Child bike seat - Which is the safest and most comfortable seat for your child? [Buyer’s guide]

Which bike seat fits your bike and which one is suitable for your child? These are two important questions to ask yourself when you want to buy a child bike seat. On the one hand you want your child to be safe on your bike, but on the other you want your child to be comfortable in their bike seat. In this blog, we will tell you what to look for when buying a good child bike seat.

Two types of bike seats: front seats and rear seats

The first important thing to take into account is your child's age. There are different child seats for different age categories. Depending on your child's age and weight, you can decide whether you need a front or rear seat. Anyone who has taken a look at our range will have noticed that we currently sell several brands of bike seats, namely Urban Iki bike seats, Yepp bike seats, Bobike bike seats and Thule Yepp bike seats. And of course all our child seats comply with the European safety standards.

The front seat

Is your child between 9 months and 3 years old? Then a front seat is most suitable. However, it is also important to consider your child's weight, because stability is an important factor. It is crucial that your child is able to sit up on its own. If a child's neck has not sufficiently developed yet, they may suffer permanent damage while being transported in a child bike seat. Is your child heavier than 15 kg? Then you will need to buy a rear-mounted seat.

The pros and cons of a front seat

There are some advantages and disadvantages to having a front seat on your bike. One advantage is that your child is sitting nice and close to you. Front seats also make it easier for the child to look around, which makes the ride that much more enjoyable. In addition, front seats allow you to keep an eye on your child better, which is more difficult with a rear seat. Another advantage of a front bike seat is that you have space left on your carrier for e.g. a pannier bag.

Still, there are some disadvantages to cycling with a front seat. First of all, you will have to get used to cycling with your child in the front seat. The extra weight at the front makes steering more difficult and restricts your ability to make sharp turns.
Also, your knees may hit the front seat when pedalling. Lastly, your child may be exposed to a lot of rain and wind during cycling. Fortunately, you can prevent the latter by installing a windshield.

Bike seat with windshield

We recommend you also install a windshield on your bike when you purchase a front seat. A child bike seat with a windshield protects your child against wind, insects, rain and splattering mud. There are also grey-tinted windshields that filter UV light, so your child can be protected from the sun as well. These windshields are available in colours that match the child bike seat. This way, you and your child will always ride in style.

Mounting the front seat

A front seat is mounted onto the stem of your bike. When choosing a front seat, it is important to take into account the diameter of the stem. Check this carefully. There are also different types of stems. A manually adjustable stem can easily be adjusted by hand. You can also adjust a fixed stem, but you will need tools to do so. Many city bikes have extra space on the stem to mount a front seat.

Would you like to be able to swap the front seat between different bikes? If so, you will need an additional adapter. Please note: If you have a bike with an A-Head stem, you'll need a separate A-Head adapter to mount the child bike seat.

The rear seat

From about 9 months to 5-6 years of age, you can transport your child in a rear-mounted bike seat. With a rear seat, it is also important that your child can properly sit up. If your child weighs more than 15 kilos, you need a rear seat instead of a front seat. Aside from age, you should take your child’s size into account when buying a child seat. After all, your child should sit in the rear seat comfortably, and be securely fastened. There are rear seats for different age categories.

Rear seats for children 9 months old and up

These child bike seats are suitable for the very youngest. From the time they're about 9 months old, most children are able to easily sit upright in a good quality child bike seat.

Rear seats for children 18 months old and up

If your child is a little bit older, you could opt for a child bike seat that is just a bit bigger, yet still offers the same protection as the bike seats for smaller children.

The junior bike seat - Rear seats for children age 5 and older

If your child is a little older, is not yet able to cycle independently or does not always cycle on their own bike, you could opt for a junior bike seat: a bike seat for older children. The maximum weight for these seats is between 25 and 35 kilos. This allows most children up to 10 years old to travel on the back of a bike. However, it is important that the child is able to keep their balance.

The pros and cons of a rear seat

A rear-mounted child's bike seat has both advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is weight distribution. This means cycling feels more stable with a rear-mounted seat. Moreover, in contrast to cycling with a front-mounted seat, you have an optimal view of the road when cycling with a rear-mounted seat.

There are also a number of disadvantages to using a rear-mounted seat. First off, a rear seat makes it a little more difficult to keep an eye on your child while cycling. Make sure your child's feet are firmly secured in the footrests and that the fingers cannot get stuck in the saddle suspension during cycling. In addition, your child will not be able to look around as well when sitting in a rear-mounted bike seat. Lastly, getting on a men's bike with a rear seat can be difficult.

Mounting the rear seat

You can mount a rear seat onto your carrier or on the seat tube. Most rear seats are designed for mounting on the luggage carrier. Especially mother's bikes often have extra sturdy carriers. However, mounting the seat onto the carrier is not always possible. For example, if your luggage rack does not meet the weight standard, or if you do not have a luggage rack. It is also important to take into consideration the width of the carrier. For all our rear-mounted bike seats we indicate how wide the luggage carrier should be.

If your bike does not have a carrier or it is not suitable for a rear-mounted seat, you can opt for a seat tube attachment. In this case, you will need a seat tube adapter. Do you have an electric bike with a battery under the luggage rack? Then you can either choose to mount the rear seat onto the seat tube, or to mount the rear seat onto the carrier with an adapter.

Swapping between bikes

Most seats also have the option of quickly and easily clicking the rear seat onto your bike. A special attachment called the mounting adapter allows you to mount the seat onto different bikes. It is very convenient!

Accessories for bike seats

As mentioned earlier in this blog, you can expand your child's bike seat with a mounting set, windscreen or other convenient bike seat accessories. For example, a sleeping roll, handlebars or rain cover will make the bike ride even more fun, comfortable and safe for your child! If you want to make sure your child is completely safe on the bike, you could consider buying a kids bike helmet.