Jogging Strollers Vs. Bike Trailers

My husband and I just bought an REI jogging stroller (the Bob) but have yet to try it out. It gets great reviews and I can let you know if we like it once we get some miles on it. Our baby is just a few weeks older than yours so it might be helpful to hear if our little guy likes it.

Wait and hit the garage sales this spring. You'd be amazed at how many things like that you can find for super cheap! Or check out craigs list. I bought my bike trailer at a garage sale 8 years ago for ten dollars and used it with my ten year old and now am using it with my 4 and 2 year olds. They love it! It holds two kids and they sit so they are looking backwards. The best ten bucks I ever spent. There are now bike trailers that can also be used as jogging trailers as well so it is two products in one. I do not know the name, but my neighbor has one and she actually will probably be selling hers as her 4 year old wants to bike along side her now. Happy shopping!

When my son was born I had a single jogging stroller and loved it. In September I had a baby and we didn't know if we should buy another stroller (double jog) or just spend a bit more on a bike trailer that we were planning on buying. My husban talked me into the more expensive bike trailer instead of having 2 things in the garage we only have one. The bike trailer is a Chariot and I love it. They make single or doubles, we of course got the double. It starts out basic and then you had the accessories that you want. We added the jogging wheel, also to smaller front wheels so we don't have a huge jogging wheel sticking out when we are at places like the fair. They also have an infant sling which makes it possible for newborns to use. With it being a bike trailer it has a screen and plastic rain flap you can put over the top which made it possible for me to use it this winter. While I talked and froze the kids were nice and warm in the stroller. Sorry to ramble but I would check it out if I were you. We bought ours from Mountain Outfitters in West Bend.

We have the generic burley from Target and it has worked great for the last 2 years. It was half the price too!

Hi J., we have both the jogging stroller and the bike trailer. My son is 16 months old and the bike trailer was great for this frigid winter. If you get one that has a screen and a wind cover there aren't many weather conditions that you cannot use it in. WE have a dog that insisted on getting a walk on some days that weren't child friendly weather (rain) and we were still able to go.
I understand you can use the carseat inside most bike trailers.
Our jogger came with a wind/rain cover which was nice as well. Good luck.
\D.

Hi-
There is a Schwin version of the Burley that works just as well for a fraction of the price. You really should not put a baby that young into a bike trailer yet. Think of his neck and head as you bike and the trailer moves - it's probably not quite stable yet. Have fun!

I used our bike trailer - just put the baby's carseat inside it since she was too small to sit in it by herself. It works for jogging, but obviously not secure enough for biking. The jogging strollers seem great, but I couldn't afford one since I wouldn't use it regularly enough (we already had a walking stroller with carseat and my husband bikes often so we got the trailer when our first child was big enough to ride in it. Hope this helps

L.
mom of two (3.5 yrs and 8 months)

We have the Burley and absolutely love it. But your right 1 year is the minimum age, before that you risk injuring their neck muscles. We did use it when our DS was 10 mths, but he had neck control from day 1, and I was confident that he was strong enough. So its really up to you, if you want to be able to use it this year. You could always get a cheap/used jogging stoller w/ the intention of getting a nice burley next year...

I highly recommend the Chariot! We have a double and it is not only great for biking, it is the best jogging stroller I have had - and I've had several!

We have both and used them both. When my first child was 6 mos he did pretty well in the jogging stroller and it is definitley better for jogging that a converting a bike trailer. I pulled my son in the bike trailer when he was 18 mos and he it well and even wore a helmet. Now with a 4 yr old and a 16 mos old I just started putting them both in the bike trailer for walk when the weather is wet and they love it. I found a great jogging stroller on overstock.com for 70% off the retail price so that is good place to look; then you don't feel too bad when you buy both.

Yes, your little one is too young for a bike trailer. I am a mom of three 8,6,and 4. I had a jogger that was okay and then ended up getting a bike trailer too. By the time the third came along we had sold both to get a bike trailer that doubled as a jog stroller. It had a swivel front wheel that was later replaced with a bike hitch. Way better than either of the other two items we owned. Regular joggers don't have that swivel front which make turning a challenge. I got ours at Costco. I am trying my hardest to remember the brand. I can't at the moment but I will let you know if I do! I think it makes more sense to get something that has two functions. Especially since baby gadgets take up so much space and you probably already have a house chock full of them!

Last summer my newest of 4 children was just 4 or 5 months old when we started riding bike. Even at that age she wasn't big enough to sit in the bike stroller by herself. The bike cart I have is a double stroller and I was able to put her in there, in her infant car seat facing backward, and strapped her in with the seat belt that is in the bike stroller (not with the base but just through the slots of the infant car seat itself). It was a great solution and I felt she was pretty safe in there given that she was in a safety approved infant seat, and then the cart. It worked great. The cart I have is a bit older so maybe it is bigger than the ones they have these days...not sure. My then 2 year old would sit behind me in the infant seat on the bike, and the 7 and 11 year old would ride behind me on their own bikes :) We were probably a sight to see but it was worth it to be able to be outside for awhile! Good luck.

We bought a Chariot bike trailer with jogging stroller attachments last summer and we love it. It is a little pricey, but very worth the money. The Chariot also has a sort of a sling for tiny babies that you can use when you take it jogging. Good luck.

I have a bike trailer that i have used for years, they usually have lots of straps, around waste, over shoulders etc. I'm sure you could strap the carseat in it.

I started off by buying a double jogger when my second child was about the same age. I was trying to avoid buying a double stroller and a jogger and a sit/stand, etc. etc. so I waited and waited and finally made a decision....by the time she was six months old I bought a double jogger. I used it for one season and then got turned on to biking now I bought an inexpensive trailer. I recommend the trailer because it is lighter, moves easier, steers better and has more room for the kids and "stuff". Whatever you do, if you plan to have more kids buy a double of the item you choose. Craigs list has great used items unless you are going to use the purchase alot then buy new! Good luck!

We have a Burley. It was expensive (around $400). We bought it for the same reason, multi task and being able to carry two kids. The down fall is like you said it's not really intended for infants. Also since they are wide you can't bring them in stores easily (stroller). We haven't used ours as much as we thought we would but my advice to you if you do buy a Burley to buy the jogger type wheel attachment (large) because it goes over anything. Even if you want to push it over grass, it goes over rugged land easily. Other than the above mentioned, we love our Burley. It is great for shielding kids from the weather and sun and has a nice sized storage area and the ride is always smooth. The Burley is built well, indestructable and well worth the money...if you use it.

We have used both a jogging stroller and a bike trailer with our son. We first used the bike trailer with him when he was 8-9 mo old and it seemed to be a stretch as far as him being able to stay upright and somewhat comfortable - the straps only tighten so much. The jogging stroller was perfect for that age.

not to add another question to your question...but is it ok to put an infant carseat in the bike trailer???

You've got some terrific advice already, but I'll just share my thoughts on what I bought:

We went through maybe a dozen strollers of all kinds before I finally landed on a jogging stroller. The one I have has several drawbacks- the bar in front does not lift up and over to one side so you can easily put your child in and out. It is a stationary bar, and now that my son is 25 lbs, it is hard for me to maneuver him in and out of the thing with that bar in the way. I'd try hard to find one where it won't be a pain to get your child in and out when they are older. - the cup holders up at the top where I am are never the right size no matter what cup or water bottle I put i there. The cup either won't fit or it it falls out when we go over a bump. Look for one with deep cup holders. - The front wheel wobbles a lot. Doesn't seem to hurt anything, but it annoyed me until I got used to the sound and feel of it. -Like every other stroller I've ever seen, it does not offer adequate sun shade.

What I do like about my jogging stroller - the shade has a plastic peek-through window, so I can see my son whenever I want, and fold the window cover over the window to help keep sun off of him. -The handle is adjustable which is great for all the hills we have here. -It has a safety harness that adjusts from pretty small to pretty big. -It has a snack tray for my son, and a small snack tray up top for me. -It has good under-seat storage, and a small storage pouch higher up. -Heavy duty material and velcro closures. - Easy to maneuver, even one-handed.

Now for us, getting a bike trailer that could also be a stroller was important too, because my husband bikes a lot and I am not able to bike because of old injuries. We picked one up from one of our local stores, either Wal-mart or Shopko, I can't remember which. I absolutely love it because it coverts so easily and there is a bug screen and plastic shade screen and it seats two toddlers comfortably, and whatever they drop doesn't get lost forever, it stays in the buggie on the floor. Ours has good safety harnesses with padded straps and the head hight is good enough to accommodate the bike helmets they're supposed to wear. It's really easy to get a kid in and out of.

Drawbacks- no cup holders or snack trays. -When we're going up a hill, it seems like the weight triples! -It's sort of wide, so going through the door to the post office is a little tricky.

We've really enjoyed having both our bike trailer and our jogging stroller. I'd just recommend that when you're shopping , take a list of all the features you want to have and the ones you want to avoid.

:) Happy strolling/biking.

Since your child is only 2 months I would suggest the bike cart for now and when he gets a little older, maybe you could trade for the bike seat

As other people have stated, do not use a bike trailer until your child has stronger neck muscles (next spring). You can use any jogging stroller once the child is able to sit up on their own but it is not safe to use one before then unless it is designed for babies. Zooper makes one where the seat reclines flat and the child is strapped in with a very secure harness. This is what we used from day one with our son. We are actually going to sell it now that he is almost 5 so if you are interested feel free to contact me privately.

Hi J.,
I also have a two-month-old and I'm chomping at the bit to get outside! I was told by the guys at Boehms' bike shop in Mendota Heights that a baby should be about 6-12 months before putting them in a bike trailer. I'm sure there are lots of people who put their younger kids in there, but he said the baby should able to hold their head up easily and keep it from wobbling around a lot when you're on the road. He actually suggested I wait until next summer to buy one, so I'm going with the jogging stroller this summer and the bike trailer next year.

Good luck!

Last summer my boys were 3 months old and I had to do something every day! It was good for us all to get outside. I had a regular stroller and we would use that for little walks, but I loved my bike trailer! The things that I loved about it was...if it was a little windy or chilly I could close the plastic cover & block the wind... It also had a bug net to keep the bugs off!, If they have a passifier they wont drop it on the ground, it just falls into the trailer. They always would fall asleep with the little bit of vibration and comfort of the trailer and I could get a longer workout in. Then this summer I just purchased a Jogging stroller... which I haven't been able to use yet since the weather has been so yuchy! But I think a jogging stroller will be good for this summer, but last summer the trailer was perfect!
Happy Shopping & lets hope for some Nice weather:]