LEJOG with a baby

[Cathryn]

One of my friends has asked if the husband, the sprog and I want to do LEJOG in May. The answer is very definitely yes, clearly. Tomorrow is the first day of my year's holiday (aka maternity leave) and I definitely want to do as much cycling as I and the as yet unborn angel infant can do!

We have the trailer already purchased and ready to use once the poor child is a bit more robust. And whilst I totally realise that we won't know until much nearer the time as to whether or not this is a go-er I just wondered if anyone has anyone done a decent length trip with a 6 month old baby? Did even Josie Dew manage it??

 

[rich p]

Full marks for spirit, Kat! When my darling daughter was that age and rarely slept (she first went through aged 4 and a half on the promise of a silver ring) I was so tired I could barely walk upstairs let alone cycle huge distances.
Would the shaking about be okay? I've no experience of what these trailer things are like.

 

[summerdays]

If you do it then you must stop and have a cup of coffee and cake here... I can't be too far off most routes.

Not having tried it but I would say you would have to aim for shorter distances, and be prepared to stop to feed at unpredictable points... that could be one of the major problems literally how much gear they might need - nappies, clothes etc, and feeding them - so you would still need to carry a small stove. At six months you would just be starting to introduce food - rules have changed even since I've had mine - but at least you wouldn't have to carry that much food for them.

 

[HelenD123]

Cathryn - I met a couple on a CTC ride yesterday who'd taken their children on their first club run at 6 weeks and 8 weeks old! They had a tandem with a child seat and side car. Go for it!

 

[GordyFaeEdinburgh]

Maybe it's just me but I don't think LEJOG would be much fun for the kid.

 

[Cathryn]

Gordy, you might have a point!! And there might well be a 'shaking' issue to think about.

I genuinely don't know anything about how the next 6 months will pan out, it's all very strange. Definitely worth thinking about, whilst we languish in blissful ignorance for the next week or so! I suspect there will be a rude awakening and we'll end up sleeping by a pool instead of tackling Lejog. Just thought it was worth investigating.

 

[Norm]

I guess that this is your first child, Cathryn.

 

[rich p]

I guess that this is your first child, Cathryn.

First 3 Norm, by the size of the bump

 

[cisamcgu]

Although I am sure it is do-able, I would be hesitant, since at 6 months, development in a child is running at a staggering pace, and to be sat in a trailer for hours at a time with little or no interaction with either you or the outside world would be rather frustrating for a baby and maybe not particuarly good for them.

(I'm guessing at hours at a time, you may be only aiming at 10 miles a day with loads of stops for doing different things, playing/exploring, etc...in which case it may be completely different)

just a thought

 

[Norm]

First 3 Norm, by the size of the bump

LEJoG is more than I'd consider with a wee bairn, but then I can't imagine still cycling past 8 months, so I'm trying to hold my pre-conceptions (see what I did there? ) in check.

I think it would be possible but I'd be worried about the impact on the babe of spending such a long time in one position, even before factoring in the bumps. More concerning, though, is the potential impact of the lack of physical and emotional human contact for an extended period.

Also, if mine are anything to go by, you need to fill the boot of an estate car just to head to the outlaws for a few hours.

 

[Cathryn]

Good advice all round, thank you everyone. I guess 'waiting and seeing' is all we can do. You guys seem to know much more than I do...most concerning.

All good thank you, Mr P. I'm quite impatient for it all to start now.Pretty excited, pretty scared and enjoying the peace whilst I still can.

 

[domtyler]

I took my little one on a ten day tour of Bavaria last year (2008) when she was about one and a half and she seemed to enjoy it. We didn't cover a massive distance and she spent at most four hours in the child seat on any one day. We cycled every other day. That was an interesting trip with one or two incidents along the way!

I would have to say that honestly six months is just too early to get them near a bike, mine was a year old by the time she was anywhere near strong enough to even remain upright in a child seat. Also you wont find any helmets that would fit until at least eighteen months old. I guess I would not commit to this trip at this stage but wait and see howw you feel nearer the time.

 

[HelenD123]

I agree with the 'wait and see'. Also, it's quite difficult getting to the start and end point of LEJOG isn't it and factoring in a baby must make it even more complicated. Could you just join them for a middle section nearer home?

 

[Kirstie]

Some friends of ours doctored a trailer so it could take their baby's car seat and were out riding with him at 4 months old. There weren't any problems with the bumps as the trailer had suspension. He just fell asleep and quite enjoyed himself!

I have to say though that the wee lad's father is a very brainy motor car engineering type and can design and build off road buggies. The extra knowledge certainly helped.

 

[Brains]

There is a 4 page article by Josie Dew in last months CTC magazine discussing exactly this issue, and yes she does tour with a small baby although for how many days I don't know

I think her limitation was the child needs to be old enough support their own head

As for the shaking, it sounds a perfect way to get them to sleep, my brojterh regularly takes his small children n one of those jogging prams to get them to sleep