We’ve already mentioned that better infrastructure might attract more women to urban cycling, but the Dutch are well past this point. While mums are regularly seen running errands with their children (yes, they’ve found a way how to fit as many as three kids safely on a single bike) the dads are more likely to take their kids for a leisure ride. The latter also applies to grandparents who love to take the little ones on cycle trips.
There is actually an established system of seats you can attach to either woman’s or man’s bike that you can start using as soon as the child is able to sit upright. At first, the babies are seated in the front in a special attachable seat with a lot of protective elements, as can be seen in the picture below. Windshields and feet protectors are also in place and security straps keeping the child in the seat are a no-brainer. These front seats can support up to 15 kg of weight, which equals to an age about 3 years. Children psychologists also state that this position provides parents with more contact with their young offspring (apart from somewhat safer baby trailer), while they interact on the way, pointing out things, etc.
Later on, usually with the arrival of the second baby, the older child is moved to the back seat mounted over the rear wheel and the ride can happily continue, even with a bag full of groceries or a handbag. These sturdy constructions can support up to 22 kg of weight.
Although Dutch experts have no negative opinions on this common practice, save for not exceeding one hour of uninterrupted ride because the child’s blood flow might suffer due to limited movement in the seats, the rest of the world seems to be amazed by it sometimes. Commenters on YouTube from all over the world seems to be taken aback by the abundance of uncovered baby heads in such videos, but the Dutch are quick to point out that this is, again, due to brilliant infrastructure and the cities taking care of their cycling community, because nobody feels endangered.
To look at some numbers, most of the injuries sustained by children co-riding a bike with a parent/grandparent aren’t to the head but to the feet, knees, and soles because they get tangled in the spokes. The same applies to adults, with addition of scraped hands and elbows because of falls. A favourite Dutch bicycle blog “Bicycle Dutch” states that: “A safety board estimates that about 2,300 children per year need medical treatment after their feet were injured. This may sound like an awful lot, but you have to consider that of the 14 million bicycle trips per day in this country, many are made with children as passengers.”
Seats with spoke covers has been made mandatory since 2004 and the old second-hand versions are starting to be less and less common.
Clearly, as the video shows, taking your children along with you through the day is both enjoyable and beneficial to all parties involved. They get some fresh air and an early bicycle education and you get enviable calves’ definition and stronger bond with your child.
To look at this topic in more detail, head over to Bicycle Dutch’s thorough research.
