1. Security
First of all, the child must have a helmet. Also, which is transported in a car seat or bicycle trailer. According to the provisions of the Road Code, a child up to 10 years old on their own bike is treated as a pedestrian. So it should move on the left side of the road, like an adult, taking care of it. It can go with the guardian on the pavement. Driving on the pavement is also allowed when its width exceeds 2m and in a situation where bad weather conditions prevail.
When you transport your child in a bicycle seat or a trailer, you have a right -hand movement. You can go on the pavement only when you move with another child (driving alone and younger than 10 years). On the pavement, you can’t ride a bike with a trailer. Also remember that the total length of such a vehicle can be a maximum of four meters.
2. Protection of the baby
Remember that the seat is well attached to the bike. Those attached to the frame ensure better cushioning. The child must be well fastened so that the belts do not irritate his neck and that the feet are stable and pinned. When your child falls asleep, be sure to take a break and pull your child out of the seat. Differently while driving, the head falls limply once to one, once to the other side, and this is dangerous to the child’s health.
3. Equipment
Take a pump and spare inner tubes and fasteners with you. Equip your bike with baskets for water bottles and a trunk bag, and if you travel further, also panniers. You can install the phone holder if you use navigation. Remember to charge it!
Get ready for any weather – weapons of children from the sun’s cream with filter and the right clothing. Take the headgear that you will put during a stop, sightseeing or picnic. Take rain cans.
If the child is already driving alone, take care of comfortable, sports clothing and shoes. Remember that the pants have narrow legs or push them with a special welt. Be sure to take the first aid kit! Also get the right amount of drinking water. Small children driving a trailer can have toys so as not to get bored too much.
4. Preparation
A trip or trip is worth planning. It is worth including your children in this planning. Together, choose the way and what you want to see on the way or where to stop.
Remember to always have an emergency plan – check how you can shorten the route if necessary, designate the places where you can stop. The route cannot be too difficult, long and tedious to the child, but adapted to his needs and possibilities. It is easy to alienate a child to bicycle trips. Plan the prize -a neighboring town, ice cream, an interesting tourist attraction.
5. Picnic
It is worth planning a picnic meal. You can organize a picnic by simply taking a break on a trip, and you have to get to the selected restaurant. Such a break will help a child rest, and if he drives still in a car seat or trailer, also to straighten the bones. Take provisions, snacks, drinks, picnic blanket. Take off -road games or toys for the youngest. You can also look for mushrooms, observe birds, insects or recognize plants.
6. Common sense
If you want to plant a child in a car seat or in a trailer, think about whether it is ready for it. Do not listen to producers who sell accessories that allow you to transport a bicycle for several weeks of newborns. Physiotherapists appeal to parents and guardians for common sense.
By riding a bike, you can estimate with what surface or obstacle you can face. On a bumpy or rocky road, you lift your buttocks above the saddle, weighing the slightly bent legs. It helps to better depreciate shocks. Differently through the spine, vibrations move to the head. And can a child who is your passenger avoid such impressions? NO. It is shown.
So when can a child be transported with a trailer? Physiotherapists advise to wait until the toddler begins to walk and even jump. Only then is his sitting sufficiently stable, and the mechanisms that are responsible for developed depreciation. Most often it is 18 months of age.
Author: Press materials
Advises Bartosz Huzarski, a titled road cyclist specializing in driving in the mountains, junior coach and father of four children
If we plan to drive public roads, I think that driving with a trailer is safer than a car seat. Preferably one that is in a bright IDO color which the flag is attached. The trailer is more visible from afar and the drivers think more by passing it. If the child is already riding a bicycle, the parent should ride in the back. I even drive with my 5 -year -old daughter from the back and a little from the side to be able to correct the child’s riding and react – not only in a voice – to prevent a dangerous situation. When can children start riding bicycle trips? I went on a two-day route with a 9-year-old son. It was a flat, beautiful trail, and we had a lot of attractions along the way. On the first day we did 40km, the second 50. However, it is necessary to estimate what the possibilities of our child are – my son rides a bike well and manages to ride without a break 1.5 or even 2 hours.
