Cycling commuting with a 1 year old?

[madamelilac]

Hello fellow Mustachians!

I am changing careers in August and working at a daycare. I'm considering moving my son to the daycare that I'll be working at. I'm very excited about my new job being close enough to home (1.5 miles!!! yay!) that I'll be able to pedal to and from work again and ditch the car! I will be using my current hybrid bike which has a rear rack and mudguards on the front and rear.

Would it be feasible to bike to and from work with a 1 year old daily? He can sit up very well unsupported and currently weighs 25lbs/11.4kg and is 30" tall. He'll be 14 months in August when I'm looking to cycle to work with him. What would be the best/safest setup? We'll be going along a main road (with a cycle lane) for half of the journey and the second half will be a typical residential street. There are gentle hills, but nothing too crazy incline-wise. It'll be slightly outside of commuting times, we'll be riding around 7-7:15am and 6pm.

We live in England so any suggestions to keep the bambino dry would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance!

[jeninco]

You can totally do it with an enclosed trailer (Burley-style, but I'm sure there are other manufacturers), but 1.5 miles isn't very far -- you can walk it with the kid in a stroller or carrier if that seems like it's easier!  You'll have better success if you can make it easy, with whatever method you choose, so all you have to do to head out is pop him into the trailer/stroller/carrier and go, rather than having an arrangement that requires a bunch of setup every day.

Good luck!

[FLBiker]

Posting to follow, mostly.  I've got a daughter who will be 2.5 in Aug (when DW is going back to work) and I'll likely be bike commuting her into daycare in the morning.  I'm planning to use a trailer.  I bike commute now, it's about 5 miles on residential streets.

[madamelilac]

Thanks for your responses everyone! @jeninco, I did definitely consider just pushing him in a stroller, but wanted to consider cycling with him purely to save on time in case he's a late riser or if he gets really antsy in his stroller or carrier.

It will take 8 minutes to bike there according to Google and just under half an hour to walk it. We regularly walk double that distance while he's napping during the day, just not sure if he'd be a happy camper being confined that long while awake because he loves to move about!

[Bicycle_B]

Here's some inspiration on the cycling part:
https://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/with-six-kids-and-no-car-this-mom-does-it-all-by-bike-73731

How-to links from general media fwiw:
http://www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/article/beginners-guide-to-cycling-with-kids-30675/

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/cycling-with-children.html

https://www.familyadventureproject.org/2015/05/choosing-bikes-for-cycling-with-kids-ultimate-guide/

[KCM5]

I do it/did it.

My setup was a child's seat on the bike. I started with one that was in front of me (Yepp Mini is a good, comfortable brand) and then when she got older moved to a Yepp Maxi. Now that she's four I have an xtracycle that she rides on the back of.

In the winter (below 35F or so) I have a trailer that I attach. It does get kind of cold or maybe my kid is just a wimp. Anyway, the trailer with a blanket is always warm enough for her and she's never complained, even if it was -10F.

In the rain you can get child's rain ponchos that are made to fit over their bike seat (I think bobike makes one?). I myself also use a poncho in the rain. I just keep them in my pannier.

Oh, and if it is icy, you really have a couple of options. I have studded tires, but I doubt they would be useful many times of the year in England. So you could just walk instead. If its icy, I always have the kid in the trailer rather than bike seat because I really, really don't want her to fall off the bike. She could get hurt, obviously, and it would be traumatic. I've never actually fallen with her on the bike when it is icy, and like I said, I have studded tires, but its something to consider. I have fallen alone without the studded tires, and once my back tire was slipping, I was down before I knew what happened. The kid on the bike really changes the handling, so you need to be prepared for that.