Sharing Your Bike With Your Child
June 14, 2006 by Lei
Filed under Children's Toys, General Play Library Goodies
When I lived in Japan, it was very common to see parents riding their bicycles with their infant in a front baby carrier. I could never pull that off because my balance is a bit precarious. College friends can still remember turning around on bike rides and finding me and my bike on the ground for no reason at all. 
For parents who’d like to share their bike with their child (think Brad Pitt), safety and health expert Debra Holtzman warns:
If you love biking, you may be particularly eager to have your young child enjoy it with you. Don’t be in too big a hurry to share the experience with your child. In fact, NEVER carry a child under the age of 1 on your bicycle, either in a bicycle seat, a child trailer or any other carrier.
Debra’s more detailed checklist is available at NewsReleaseWire.com.
- Select the right helmet.
- Choose ASTM-approved seating.
- Wear bright, fluorescent clothing, closed-toe shoes, snug fitting clothes.
- Avoid riding at dawn, dusk, or night. Avoid busy streets and ride only in safe areas.
- Bike with your child only if s/he is ready.
Technorati Tags: safety, brad pitt, bikes, bicycles, biking, children, kids, japan
Kids in bike trailers and in bike seats are a very common site here in Germany and it’s become more common since gas prices hit 1.35 EUR per liter. Not having grown up in a cycle-oriented society, I get ascared too, but I know I am going to have to get over it. We all need to drive a lot less and teaching out kids to enjoy cycling is one of the ways to do it.
Kate: I love biking but I just don’t want to be responsible for someone else while I do it!
so I guess we’ll just walk or take the bus. Good thing London is a very walkable city. Yay!
We need to get kiddie helmets, and some sort of seats or tag-along tandem bike things, etc, before we can go as a family. I haven’t biked in years. I prefer it to walking and walking and walking, though. heh.
Deb: Wheels are definitely more stylin’ than feet!