Cycling as Freedom - Even with a Toddler on Board
The magic of biking with a sleeping child
Freedom has always been one of my core values. Bikes have always been a way for me to access that freedom.
Bikes take me farther, faster, than walking. On a bike, there’s no cost per ride. On a bike, I don’t worry about missing the next bus. On a bike, I’m never trapped in traffic. On a bike, I am free.
Off a bike - great for the journey but best locked at the destination - I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl almost 3 years ago.
Turns out raising a child limits freedom - at least it has for me so far. Going to the bathroom is a group activity. So is taking a shower. Mealtimes require my full attention. I’m either on the menu (breastfeeding) or air traffic control- tracking my toddler’s food en route to her mouth rather than the floor, the table, her hair, my hair, or other places I hadn’t realized food could go.
Unsurprisingly, real conversations with another adult — the kind where I get to finish a sentence — are nearly impossible when I’m with my daughter. This is true at home, at the park, on transit, in a car and pretty much anywhere in between.
Except on a bike.
On a bike, she’s charmed by the scenery and the people-watching opportunities. On a bike, she waves at strangers and throws her hands in the air to feel the wind as we roll downhill. When it’s just the two of us, we chat about what we see. When we’re riding with friends, I get actual stretches of conversation between checking on her.
The real magic happens when we’re riding with friends and she falls asleep. I velcro her SleepFix pillow under her chin, and suddenly it’s one of those pre-baby magical adventure rides again, filled with exploration and deep conversations.
And yes, technically, if we’re talking sleep, I also have moments to myself when my daughter falls asleep in the car or at home. However, I usually end up nap-trapped in those scenarios (nap-trapped, in parent-speak: parent moves, baby wakes, end of days). Or, if I do have freedom of movement, I either collapse into my exhaustion or half-heartedly attempt to tackle that long list of to-dos. Neither of which fills my cup. On a bike, all I can do is ride and chat. So that’s all I do. And it’s wonderful.
Wait a minute. SleepFix pillow? What’s that?
By now, if you’ve read my previous posts, you know the recurring theme: finding the right tools for the job - biking with baby - is rarely straightforward.
I first discovered that child bike seats aren’t set up with sleeping toddlers in mind when I was pregnant. Thanks to an impromptu conversation with a mom riding by with her toddler, I learned:
Mom never went on long rides with her toddler
Mom timed all rides around her toddler’s wake windows
Mom did everything to avoid her toddler falling asleep on the bike
Why? Because when her toddler fell asleep on the child bike seat:
toddler’s whole body would slump forward
toddler’s neck would dangle at an awkward angle; and
toddler’s head would bounce every time the bike went over uneven terrain
Her logic resonated with me, and I added one more thing to my must-have list of baby bike gear - something to protect baby’s neck and keep it stable so baby could sleep safely and comfortably during a ride. Someone had to have figured it out, right?
Once I started looking for a solution I discovered:
The way a child’s bike helmet juts out in the back, pushing the child’s head forward, exacerbates the problem.
While the issue was commonly acknowledged, there was no consensus on a widely available commercial product that solved the issue. The various creative solutions shared by others online seemed complicated, unsafe or extremely limiting.
There are child bike seats that tilt backwards, becoming a more natural sleep surface. However, some online reviews mentioned they don’t necessarily solve the head bouncing issue and I’m unsure which head bounce direction (up and down while sitting up versus bouncing on the back of your head while lying down) is more problematic. I actually didn’t realize this type of seat existed until long after I bought a regular upright child bike seat and solved the problem differently, so I never investigated it further.
In the end, I did find the perfect tool for the job- the Sandini SleepFix. It connects to the child bike seat with reflective straps and velcros together under the child’s neck. It’s simple, it’s easy, it works, and it’s safety tested. It was a Eurobike 2018 Gold Winner. It’s a German-based company, and - of course - in 2022 they didn’t ship to North America.
Luckily, I had a friend who was due to visit from London. I had it shipped there and he delivered it personally a few months later.
I can’t say enough good things about it.
I bought a second one to put on the car seat. I’ve lent it to friends who loved it too.
Writing this post, I discovered that they now ship to North America through Amazon.de! Here are the links: SleepFix Baby (up to 18 months old) and SleepFix Kids (18 months to 12 years old). (FYI if you use these affiliate links, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Here’s another look at the SleepFix pillow on my bike:
My daughter doesn’t like to wear it while she’s awake, since it limits her movement, so I put it on after she falls asleep.
I love this pillow. It lets me share my love of biking with my daughter without worrying about getting home for nap time. Once she falls asleep on longer rides or at certain times of the day, I get some precious moments to myself, or to share with a friend.
If you found this useful, keep coming back for more posts. I’ll walk you through the rest of the accessories you’ll need to ride comfortably with your young child year-round!