use bikes as their primary means of transportation.
In my opinion, more important than what seat you choose, is what bike you have and how confident of a rider you are. For transporting children I prefer city or dutch style bikes: the women's version has a low step and a low center of gravity. The bikes are designed for the rider to ride upright with flexed arms at the elbow, giving you better control/balance. They also usually feature a secure kickstand, which is important for "loading and unloading" your child.
I personally like the seats, but statistically trailers are preferable to kids' seats when it comes to risk of injury. No matter if bike or trailer your child should always wear a helmet. A good bike shop will let you "try on" a seat and go for a test ride.
Good luck.
We have friends and acquaintances who cycle a lot and all told us to go with the trailer type (and we did). I love the idea of our children being up with us and being able to look around, but the trailers are supposed to be safer- I think in case you fall down- and cyclists we know get hit by cars far too often (hard to believe, but true). We haven't taken the infant in it yet, but before I was pregnant with the 2nd, the first child loved being in the trailer (she didn't know what she was missing?!).
We have the Kangaroo Wee Ride: http://www.amazon.com/WeeRide-Kangaroo-Child-Carrier/dp/B... It's a front seat and is for kids up to 40 pounds.
We really like it. It's nice to be able to talk to our son while he's in it and not feel like we always have to be looking backward to make sure he's safe. We can see fine. The only thing is that it does make pedaling a little harder. I tend to have to bow my legs out a little bit more to avoid hitting the seat when I pedal. Also, it's a little tough to install, so it makes it difficult to switch between my and my husband's bike. Otherwise, it's great.
(My BIL has a front bike seat that is really easy to get off and on, but I don't know the model and I get the sense that it has a much lower weight limit. )
