Hellobee Boards

I don't think you can take a baby until age 1.

I have a beach cruiser and I love it. So smooth! We have a cheap-ish ccm trailer that does the job. DS seems to enjoy it. We started using it when he was around 15 months.

ETA: mine is an Electra beach cruiser I think it was $400ish. Probably way cheaper in the US though if that's where you are.

@Mrs D: shaken baby. Helmets are too heavy for baby necks and therefore aren't made for smaller than one year.

My bike cost $1,700 and DH's $4,500 so I'm the wrong person to ask!

We go biking a fair amount--we waited until last weekend to start bringing our 11 month old.. The older one is almost 3. We have a WeeRide seat that sits on the frame of the bike, just in front of the adult seat. And we just bought a Thule Ridealong seat that is mounted behind the adult bike seat.

The Thule is an amazing bike seat--it has amazing shock absorbers, super easy harness adjusters (so we can switch out the girls), and the best part is that it reclines, so the baby can fall asleep. It's rated 9 months-6 years, up to a limit of 48 lbs. Our 3 year old is only about 28 lbs, so she'll have a while to go on it.

We asked our pediatrician and he said he thought it was fine to take the younger one after 10 months--she has been sitting well since 5 months. And we ride on smooth paths next to the river.

For us, we chose attached seats over a double trailer because 1)we live in a condo in an urban city and have no storage 2) we often ride places, like restaurants, and we chain our bikes on the street--we don't want to chain up a trailer that would block the sidewalk and not fit in bike parking.

For bikes--if you aren't a serious rider, any bike will do. Walk into Walmart or Target and pick something, it will be fine. My husband has a nice mountain bike and I have a vintage looking Schwinn, that is a cruiser but not a fixie. If you are riding with kids, just get something with a cushy seat and some speeds for going up and down hills.

And they don't make my bike anymore, but it's the female version of this one, but in emerald green. I think it was $600 new, but I got mine used on Craigslist for $200. http://www.schwinnbikes.com/usa/bikes/cruisers/classic-deluxe-16

We have a yepp baby seat. It's great. They make one for the front and back, and also a seat for older kids. You can also get a trail along bike that attaches a small bike to your bike.

I would get an upright bike, and a double kickstand. Also get comfortable riding it, and then put some weight in the seat (bag of flour) and do a practice ride. The balance changes quite a bit once you put some weight in it.

You'll also struggle to find a helmet for kids under a year. We found there were only 1 or 2 options that would fit my daughters head at 11 months when we started shopping.

@Banana330: we love our Yepp seat! My toddler has always hated the car, not really a stroller fan, but he grabs his helmet whenever he sees it and runs up to the Bike to get loaded on!

I also love our giro scamp helmet it's so cute :). He recently got obsessed with wearing it, even inside. He'll cry if we take if off! For the bike, go to a nicer store with a big variety and you should be able to try bikes out. Btw I always wear my helmet except in this photo

@Mrs D: I started our looking for a cheap commuter bike but then fell in love with the features of my bike. And I haven't even ridden her in two years.

We have a bike trailer, I would recommend that. They do make a sling so you can have a younger infant in it but personally I don't want to take the risk. I would wait until the 1 year limit to take them in it.

We've been biking with our kids since right around when they turned one. We started out with seat attachments (we had the iBert) and now that they are 3, we use a Schwinn trailer. I think if you're not looking to invest a ton of money, you can find gently used bikes easily (Craigslist, Buy Nothing, local sites, local bike stores, thrift stores, etc) and seats/trailer. We found DH's bike with a child seat for $175 at our local thrift store. We got our trailer for $50 off Craigslist. My bike I've had for years, since I lived at home. In your case, I'd go for a double trailer since by the time your youngest can use it, your older will be on the big side for a bike seat. We use ours all the time and the kids love it!! Going on a bike ride is one of their favorite activities!