Biking With Baby Onboard

Adorable smile from Ian!

Poor Ian, every time he sees us reach for our bicycle helmets and walk out the door, he would wail woefully, as if protesting our decision to leave him home to go cycling. And every time he does that, my heart would break and I would be laden with guilt. 

How can a mother indulge one child in an activity of his choice, but leave the other crying at home? *shakes head*

So I decided to bring him along. Major decision made there... especially after all the hoo-haa about how I am afraid of heights and all. Also the fact that the last time I was on a bike was when I was 15 years old. Yupppp... I'm still learning the ropes about balancing myself on my bike, and now I want to balance a precious cargo too?? Aaahhh the things I do for my kids. *sigh*

Our local bicycle shop.

We managed to get a bicycle baby seat from our local bike shop in TTDI Jaya. The shop is aptly called Kedai Basikal. *grin* They had two options on sale - either the rear child seat or the front child seat.

• Front child seat: Makes the child feel as if it is his/her bike as they get to see the same view as you do. Suitable only up to 3 years of age.. anything above that then it becomes an obstruction to your view. Low weight limits. Taller riders may find their knees bumping to the seat. More balanced. Less jarring ride to the child, since they're not right over the wheel
• Rear child seat: Suitable for older kids too. Not as social or fun as their front view would probably be your sweaty backside. Needs a strong rear rack to support the seat.  

Both options (as available in our local bicycle shop) had a harness system and foot buckets (with guards to keep their feet out of the spokes) for safety. The harness runs on one adjustment, hence you will have to slide the harness over their heads first before putting their helmets on. Unfortunately, Malaysia does not have the market for toddler helmets, so helmets have to be customized to fit. ($$$!!!) Note that it is probably not a good idea to take infants by bike until at least nine months old (good head control).

In the end, I chose the rear child seat, especially since I wanted the seat to last us a good few years, and also because I was nervous about having Ian in front of me while cycling. What if he decides to hold the handlebars? Hmmm...

Baby bicycle seat! Andddd I don't even have to take the seat off to fold the bicycle.

So how was my maiden ride??? Fuhhhh... very unnerving! I was very nervous about going on bumpy roads or going up onto the sidewalk. I was worried that Ian would fall off or I would lose balance and tip over. Alhamdulillah, after a few tries, I am happy to report that I am now more confident. Of course, I never leave him unattended even when the bike is on a kickstand.

And Ian really enjoys going on the bicycle. He especially loves going downhill, feeling the wind rushing past him. I try to make it a point to cycle every afternoon with him (except when it rains). Aiden, Ian and I go to the playground and even the clubhouse together! Nowadays, Ian would even take my helmet, attempt to put it on his head and point to the bicycle... that's how much he enjoys his afternoon rides.

With this, I am fair to both of my boys. Not only that, it is also a great bonding activity for us. Hence this mother of two is a very happy mummy! *smiles*