maria w
Most baby bike carriers say that the child must be one year old and not more than a specific weight, but the CoPilot Limo Bicycle Child Seat simply says that you can use the bike carrier with a child up to 40 lbs. So does that mean that I can use the bike carrier with any baby under 40 lbs? I would really love to hear from someone with experience with this product.
Most baby bike carriers say that the child must be one year old and not more than a specific weight, but the CoPilot Limo Bicycle Child Seat simply says that you can use the bike carrier with a child up to 40 lbs. So does that mean that I can use the bike carrier with any baby under 40 lbs? I would really love to hear from someone with experience with this product. And, yes, he has control of his head. Babies uaually gain control about 4 months.
Answer
You should not have a child on a bike or being pulled behind a bike until their head and neck are strong enough to use a helmet. Which is around 1 year.
http://www.ibike.org/education/infant.htm
Usually by age 12 months parents can start checking with the child's physician to see if they have the neck development to safely go for a bike ride. Most toddlers' neck and shoulder muscles can tolerate the weight of a helmet and absorb shock from bumps in the road at 1 years old.
http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm
Nobody we have met in the injury prevention field recommends taking an infant of less than 12 months in a bicycle child seat, trailer, sidecar or any other carrier. Nobody. And we do not either.
New York state law prohibits it. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission thinks it is dangerous to take a child under one year on a bicycle, and here is their rationale:
Maurice Keenan, MD, from the American Academy of Pediatrics [21], requested that a minimum age of 1 year be reflected on the label for helmets intended for children under age 5. This would better convey the message that infants (children under age 1) should not be passengers on a bicycle under any circumstance.
The Commission agrees with the commenter that children under 1 year of age should not be on bicycles. Children are just learning to sit unsupported at about 9 months of age. Until this age, infants have not developed sufficient bone mass and muscle tone to enable them to sit unsupported with their backs straight. Pediatricians advise against having infants sitting in a slumped or curled position for prolonged periods. This position may even be exacerbated by the added weight of a bicycle helmet on the infantâs head. Because pediatricians recommend against having children under age 1 as passengers on bicycles, the Commission does not want the certification label to imply that children under age 1 can ride safely.
Source: 16 CFR Part 1203 Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets; Final Rule, page 11726
That explains why you will not find a child helmet on the market sized for a tiny tot. You certainly do not want to ride with a bare-headed child, and in some places it is illegal. In fact, several states have laws against taking children under one year of age on a bicycle, even with a helmet.
Parents love their babies and love their bicycles, so it is natural to want to put the two together. That thought occurs to every bicycling parent, generally before the child is born. We see messages on the Internet indicating that some parents do put their children in baby seats of one design or another and take them along on trailers starting as young as five weeks. Others use a baby backpack. At slightly older ages, people use front or rear-mounted child seats. A few (mostly in the UK) use sidecars. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. A disclaimer: our purpose here is to cover the risks, so you know what you are getting into. We are hearing more these days about undiagnosed brain injuries, with symptoms too subtle for doctors to detect, but very real to families. And that comes to mind whenever someone asks us about babies and biking. We worry about your six-week-old entering the first grade six years from now with a small but detectable mental handicap. That is alarmist; this is an alarmist page.
You should not have a child on a bike or being pulled behind a bike until their head and neck are strong enough to use a helmet. Which is around 1 year.
http://www.ibike.org/education/infant.htm
Usually by age 12 months parents can start checking with the child's physician to see if they have the neck development to safely go for a bike ride. Most toddlers' neck and shoulder muscles can tolerate the weight of a helmet and absorb shock from bumps in the road at 1 years old.
http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm
Nobody we have met in the injury prevention field recommends taking an infant of less than 12 months in a bicycle child seat, trailer, sidecar or any other carrier. Nobody. And we do not either.
New York state law prohibits it. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission thinks it is dangerous to take a child under one year on a bicycle, and here is their rationale:
Maurice Keenan, MD, from the American Academy of Pediatrics [21], requested that a minimum age of 1 year be reflected on the label for helmets intended for children under age 5. This would better convey the message that infants (children under age 1) should not be passengers on a bicycle under any circumstance.
The Commission agrees with the commenter that children under 1 year of age should not be on bicycles. Children are just learning to sit unsupported at about 9 months of age. Until this age, infants have not developed sufficient bone mass and muscle tone to enable them to sit unsupported with their backs straight. Pediatricians advise against having infants sitting in a slumped or curled position for prolonged periods. This position may even be exacerbated by the added weight of a bicycle helmet on the infantâs head. Because pediatricians recommend against having children under age 1 as passengers on bicycles, the Commission does not want the certification label to imply that children under age 1 can ride safely.
Source: 16 CFR Part 1203 Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets; Final Rule, page 11726
That explains why you will not find a child helmet on the market sized for a tiny tot. You certainly do not want to ride with a bare-headed child, and in some places it is illegal. In fact, several states have laws against taking children under one year of age on a bicycle, even with a helmet.
Parents love their babies and love their bicycles, so it is natural to want to put the two together. That thought occurs to every bicycling parent, generally before the child is born. We see messages on the Internet indicating that some parents do put their children in baby seats of one design or another and take them along on trailers starting as young as five weeks. Others use a baby backpack. At slightly older ages, people use front or rear-mounted child seats. A few (mostly in the UK) use sidecars. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. A disclaimer: our purpose here is to cover the risks, so you know what you are getting into. We are hearing more these days about undiagnosed brain injuries, with symptoms too subtle for doctors to detect, but very real to families. And that comes to mind whenever someone asks us about babies and biking. We worry about your six-week-old entering the first grade six years from now with a small but detectable mental handicap. That is alarmist; this is an alarmist page.
"compared with 100 years ago, families in the UK are now child centred" Do you agree?
Nim
im doing a project for school and
this subject will lead to a 2000 word essay helpppp!!!!! i really need some ideas and it also has something to do with why there arent so many people having children
Answer
Not from the UK, but yes I do agree with you.
Go into any department store in the baby/toddler area and look around. Not only all the car seats and booster seats that are mandatory to have in your vehicle, but all the "child proof" crap for the home.
When I was growing up it wasn't mandatory to wear seat belts. So maybe do some research on how this CHILD FIRST attitude not only changed the laws, but how it impacted safety standards for vehicles, kids needing to wear helmets while riding bikes or scooters, etc.
Not from the UK, but yes I do agree with you.
Go into any department store in the baby/toddler area and look around. Not only all the car seats and booster seats that are mandatory to have in your vehicle, but all the "child proof" crap for the home.
When I was growing up it wasn't mandatory to wear seat belts. So maybe do some research on how this CHILD FIRST attitude not only changed the laws, but how it impacted safety standards for vehicles, kids needing to wear helmets while riding bikes or scooters, etc.
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