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Took the oldest and middle kid out today, oldest is 11 and slight in stature, and the other is 2 and not thin!
Weather was breezy and 1 degree, frosty. The 11 year old was layered up well but still had sort cold hands and feet, trying to find gloves that work for her is nigh on impossible. Just can't get her warm - keeping an eye on possible Raynaud's. Three little lad was on the back on a hamax seat and was shivering top to toe. Was properly worried about him 30 mins in, ended up with my fleece and down jacket round him and the seat and was still shivering.
Any ideas and recommendations for either child?
Seems like no kind of day to be dragging a small child out on a bike seat to me. Maybe if it's cold and not too windy, or windy but not too cold... They're not generating any warmth while sitting still. Do you have one of the hamax elasticated ponchos? They are pretty good for keeping the wind off, and you could pack the space under it with fleeces etc.
Whaddya mean you can't find gloves for the 11yo? Would they tolerate bar mitt.pogies?
11 year old had tiny hands so gloves aimed at winter biking are too big for her. She's got ski mittens but to hard to change gear (do you have or have had an 11 year old girl? If not then I'm not sure you understand how finicky they can be)
The wee lad - no we don't have the poncho, until you mentioned it I didn't know it was a thing. I will look into it.
Btw no dragging - he asked to come with his big sis in her new bike maiden voyage
The two year old is simple. chariot cycle trailer. Lovely, warm, comfortable.
Yep lots of my dad friends reporting similar issues at the moment with their oh so brilliant top.tube seats right in.the wind for the little ones.
Ours is snug as a bug and happy in her trailer. Blanket over with with rain cover over If it's especially windy. To the point we don't actually have to consider the weather to use it.
Ponchos a good idea.
No 11yo girls, jus an 8yo and 4yo boys who won't put their gloves until their halfway to school and their hands are already blue! The boy has insulated gloves and can work the gripshift ok in those.
Pogies are great. If there are any complaints about cold hands during January commutes I will get him a pair.
The trailer would have been better but he loves been on the seat so he can chat to big sis, traer is a bit devisive for them.
Off to decathlon to look at gloves for the big one
Seems like no kind of day to be dragging a small child out on a bike seat to me
Not dragging, but I'd not be taking kids out on bikes when the regular wind chill is below 0 like today. Partly as I don't want them to have a bad experience and be put off riding. Walks and rides were abandoned with my eldest when he was keen to go out but couldn't keep warm - he's now 17 and has an appointment with a GP to discuss possible Reynauds next week!
That's my concern with my little girl tbh but as she's only here some of the time we have to take every opportunity that arises
Fleecy onesie with a puddle suit over the top, or waterproof dungarees and jacket for the one in the bike seat. Buffs can go round necks or under helmets and an adults wooly hat will sometimes fit over a toddler helmet. We had fleece lined waterproof dungarees from Lidl and they were great. You might need to size up the top layer once well wrapped!
Gloves is never right. Just come back from a scooter / walk and youngest says hands are cold in Aldi ski gloves, saying that supermarket or decathlon ski gloves are worth a try.
When our little girl was in a bike seat we found a ridiculously warm padded onesie which did the job brilliantly, I have a feeling it was a brand like regatta? She then went through a brief stage of complaining about cold hands, so I got her some of the waterproof endura kids MTB gloves (Amber is 7); not bulky, fit well and insanely warm. I take them with me on every ride but even with sleet and sub zero temps, she rarely wears them nowadays as she always gets too hot, her coats spend most of their time in my rucksack! She wears a full face helmet all the time so that probably helps keep her warm too 🙂
Did her hands get wet?
I usually carry spare gloves and he now has the 100% Brisker warm ones but mostly it's when gloves get cold and damp for us. Snow is terrible, trying to tell a kid not to pick it up...
Lucky mine doesn't get cold... shorts year round and it's a struggle to get him wearing a long sleeved top other than a race top. We were out yesterday on a "pokemon hunt" on bikes and he would only wear a T-shirt.. I ended up carrying his hoodie the whole time.
When we cycle properly I usually carry stuff for him to wear when we stop...
I've got some waterproof gloves from Dexshell which are ace for me but couldn't find anything to fit his hands.
Can you attach a hot water bottle somewhere behind the back of the child seat? Similarly, one in a slim Camelbak type thing under the jacket of the 11YO should keep her core warm which might help the extremities.
We had a hot water bottle in the bottom of the chariot today and I was very envious of our little boy in there.
Be aware should not be in harness with big puffy. snow suits on of indeed big jackets on.
@peekay that mate is an epic plan, hot drink in the camelbak under the coat, double win
@stevextc she was cold when I picked her up from her mum's
It's important to remember we generally regulate our heat through the effort we put in. Any kid sat in a seat not pedalling and exposed to the wind chill will feel the cold way more. They'll need to be wrapped up well and with suitable windproof outer layers. Even then I think you might struggle a bit on longer rides, especially hands and feet. Head's also a problem if they have helmets on. Under those conditions I think you have to fork out on some proper outdoor gear, layer up, windproof head to toe, decent boots, mits, etc.
Probably best not to use boiling water, and make sure that there is a good bit of insulation between the body and bottle to avoid risks of burns or scalds, but you can't beat an HWB.
we have to take every opportunity that arises
I'd suggest today actually wasn't an opportunity, given the weather.
Sympathise with your situation, but just because you can, doesn't always mean that you should.
The harness of the bike seat is no different to that of the car seat.
Big jackets and snow suits should not be worn under these for safety reasons.
On a slightly different note, I think it’s definitely worth the effort figuring out ways to keep your kids safe, happy and warm when out and about. We have many of our best days out in some of the coldest, wettest weather and our daughter is happy heading out whatever it’s doing, which is pretty much what we’ve always done.
@steamtb that was the purpose of this thread but got derailed somewhat. Hoping someone like @mattoutandabout would be around
Last winter our wee man was in his usual clothes with wellies and a splash suit. I put a buff on under his Giro Scamp helmet.
I have a Thule Yepp mini upfront.
On his balance bike today he had joggers and waterproof trouser. Up top was a long sleeved t shirt, a tank top my mum knitted and a padded jacket with faux fur hood. A buff under his helmet oh and wooly gloves. Gloves are a battle we're slowly winning.
It was around -2° today. No wind and about an inch of snow / heavy frost.
The harness of the bike seat is no different to that of the car seat.
Big jackets and snow suits should not be worn under these for safety reasons.
I accept the argument for car seats. Where the closing speed of an accident could easily combine to be 100+ mph, inside a car where you can place blankets over & have the heater on too.
A bike seat in the back of a push bike going for a pootle is a rather different level of risk.
If you want to put your kid in a snow suit and fasten up the harness in a hamax I reckon you’re fine!
Raid the snow sports aisle of your local decathlon. All my 3 (8, 6, 3) love their base layers, thermal tights (from the general sportswear aisle) and winter coats. Go with a snow suit for the littlest one. They do child's buffs too, with a fleecy section.
Try to stop the cold getting in, basically.
Decathlon do kids winter cycling gloves for about £10. You could also get sone of the £3 accrylic/ fake wool gloves for her to wear as liners. Mini is happy with his and he also has a neck warmer from Decathlon with a fleece lined lower half. He then pulls the unlined wind proof section up over his ears and nose.
If you want to put your kid in a snow suit and fasten up the harness in a hamax I reckon you’re fine!
Reckon away. You'd never forgive your self.
It's a decision you can make as a parent sure. But it's poor advice to give someone
We bought a cheapo poncho (half the price of the Hamax one) for our daughter (almost 2) and her Hamax seat. It makes a massive difference as it keeps all the wind (and drizzle) off her - means she stays warm underneath with not too much clothing. Hardest part is persuading her to wear a helmet liner to keep her head warm!
Been there and on some days it is not worth it.
But.
With the rear seat things are a lot better.
Our tall 4yo is in normal clothes including a fleece or woolly pully, Spotty Otter fleece lined puddle suit, fleece wellies, Didrikson galon mitts (better than anything else we tried), kids buff, Endura kids glasses.
Remember all the unpleasant things that a cold wind will do to you, it will do to them more so due to their inactivity in the child seat.
Big robina in a flask. My kids loved it. Worked well.
Not seen anyone else mention it, but if your core is warm/hot then your arms and hands etc stay warmer. So for the elder child perhaps a down/synthetic gilet? If her body is a bit hot, her hands will stay warm.
Also spare gloves in a ziplock bag, in case originals get wet.
(Advice applies to adults too, I prefer riding in thinner gloves which is ok if my core is warmer)
A timely thread for me as our wee guy (almost 3) LOVES being out and about in the cold but we've struggled with keeping his hands & feet warm.
@shedbrewed - how are those Didrikson mitts for dexterity? Would Jnr be able to pick up sticks or maybe even hold his handlebars?
Also more generally some recommendations for footwear that's warmer than our current ski sock & welly combo would be gratefully received.
@bikerevivesheffield - have you considered those wee disposable hand warmers for your daughter? Might be tough to get a glove that accommodates them but they changed my life for the better when I used to do winter climbing.
@stevious the mitts are fine for stick picking and general outdoor stuff but we’ve not tried them for cycling as I’m not sure the mitts are tight enough across the fingers to allow the boy to bend his fingers without the fingers curling inside the mitts but the mitts not curling around the levers. If he was still balance biking then no issue. They are very easy to put on and as they go halfway up his forearm over whatever he is wearing they keep the draught and rain out.
In contrast they've been outside building snowmen for more than an hour this morning and not cold 😂
Running around and gilets/hats on
Reckon away. You’d never forgive your self.
It’s a decision you can make as a parent sure. But it’s poor advice to give someone
Ok, I’ll have another go.
If you mean “go so fast on my bike with my kid on the back, that when I crashed they could be thrown out of the harness because they were wearing a padded suit” then maybe it’s a poor decision. But I assert that it’s not the choice to have them wear a padded suit in a harness that’s the root of the poor choice.
Do you think that in a crash that could cause that to happen, being in the seat, in the harness & not thrown out they would still be risking injury? Have you seen the harnesses in question? And the strength of the buckles and what they attach to, and how?
They’re not there (IMO) to do much in a crash. They stop very small kids toppling out when they wriggle or when larger kids peer round the corner to see what’s behind them. *Maybe* being in a padded suit might allow a kid to escape if they tried a little more easily. But I’d not want to risk the harness keeping a child that was actively trying to escape in the seat, clothing notwithstanding.
I am parent, I’ve had to make all these decisions about the risks (for me and my kids, in the contexts we were riding and at the speeds I though appropriate). I’ve used trailers, seat-on-the-back types, wee-rides, tag along types, trail angels, tandems.
I still stand by “use a suit and a harness if you want”, it’s not the harness in a bike seat that’s doing most of the heavy lifting of keeping your kid safe. But that’s not the end of the safety decisions you have to make.
In a car seat it’s different. The speeds & energy levels are different. The seat *is* big part of the safety system, with padding as a core part of the defences. With straps and buckles and attachment points specced and built to take the shock loads expected in a high speed crash. I agree, no snow suits there. Throw a blanket over the top if needed. But a bike seat is different.
she was cold when I picked her up from her mum’s
If her core is cold then it will take a while to warm up.
Weirdly I was thinking about this yesterday... my cycling bud drinks far more than me and gets way hotter.
I can't help thinking he's burning more energy...? (He always says I'm fitter but I doubt it..just more efficient and better line choices and effort regulation due to experience)
I'm not that fit and he's an active rugby player/coach but he gets knackered on the bike and overheats. We were out yesterday and I wore a t-shirt, light long sleeve top, thin long sleeve top with a micro fleece over then another long sleeve top and on my legs I stuck some leg warmers under the shorts. 2 pairs merino socks under sealskins...
He was wearing a t-shirt and light short vest gilet and shorts.
I wasn't that hot and my hands were getting cold at one point and feet at another... but I rode stuff he pushed up and got warmer...
Could be your holding her back when you are carrying the younger one? Just cos she's not racing off doesn't mean she's expending more effort... my 11yr old is terminally lazy he'll drag behind then do something proving he was just being lazy when motivated.
No there's no need to have another go I get what your trying to say
It's a decision you make as a parent for your child
It's shit advice to give to other parents.
But then seeing the amount of kids with terribly fitting token gesture helmets(which will be better than nothing as im.omly.going slow) I'm not surprised it's being touted.
Pet hate having seen the results of badly fitted restraints through training courses.
Especially when there are many external factors other than your choices.
Pet hate having seen the results of badly fitted restraints through training courses.
Do you mean badly fitted restraints in the context of kids bike seats or another context?
(Not trying to be a smart arse, just trying to inform my own opinion)
We've got a Spotty Otter insulated PU suit for our 2 year old. It's the cheapest one they do and was ~£35 in the sale.
He can get it filthy and all it needs is a quick wipe with damp kitchen paper. It is in no way breathable but I think that helps keep it warm.
On the bike, kids need to be well wrapped up, even if it's not actually that cold.
an insulated onesie with a balaclava and warm boots for your boy and pogies for your daughter. though they may look too odd for her if she has any sense of style. another issue you may have with pogies is them
drooping when she’s not holding the bars. this usually happens with the neoprene models. she may also benefit from some warmer boots or shoes.
Reckon away. You’d never forgive your self.
It’s a decision you can make as a parent sure. But it’s poor advice to give someone
i’ve just seen this. think it was trail rat who wrote it. he’s right (even though i have that advice).