Biking With Baby: Tips on selecting a bike trailer and helmet for your baby

Three days ago was the first time I rode my bike in a year and a half. It was exhilarating! Feeling the wind in my face, the burn in my legs as I pumped my pedals, my hands gripping tightly to my handlebar grips; I felt at one with my bike again and felt the natural high I get when riding my bike. 

Why had it been so long since I rode? Pregnancy and cold Montana weather! Last year by the time it warmed up enough to get my bike out, my baby bump had grown so large I wasn’t able to hoist my pregnant self onto my bike. If I could have, I don’t think I would’ve had the energy or stamina to go more than a block or two anyway! Because I love riding bike, I knew I needed to figure out how to incorporate our little nugget. The two pieces of gear needed: a bike trailer and baby helmet. Sounds simple right? Wrong! 

Numerous times over the last year, I researched bike trailers and tried to find a decent one for an affordable price but there are so many options that typically I would research them, become overwhelmed and forget about it for a while and then start the process all over again.  As the weather warmed this spring, I became more impatient about my desire to have a bike trailer to use with our little nugget. A few weeks ago I finally bit the bullet and bought a bike trailer. We decided to buy a trailer that had good reviews that was mid-range in the price market and it has been worth every penny. 

Since I did so much research this last year on bike trailers and baby helmets, I thought I would share some helpful tips about how to choose the best gear for your family’s needs so hopefully it will make it easier for others to get out there biking with baby!

When purchasing a bike trailer for your family, there are a few things you need to take into consideration to figure out what style and price range will be the best fit for you.  First you need to decide if you want a double or single trailer.  The next option to decide is if you want a trailer that also converts to a stroller; some trailers come with the stroller conversion kit but others you need to purchase separately so you need to take that into consideration. A few bike trailers on the market also have the option to purchase a ski conversion kit so if you are an avid skiing/winter adventuring family that may be an option you are willing to pay extra for. These are great options to invest in if you are an avid adventuring family but be prepared to fork out a chunk of money for one. (We decided not to go this route since we already have several pulks/kindershuttles that we used for pulling gear for winter camping pre-baby)  

Bike trailers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and weights. Some are short and compact, others are long and narrow, some have pivoting front wheels others do not. Many of these options are personal preference, just by looking at some bike trailers I was able to rule them out because , well, they were just ugly. The main issue with a fixed front wheel is that it makes turns more difficult. Ours has a pivot wheel for the trailer but for the jogger conversion it is fixed; this was not an issue for us since we don’t plan to use it regularly in the stroller set up since we already have a great three wheel stroller we picked up at a neighborhood yard sale last year.

Many bike trailers manufactured today are made with lighter weight materials and specifications are listed on product listings online; if you are planning to ride a lot and transport two bigger kids, the weight of your trailer will likely be an important factor for you. Most bike trailers can be broken down for transporting but not all of them break down quick and easy so if you plan to transport your trailer on occasion make sure there are quick release tires and an easy folding system in place. 

Bike trailers typically are made with two different styles of window closures, Velcro and zipper; if you plan to use your bike trailer on a daily basis the zippered models are probably a better option for ease of use and longevity of the product.  Other common features to think about your preferences are storage compartments, cup holders inside for kids and up top for adults. There are also different types of seats, some that are sling style and some that are more solid/erect.  Some bike trailers are made with shock absorbers, these will typically not be found in the lower price range trailers. If you plan on using your bike trailer only on streets, this may not be necessary for you compared to a family who plans to take it on bumpy mountain trails on a regular basis.

The prices for bike trailers range from $50 to $500+ so it is important to decide how much you want to invest in this piece of baby gear. If you plan to take your babe out regularly and put a lot of miles on your bike trailer, it is worth the extra money to pay for a decent trailer that will last and provide a smooth ride for your babe. Most bike trailers can hold children up to age five or six depending on their weight so this could be a gear investment that will be in your family for several  years to come. From the research I did and reviews I read, most folks seemed to agree that you can get a good, solid, high quality bike trailer in the mid-price range of $150-$250 without having to pay top of the line prices of $400-$500. 

Once you decide on some of the basic attributes you want in a bike trailer, then you can start shopping for one. I highly recommend checking product reviews online before making your purchase. There were numerous products that looked good and the product descriptions sounded great but upon reading reviews found out that they were not worth the investment (we typically use Amazon.com for checking reviews although we try to actually purchase local or second hand when we can.) When I researched bike trailers online, I found several brands and models that I thought would be a good fit for us and hoped I could find one second hand since philosophically we’ve tried to get a lot of our baby gear second hand when possible. I frequently checked our local Craigslist, shopped ebay, and tried to find one at a yard sale but we ultimately ended up investing in a new one at a local store where we were able to pay $100 less than the online price for the same bike trailer.

The day I brought the trailer home, I was so excited and convinced my husband to put it together right away so I could use it the next day. Then we realized we did not have a helmet for our little nugget! So the research started all over, this time for a bike helmet. 

When we were buying a helmet, our little nugget was just seven months old. There are not too many models on the market that fit an infant head so that helps to narrow the options!  We chose a bike helmet that fits infant through toddler. The reason we chose our little nugget’s bike helmet (the Giro Me2) is because it is adjustable in size by turning a small dial at the back of the helmet. This alleviates having to adjust the helmet for fit by pulling straps and taking the helmet off.

No bike helmet has the magic answer for keeping the strap under a baby’s rolling chin but this one somehow manages to stay in place without being uncomfortable enough to cause our little nugget to cry or try to take it off (at least not yet!) The helmet does look quite hilarious on her since the helmet sat upright next to her is over half the length of our little nugget!  We were able to purchase the helmet on sale although we had decided that cost was not prohibitive to us for a helmet since it would be protecting our little nugget's noggin!

For our first family biking adventure this last weekend, we put our little nugget’s bike helmet on, strapped her into the bike trailer and off we went. On our first excursion we rode around the neighborhood and also delivered an Etsy order to the post office!

Our little nugget loves being outdoors and always falls asleep in her stroller, so as we figured she slept for the whole ride. I barely noticed the extra weight behind me as I rode. I am so glad we finally were able to invest in a bike trailer and helmet since I’m a biking fanatic and look forward to many years of biking with our little nugget in tow!

Good luck and happy riding!

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