How to Cycle with Kids

Living in a country with more bikes than people and with a great infrastructure of bicycle lanes, in many cases it’s easier to cycle than drive, even with kids. Fortunately, nowadays there are lots of options of how you can cycle with little ones, even from a very young age.

When our first daughter turned 2 months, we decided it’s time to resume our cycling. To accommodate our baby on the bike, we bought a special device to attach a car seat to the back of the bike.

Pros

The baby can sleep in it comfortably and is not disturbed when we reach the destination as she can continue sleeping without interruption – the seat gets easily unattached from the bike and you can carry it where you need.

It gives you mobility, as you keep using your normal bike.

It’s definitely safer than carrying the baby in a sling/ carrier while cycling.

Cons

It can be challenging for an inexperienced cyclist to keep balance.

From around 8 months till 27 months – a front seat (we have a Bobike)

Pros

It’s easy to keep balance.

Good for communication with the kid.

It gives you mobility, as you keep using your normal bike.

Cons

It is not comfortable to sleep in it (and our baby likes falling asleep on the go) which makes it good for short distances but more challenging for longer ones.

From 27 months – a back seat

Pros

It’s ok for sleeping in it (as you can see)

It’s still possible to communicate. We have a Polisport and love it. This brand also makes raincovers for their seats which we are happy to own as well.

You’re still as mobile as can be.

With 2 kids:

Bakfiets or cargo bike – we tried it a couple of times but didn’t feel comfortable with it.

Cons

It’s long, heavy and awkward, though it’s very popular in the Netherlands.

Pros

It’s practical – you can load it with several kids and lots of groceries.

Having an electric bakfiets makes your life much easier.

But we considered another option:

A trailer (we got a Thule Chariot)

Cons

It’s not easy to communicate with kids

It’s not easy to go backwards, thus you need a bigger space to turn around. But we’ve always managed to find enough space.

Pros

It’s super easy to balance – like riding an empty bike, just have to remember that you are longer now and be a bit more cautious at turns.

A trailer is a great way to transport 2 kids – they can sleep there without interruption even when you reach your destination – just unhook the trailer from the bike and voila – it’s a double stroller. Very convenient and efficient. This way, we could cycle with our second daughter from when she was 1,5 months old.

And how do you cycle with kids? What way do you prefer?