Saris Bike Rack

Which one should I use to take my 7 month old biking with me?? A child carrier or a bicycle trailer???

Which one would you pick? The child carrier (basically sits on your bike, behind you.) The bicycle trailer (one you pull when riding your bike and the child sits closer to the ground.)

Public Comments

1. i would think a trailer for the bike--i always worry about if you fall off your bike, then your child has no place to go but on the hard groudn with you--even in a trailer make sure you put a helmut on him/her
2. personally i think neither because of the child's age if the y child were older would say the trailer because if the bike falls he wouldn't get hurt as bad as he would in he carrier because he is closer to the ground
3. I think a trailer would be more secure
4. At 7 mos. old a child carrier that attaches to the back of the bike might be great for a short trip, but if the baby falls asleep he/she could potentially fall out of the buckles. It sits way too upright and even though a 7 mos. old sits up really well when awake he/she could get too strained it they had to do it for too long. I used a bike trailer until my child was a year old and not in the infant car seat anymore. This is why... I was able to put the entire infant car seat in the trailer, buckle my child in safely (because it's hard to find helmets that fit a 7 mos old and you don't have to worry about the child pulling it off). I knew my child would be comfortable and I didn't worry what was happening behind me. I felt it was much safer. Obviously this decision is yours to make, but I would invest in the trailer because you can use it for years and I personally believe it's much safer for a young child, especially if you can fit the car seat in~
5. I like the ones that go on the bike best. Most of them are similar to a car seat in that they are molded around the baby and act like a shell. They also have 5 point harnesses, which protects a baby better. If you were to take a spill on your bike, yes, baby would go down with you, but he would be securely fastened into a protective shell which would defer most damage. Trailers scare me. They are closer to the ground, but they are pulled behind the bike. If you're in traffic or even with other bikers they are easy targets to be hit. Since they are attached to the bike they are going to tip over if the bike falls. Yes, they're closer to the ground, but they don't offer as much protection. Also with a young baby and young toddler it is best to have them up higher behind you. It lets them communicate their needs to you better and lets them know that you are close. A baby is likely to be happier if he can see mommy clearly and even touch her. Being put in a trailer behind the bike is distancing (literally) and makes it so that you are less aware of what is going on back there.
6. I used the trailer with my kids when they were little instead of the carrier myself. I was always afraid I'd fall and they'd fall with me!
7. a trailer and if the baby falls asleep you don't have to worry about if she or he is cramped up but they do make child seats that sit in front of you on the bike