We bought a bike trailer a few weeks ago and since we had a hard time finding feedback on bike trailers, I wanted to give a review for the one we bought. We looked around a lot, in person and online. We ride bikes, not avidly but we enjoy taking a ride now and again. Our daughter is 2 and a half and a tricycle rider, and a lackadaisical one at that. Rhode Island (where we live) has a bike path, partially under construction, that will eventually all be connected and span the entire state. So we decided that it would be fun for us and her to get a trailer so we could all enjoy riding together.
What we found is there is a huge variation in price- you can spend $99-$600+, since we are occasional riders, we didn’t want to spend tons of money. We also took to Craigslist to search for a good deal on a used one. We called on a few but they were snapped up immediately so if you go that route, be prepared to act quickly with cash in-hand. We decided that we would spend about $150, and after much deliberation we decided on the InStep Rocket, InStep is a Schwinn company. It’s tough to decide when shopping online, but it’s where you find the best selection and price. We ordered it from BabyAge, which had the best price around at $139. It was a bit slow to get here (I think it took 15 days) but once it arrived my husband put it together in about 20-30 minutes (a little hampered my daughter’s inquisitive excitement). My husband gave the wheels a spin and one was slightly warped (I would have missed that). Regardless, they went out for a ride right away and she loved it. He said the wheel defect didn’t hamper the ride too much but we decided to call and see if it could be replaced. We hadn’t even sent in the registration yet and they said no problem and sent it right away. The customer service was really pretty great.
Overall, it’s a good trailer for the price, it came with the handlebar for the stroller conversion, it seems pretty comfortable, easy to break down, set up, and hook to the bike*. On the high end of the bike trailer spectrum, just out of curiosity, I looked at the Chariot trailer/stroller at REI, and it’s very nice but it’s quite expensive. And the conversion kits are sold separately, although they do have some cools ones like a X-country ski kit, I couldn’t justify the price. For our use and budget, this one is just fine and would recommend it.
* not every trailer can hook to every bike so do a little research or call the manufacturer to double check if it will work
I love being outside- I need no invitation and it seems my daughter doesn’t either. She wants to head outside the minute we head downstairs from waking up, barefoot, wearing pjs (or sometimes nothing). Once we are outside we play in the baby pool, draw with sidewalk chalk, blow bubbles, garden (or just dig in the dirt), run, swing, really anything. But I came across this great guide at the mightyjunior blog. It’s called the Go Play Outside! Backyard Guide, now granted some of these things are for the age group that is a little bit older than my little lady, but its a good list of stuff to keep boredom at bay.
I love the idea of the sidewalk chalk paint sprayer
, it would take our asphalt masterpieces to a whole new level. What else might I buy? The Kick Croquet. Love it, I had thought about getting the croquet set from my mother’s house until I envisioned the 2-3 year olds swinging around mallets in the air. Scrap that. So, this is a fun way to have a semi organized game, that is still safe for the little ones to participate it. Or if I am tired of blowing bubbles or my fingers are thoroughly slimed from the solutions I might try a bubble machine.
So, what are you waiting for? Go outside!
My daughter came in Sunday with a big mosquito bite on her forehead. With all the wet, humid days in the Northeast recently, we’ve had a burst of bug births, so I was frustrated but not surprised by its appearance. I had dressed her in long sleeves and pants, and we were outside only for a brief time, but that didn’t keep them from getting to her. After one day, the bite swelled up to a pretty impressive size, so I decided to take her to see her pediatrician. He said it wasn’t infected, just that she had a local reaction, and to watch it.
But during the appointment we got talking about bug repellants for kids, tots and babies. I told him we’ve been using California Baby Bug Repellant Lotion, and had pretty good results (although, not 100%). He said it’s OK, safer to use but not as effective as products with DEET. I winced, knowing it’s not too good for you. He agreed, but said it’s quite effective against mosquitos and said there might be times it’s necessary to use (when we are in a marshy area, when there has been heavy rains, standing water, and horses in the area, or illnesses like Triple-E and West Nile, etc.) He concurred that DEET is a potent chemical that can be harmful, esp. to children. It’s their disproportionate surface area to body weight ratio, this is the same reason that things like parabens, phthalates and BPA’s are potentially more harmful to babies and kids- their absorption is much greater than ours. These are still harmful to adults too, but more so to little ones.
He gave me some safety tips in using products with DEET:
• only use products that contain no more than 10% DEET on children
• spray it on their clothes, avoid getting it on their hands and on any cuts
• dress them in light colored, long sleeves and pants (avoid bright colors and flower patterns, too)
• avoid being out when it’s buggiest, dawn and dusk
• more prevention tips
He said I can stick to the all natural alternatives when bugginess is low to moderate. So here’s a DEET-Free Insect Repellant Shopping Guide with many great choices.
The Green Guide’s Insect and Mosquito Repellants overview
About.com Pediatric Advice about bug protection and repellant
HealthyTot Store with DEET-Free repellants
Click Here for a free sample of the Don’t Bite Me Patch
We bought a bike trailer a few weeks ago and since we had a hard time finding feedback on bike trailers, I wanted to give a review for the one we bought. We looked around a lot, in person and online. We ride bikes, not avidly but we enjoy taking a ride now and again. Our daughter is 2 and a half and a tricycle rider, and a lackadaisical one at that. Rhode Island (where we live) has a bike path, partially under construction, that will eventually all be connected and span the entire state. So we decided that it would be fun for us and her to get a trailer so we could all enjoy riding together. 
