Seeking Recommendations for Child Bicycle Seat

I don't know what brand my parents use but my dad takes the kuds on the kind that attaches behind the driver.

I had the kind of seat that attatched to the bike behind the rider and I hated it. It makes the back of your bike heavy and off balanced so be very carefull you don't fall over when you stop. plus the kid doesn't get to see anything but your back. what a view :(

If I had it to do over I would get a tow behind trailer

J. - I did a TON of research when my son was little about this subject. What I found out was that a bike seat could be very dangerous. I would never forgive myself if something happened to my son while he was riding behind me or my husband on the bike. Not worth the chance. We ended up going with the trailer. I never had a concern with it. Very easy to use. Easy to take along another friend's child too when that situation came up. He loved being back there, he could have his sippy, a book etc.
Our choice was to go with safety. If cost is a factor, the trailers have pretty good resale value, when we sold ours used we had lots of interest.

Hi J.,
My husband and I love the IBert seat we bought for our daughter who is 25 months old. We ordered it online, just google "IBert". It is a front mounted bicycle seat. She sits on the handle bars of your bike. It is very secure. We were amazed at how secure she felt on top of the bike, and when she wiggles, it doesn't shift or move the handles at all. She loves going for bike rides and the last 2 days has asked us to get the bike out!!

My husband has the Copilot and our now 3.5 year old LOVES it. I recall two price points - we bought the less expensive one (I think the difference was chiefly padding) and it has worked out just fine. He is high up on the bike rather than low down on the pavement and gets to see quite a lot (my husband's back as part of the view is probably comforting). Since he is sitting up on the bike, you have more control and maneuverability than with the trailer, which seems much safer to us.

We have the Topeak seat and it has been perfect. My daughter loves to ride in it and has ever since she was 18 months. It's wonderfully safe. After trying a friend's rig where the child is in the front I feel it provides less of a distraction to the bike rider. To me that just doesn't seem as safe from possible injury.

Good luck, Have Fun and whatever decision you make it will be the right one for you.

I would recommmend trying both types at a rental place before purchasing. That's what we did on a vacation in Cape Cod. We preferred the seat behind the driver. The trailer was much harder to pull.

We purchased Topeak one that attaches behind the driver. We love it. Yes, it can be a bit more difficult to maneuver so make sure you put it on a sturdy bike (thick tire, not a thin tired road bike). Also, it can be challenging at first for you to get on/off without another adult. I got nervous supporting the whole bike (plus my 30 lb little guy already strapped in) with my one leg while I swing the other leg over to get on/off. You also have to steady the bike (it has a kickstand that helps some) to buckle/unbuckle your little one. All these things you can get used to and then be able to do without worrying. We do have it and use it a lot.

Because I have two kids..little guy in that seat and older girl on a two wheeler with training wheels, I can't take them out for a ride without my husband because I can't drive him and help her. So, they just ride their own little bikes in the driveway and we go for "family bike rides" in the evenings or on weekends. That way two adults can help steady things to get him in/out and get me on/off the bike. When going on those rides, my little guy likes it because but he can also watch his big sister and Daddy riding their bikes.

Hi J.,

I used the bike seat that sits right behind you and loved it! My son loved being so close to me. I actually am selling it if your interested. Not sure where you are located but if you have any interest, email me at ____@____.com send you a picture of it.

I had to search pretty hard for this - ended up finding it on eBay several years ago, I think from Canada- but I got a seat that sits IN FRONT of the "driver" of the bike. Don't get one that attaches to the handlebars though - makes it VERY unsteady when turning. With the child in front - you can make sure they don't put their hands or feet into the wheels or anywhere they could get hurt - and you can talk to them an interact more. Also, if you God-forbid fall over - your body will protect them somewhat as you are kind of wrapped around them. After I found it on eBay, I know that U.S. bike stores started carrying them, and I've seen more and more of them on the roads. Also - there is a really cool bike available, I think from Australia, that has a built-in "wagon" in front of the bike - I see a lot of these around Portsmouth, NH where I think there is a distributor of them. I wished I'd seen them when my kids were little. They can fit about 3 kids. Good luck!

I have a front mounting bike seat, too, a Bobike. We just put it on this weekend, and love it. She is very secure, it is easy to ride.