Author Topic: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?  (Read 5664 times)

burly

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 151
  • Location: East
Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« on: April 16, 2015, 04:42:23 PM »
Does anyone who bikes to work bring their kids (young children) with them?

Daycare is 3.1 miles away.

Work is 5.7 miles from daycare on an state route rd (i've seen people bike but am uneasy about it.. most people go about 50-60mph)... or a 'bike safe' route according to google maps is 8.1.

Do you have a kiddo carriage and leave it at daycare?

I have a 2year old and soon to be newborn so I probably wont be doing this in the near future but like to think how I can actually bike to work. In addition I myself could bike to/from work but I do need a car for work which I could leave at the office.



Thanks,

EngineerMum

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 130
  • Location: Perth, Western Australia
  • Working towards moderate badassity
Re: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2015, 05:00:51 PM »
We use a baby seat rather than a carriage, but then we've only got the one. I'm more fussy about choosing a safe route for the bit with child than just riding alone, but in fact I think people drive more carefully around you when you have a carriage or seat. I have done a bit of riding with a carriage, it is very hard uphill, and you have to learn to be aware of the increased length with it, but it does work well with 2.
I would start as a first step finding oyt if daycare will allow you to keep the carriage there - mine wouldn't have had space.

dios.del.sol

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 150
  • Location: Los Angeles
Re: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2015, 05:03:41 PM »
I'm replying mostly to follow. Sorry I don't have any bright ideas. I'm up against the same challenge. Riding into work is easy. The logistics with a baby are a bit more difficult.

Malaysia41

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3311
  • Age: 51
  • Location: Verona, Italy
    • My mmm journal
Re: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2015, 05:09:29 PM »
When my son was three, I pulled him to daycare in a Burley trailer.  Then I locked it up on the side of daycare and continued into work.  This was approx 6 years ago. 

It was 2 miles to daycare, then 9 more miles into work.  I pulled him on main roads through town - sometimes people drove 40mph but mostly 30mph.  Once I got the bike all set up it was pretty darned easy.  And I felt totally badass - way before MMM came into my life.

I would try the 8.1mile route.  Once you get going, it's actually nice to tack on a little distance.  And with a name like yours, how can you NOT bike your kids to daycare?

burly

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 151
  • Location: East
Re: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2015, 06:23:27 PM »
And with a name like yours, how can you NOT bike your kids to daycare?

Unfortunately the main reason I got this nick name is due to my chest sweater, but I think I can handle it.

Doulos

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 116
  • Age: 45
Re: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2015, 06:35:13 PM »
I suggest looking into an alternate solution.

This may be off-topic, but ...
Why daycare?  How are your prices?
I hear horror stories of the astronomical daycare prices.

2 kids in day care can be more than a salary's takehome.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-youll-spend-on-childcare_1199776.bc
"The average cost of center-based daycare in the United States is $11,666 per year ($972 a month), but prices range from $3,582 to $18,773 a year ($300 to $1,564 monthly), according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA). Parents report higher costs – up to $2,000 a month for infant care – in cities like Boston and San Francisco."
- This is per kid!

So on average we are talking $1944 a month.  That is some people's entire budget.
The same article suggests that home day care is cheaper.

So, my question really here is... Have you considered hiring a baby sitter instead for those kinds of fees?
Thus you might not need to worry about transporting children to daycare at all.

burly

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 151
  • Location: East
Re: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2015, 07:05:15 PM »
Fortunately, we don't live in a horribly expensive area like that.. for 4 days a week, we pay $576 a month. My wife makes about $50k a year (working 32hrs) so it's a no-brainer.  We could not hire a nanny for that amount either.. Plus, it is tax free (most) as I have a dependent care account that I can max out to 5k a year.

As for kiddo two, my wife will go to part time, working two 10 hour days and our daycare will increase slightly as infants cost more than toddlers ($36/day vs $32).

Edit - i also get to pay with a credit card and get rewards.

« Last Edit: April 16, 2015, 07:08:27 PM by burly »

bogart

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1094
Re: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2015, 08:07:53 PM »
I used to bike my kid to daycare in a trailer when he was about 1 to about 3, but it was on quiet streets and only about 2 mi r/t (I drove to work separately, but would bike him to daycare and come back home before driving to work.  But I would sometimes leave the bike trailer at the daycare so that my DH could use it to get him home.  Small home-based place in a quiet neighborhood, so we just left it in the yard...).

I work with someone now who's been biking his one kid to daycare on one of those tag-along bikes, a 4 y.o., I think (maybe 3).  Next year he'll be biking 2 boys to the same daycare (this one and younger sib) using a trailer.  He brings the tag-along bike (and I assume will bring the trailer) to work and just locks it up, along with the bike -- no big deal.

Paying for daycare was among the most sensible decision I ever made as a parent and in all honesty I wish I'd made more use of it -- I think our son would have benefited from and enjoyed having more time around other kids his age.  So go with whatever works for you & yours and don't worry about the cost, assuming it fits in your budget.  Congratulations on your growing family!

PindyStache

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 241
  • Location: Minneapolis
Re: Bike to work... Drop off kids at daycare first?
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2015, 09:03:54 PM »
I've been bike commuting w/daycare trips for almost 2.5 years now. What I found works best is, yes, to drop kid(s) off at daycare, then bike in to work. For me daycare is 2.5 miles away, then work had been ~12.5 miles, and is now ~9.5 miles from daycare (changed jobs).

You can definitely do this! You will have great memories and this is such a fantastic way to carve out some time with your kids during a busy working parent's life. We have many discussions about various trucks, bridges, changing seasons, trees, animals, and MANY MANY sightings of GARBAGE TRUCKS!

My progression was something like this:

1. baby <10 months: walk to daycare with baby in body carrier & pushing bike alongside, then bike in to work; took a long time but was very pleasant.
2a. baby 10-30 months, nice weather: bike to daycare with child in bike seat. I got one of these: http://www.weeride.com/Kangaroo-Center-Mounted-Child-Bicycle-Carrier, and like it a lot, mostly because having the kid in front of you makes it easy to have a conversation. It is rated to 35 lbs. Leave the bike seat at daycare during the day (it is fairly small, so I just brought it inside and put it with the rest of their clothes/gear), bike the rest of the way in to work as normal (though the bar for this kind of seat stays on and is a fair amount of extra weight). If someone else does pick-up they can easily take the bike seat too.
2b. baby 10-30 months, bad weather: When temps got below 20F my child started to complain. That winter was really icy too so I ended up a fair amount of the time just driving home-daycare-back home then doing a bike commute, then doing daycare pick-up by car. Sort of annoying...
3a. kid 30+ months, nice weather: same deal with bike seat
3b. kid 30+ months, bad weather: I then got an old Burley trailer and he was fine in that this whole past winter (it was -15 F some mornings). I detached the trailer and locked it at daycare during the day. Harder for someone else to take the trailer home if you aren't also doing pick-up. I (correctly) anticipated slipping on the ice; the couple times that I went down it was fine because the trailer just stays upright.
4. Soon the kid will be too big for the Weeride bike seat. I recently got a Trail-a-bike off CL and I plan to lock it up at daycare like the trailer during the day.
5. We have another on the way too. Not sure about this yet... might do more walking with both of them, or carry both in the trailer, or do a bike+trail-a-bike+trailer train.

There is lots of debate and many opinions, but very little evidence, about a "safe" age to start biking with a young child. Maybe there will be a few months where using the car is the best option before you feel comfortable biking with your newer little one, but I would think a bike trailer would be fine after that period. Somehow to me it feels safer to have another older kid back there too.