Love/Hate relationship with kids trailer

[The first ginger ninja]

I recently got a child trailer to allow me to tie out my 10 month old son,a bit young I know but if he's going to win the Tour de France before he's 18 he needs to get started

Anyway, one moment he seems to not mind be carted around and the next he's screaming his head off, I think it's when he's bounced around, I try to avoid all the obvious but sometimes there just no avoiding it. The trailer has no suspension and a hard plastic base/seat so he will be feeling every bit, I've tried cushioning him with blankets to minimal success.

Any thoughts on how I could make to more comfortable for him?

 

[ianrauk]

It just sounds like he doesn't enjoy it at the moment. He's a very young child at 10 months. An age where being tied into a trailer and travelling at speed (of which I can imagine that even 5mph would seem fast for a child of that age) is very alien to him. At 10 months he is only just learnt to support his head, but with every little bump his head will be shaken about which will make him very uncomfortable. It doesn't matter how much padding you put around him. It's his head that is suffering. Is he wearing a plastic hat in the trailer? If so, these act by pushing the child's head forward where the rear of the hat hits the back of the trailer. it's also added weight to his head. Have a go without the hat to see if it makes a difference.

Otherwise I would leave it for a few months and try again at another date. There is a risk that you will make him scared of the trailer and not liking the riding at all. He will see the trailer as something that frightens and upsets him rather then something that should be enjoyed by the both of you.

I know you are keen to take him out and about and that's fair enough. I loved taking my Little H out in the trailer, but he was a good few months older then your boy. There was a couple of times where I was going a little too fast and he also didn't like it. Being cyclists, we do sometimes get carried away, so always best to remind yourself that you do have a little one on board and act accordingly.

 

[rugby bloke]

Everything that's been said above ... It strikes me that the child is very young. Maybe give it a few months.

 

[bonsaibilly]

I recently got a child trailer to allow me to tie out my 10 month old son,a bit young I know but if he's going to win the Tour de France before he's 18 he needs to get started

Anyway, one moment he seems to not mind be carted around and the next he's screaming his head off, I think it's when he's bounced around, I try to avoid all the obvious but sometimes there just no avoiding it. The trailer has no suspension and a hard plastic base/seat so he will be feeling every bit, I've tried cushioning him with blankets to minimal success.

Any thoughts on how I could make to more comfortable for him?

Sounds like you're trying to make him do what you want to do, instead of enjoying quality time at home with your toddler.

 

[seraphina]

What they said. 10months is too young IME for a trailer. You *may* have better luck with a seat but I wouldn't put a 10month old in a seat either; some 10month olds aren't even reliably sitting up.

What trailer do you have? Some of the budget trailers really are quite Spartan; our Croozers feel a lot more luxurious and comfy.

By 16 months both of ours were happy for 10ish miles in the trailer; chuck in a blanket, books and maybe a snack and before you know it they'll have snoozed off.

Slowly slowly catchee monkey is the name of the game - if they hate it, give it a month and try again for a very short time. Ours love the trailer and demand to go in it.

But if I were you, I'd wait until next Spring and try again.

 

[The first ginger ninja]

Thanks for the window guys, good point on the head weight but I think you have all hit it on the head, a little too keen on my part it seems.

 

[KneesUp]

When eldest was younger, we had a lie flat car seat, so she did not need to support her head. It was like this

http://www.baby2k.com/product/car-s...eat-carrycot?gclid=CNfv7Zv3_M0CFWsW0wodZYUEYQ

If you *need* to use the trailer, (and as others have said, if you don't *have* to do it, it's probably best not to for now) something like that securely fixed to it might be good, especially if you put extra padding under the cover - obviously it's designed to be on a car seat inside a car with suspension, so it's probably not thick enough padding for under the head of a baby in a bike trailer.

 

[cyberknight]

My daughter hates the trail gator tag along, she wont go on her bike unless she has stabilizers with it although she can ride without them

 

[biggs682]

i struggled with mine when she was 5+ so went out and bought a tandem , still own it today but sadly now she is a teenager its not cool so she wont ride it .

 

[SavageHoutkop]

What about a front seat instead? They don't fit all bikes though. I'm not sure if the Weeride is more flexible that way (we used a Yepp Mini)

 

[Sixmile]

I didn't start my girls in the trailer until they were 18 months or so. I had also bought a cheap Halfords type trailer on ebay first and realised a few of the points above i.e. the hard plastic bench seat being comfortable, no helmet resess and other general features lacking. Buying the Croozer was one of the best purchases I've ever made for the kids. We use it as much as a stroller as we do a bike trailer. Really functional, loads of space and always gets them to sleep!

 

[e-rider]

I recently got a child trailer to allow me to tie out my 10 month old son,a bit young I know but if he's going to win the Tour de France before he's 18 he needs to get started

Anyway, one moment he seems to not mind be carted around and the next he's screaming his head off, I think it's when he's bounced around, I try to avoid all the obvious but sometimes there just no avoiding it. The trailer has no suspension and a hard plastic base/seat so he will be feeling every bit, I've tried cushioning him with blankets to minimal success.

Any thoughts on how I could make to more comfortable for him?

this might sound obvious but isn't that waht 10 month old children do - happy one minute, screaming the next - I doubt it has anything to do with the trailer!