what age for a child trailer?

BigSpecs

Hi Guys,
I have been looking into getting a child trailer but can't seem to find any info on how old the child needs to be before they can go in it? Our boy is six months now, a good size and sitting up unaided.
As an aside, I also saw someone say on here that you can run a trailer with your kid's car seat in it. How does this work and can any trailer do it or only certain ones? and do you need a kit to attach the seat into the trailer?

Barbes

FWIW I used a Co-pilot seat for my daughter from the ages of about 8 months to nearly 4 years. When she was very young she was able to fall asleep quite happily and securely with just the standard over the shoulders fastening.

craker

I think some blurb on my trailer suggests 18 months.

We did try it earlier (< year) but it wasn't a success (forest tracks = bumpy & dusty).

I think 6 months is way too young (do some American states prohibit child seat use at less than a year?) - neck strength is probably the issue but your Little One will be able to indicate whether he / she is comfortable. My advice would be to not rush it - wait for spring.

About neck strength, if your child is still in a rear facing car seat then their neck muscles are probably insufficiently developed (wife suggested this bit - I don't think she's suggesting there is a direct connection between the two).

gkerr4

I have a 9month old - but I don;t think I would consider it until 18months - I read somewhere (and I can't for the life of me remember where - it might well have been a forum post so read into this what you will for accuracy) that the vibration experienced in a trailer is similar to shaking a child - not something I want to do.

I think, looking at her, that she it just to fragile to try. My other daughter started in a child seat at about 2 and a half and loved it - that was probably quite a late start but at least she was quite hardy by that age.

aracer

Ours was 5 months, in a car seat. Just strapped the car seat into the trailer with some roofrack straps. When he was about 7 months he transferred to http://www.amba-marketing.com/products. ... 18&pid=425 . As has been mentioned, it does all depend on development rather than age at that point - he was sitting unaided by 5 months, and crawling by the time we took him in the trailer without the car seat, so plenty of neck strength by then (head only flops 10 minutes in when he falls asleep :roll: ) He has always enjoyed being in the trailer too - gets to see lots of the world going by when he's awake! Should point out that pretty much all our riding so far has been on tarmac, given we have plenty of quiet roads round here.

Not convinced that still being in a rearward facing car seat is any measure at all. Ours was until very recently as he simply wasn't heavy enough for a forward facing one according to the "rules" which don't seem to be anything to do with development. Gets plenty of neck muscle development crawling and now cruising.

ut_och_cykla

From personal experience I would say about a year. Ours turned 1 in april (many years ago!) which was about right to start with very short rides in march that got longer over the summer.
We used a local Swedish trailer that took bicycle & child seat. We added a cut up sleeping/camping mat for insulation from road bumps and cold, and always made sure kiddy was very well wrapped up as sitting still behind a sweating mum or dad can be very cold!!
Naturally a helmet was used which was a real life saver when my hubby managed to turn the trailer over at less than walking speed....
We culminated with a week long cycling holiday around 3 years or so - and were lucky enough with the weather to ride in the morning and swim in the afternoon.
Kids always slept happily in the trailer!
Happy cycling!

aracer

ut_och_cykla wrote:

Naturally a helmet was used which was a real life saver when my hubby managed to turn the trailer over at less than walking speed....

Really? Were they not very well strapped in? Or did the structural cage of the trailer collapse?

ut_och_cykla

aracer wrote:

ut_och_cykla wrote:

Naturally a helmet was used which was a real life saver when my hubby managed to turn the trailer over at less than walking speed....

Really? Were they not very well strapped in? Or did the structural cage of the trailer collapse?

No structural cage, well strapped in and helmeted. Hubby rolled/walked trailer over a large stone :roll: no harm done but still not forgotten 15 years on...

aracer

ut_och_cykla wrote:

No structural cage

Fair enough. What sort of trailer was that then - all the ones I looked at have cages?

Given a pretty solid cage on ours and no chance I can see of his head hitting something solid, I don't see the point of a helmet (would just put more loading on his neck).

ut_och_cykla

aracer wrote:

ut_och_cykla wrote:

No structural cage

Fair enough. What sort of trailer was that then - all the ones I looked at have cages?

Given a pretty solid cage on ours and no chance I can see of his head hitting something solid, I don't see the point of a helmet (would just put more loading on his neck).

A crescent maxi - swedish make like a frame and paddlingpool/ bathtub on wheels?
Helmets no problem tho' I can see you feel they won't be necessary, they could still bang heads violently on inside of frame perhaps??

aracer

Fairly sure that if the frame got anywhere near his head he'd have far bigger things to worry about than not wearing a helmet. Of course this may change as he gets older, at which point there won't be the same downside with wearing one. The point (which you seem to understand pretty well) is that just because a helmet might be useful on a bicycle or a child seat (don't think we should even go near the question of whether or not that's actually the case) doesn't mean it is also useful in a trailer.