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Bicycling with Babies

With summer well on its way and the nice spring days adding up, the thought of getting out and bicycling around seems like a great idea. But do you know the best ways and precautions to take with cycling with an infant or young child? Here is a quick guide.

First you need to make sure that your baby is old enough to take along when you are out on a bicycle. Infants under six months of age should definitely not be taken along for the ride. Their heads may be too wobbly, they can’t sit up well, and they don’t have good muscle control. All of these things can make it dangerous for your baby. Also, you won’t have much luck finding a bicycle helmet that fits.

All children, and the adults, should wear helmets, even when the baby rides in a bike trailer or bike jogging cart. An extra benefit to getting that helmet on early is that your baby will be so used to associating the bicycle with the helmet, that putting a helmet on will feel natural, even when your child grows.

Other than helmets, you will need a way to carry your child. I mentioned the trailer or cart. These are great ways of bringing your baby along. Look for safety features that will allow the trailer or cart to remain stable, even if your bike falls. For a child seat that becomes mounted over the rear wheel of the adult bicycle, look for one that has a sturdy safety harness and footrests, and be sure to use both of these features.

When riding with your baby, it makes sense to only bike on quiet streets or on bike paths. Avoid busy streets, even if you are familiar with riding on them. You need to put the safety of your child first. Also busy streets may be frightening or overwhelming to a baby.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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About Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, online content manager, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania in the middle of the woods but close enough to Target and Home Depot. The author of many magazine, newspaper and online articles, Mary Ann enjoys writing about almost any subject. "Writing gives me the opportunity to both learn interesting information, and to interact with wonderful people." Mary Ann has written more than 5,000 blogs for Families.com since she started back in December 2006. Contact her at maromans AT verizon.net or visit her personal blog http://homeinawoods.wordpress.com