When the Kahlers of Tustin, Calif., decided to have children, they agreed on one thing:
“We are dyed-in-the-wool cyclists,” Robert Kahler said with a laugh. “We didn’t want to change our lifestyle when we had children.”
Instead, Kahler, 49, and his wife, Jill Koval-Kahler, 33, would integrate their children into their outdoor activity. Shortly after the births of Roxy, now 7, and Raquel, now 6, the babies were taken for rides at least once a week in a bright trailer attached to dad’s road bicycle.
The girls have long since graduated to the rear seat of their parents’ tandem bikes and are on their way to becoming aficionados, Kahler said.
Busy moms and dads often have to forgo exercise during the week to spend time with their kids. With strong resolve and several hundred dollars in equipment, a parent can merge time for exercise and time for one, two, even three young kids, thanks to a selection of specialized gear designed for this purpose.
Here, a look at gear for including kids in your workout:
Carriers
These are made for walking or hiking, with the baby in front of you or on your back. Some lightweight, inexpensive versions are made of durable, washable cloth; others made with nylon and metal are best for a longer, tougher trek.
It’s best to choose a carrier in which the baby rides on your back. Carrying a heavier baby on your chest restricts your body’s ability to use the lungs to maximum capacity, said Mark Caffey, a trainer.
Bring your child with you to the store when buying so you can get a good fit for you and the baby and get an idea of how much weight you’ll bear, Caffey said. Walk around inside the store to determine how comfortable you are.
Make sure the carrier has features to hold your child securely in case you stumble. Your baby should be comfortable, too, and able to move arms and legs.
Sports strollers
Sports strollers have three big wheels with pneumatic tires; one in front and two in the back for efficient forward-backward movement. Names such as Baby Jogger, Zoomer or Zipper and features such as pneumatic tires call to mind running or jogging.
Michael Holt, 34, and his wife, Samantha, 22, prefer a safe but brisk walk with Paris, 15 months, and Jacob, 3, in a double-seater sports stroller. They walk for at least half an hour every day around their neighborhood in Newport Beach, Calif. For the family, it’s an opportunity to connect.
Some parents, including Tom Cruise, like to skate with a stroller.
Skating with a stroller is riskier than jogging. Despite skate-brake technology, it’s more difficult to quickly and completely stop on inline skates than if you were running, which is crucial in averting collisions.
“It is not something I feel comfortable recommending as an exercise,” Caffey said. “If you must inline-skate with a stroller, minimize speed but get a workout by accentuating your side-to-side motion. This is lateral movement that can be a strength workout as well as a cardiovascular workout.”
Parents who intend to spend a lot of time jogging or walking with a stroller might want to look for better models that have a hand brake, a wrist strap or leash so the stroller never rolls too far to catch; seat belts; sturdy construction for stability and durability; smooth, sliding movement on an even surface; and a long canopy to shield the child from the sun, said Bryan Edmonds, sales associate at Babies “R” Us in Tustin.
Bicycle carriers
Carriers are like child seats placed above the rear tire. But few people recommend them.
“It’s my least favorite form of child transportation because there’s a greater chance for error when a parent trashes the bike,” said Mike Faello, a bicycle and accessories store in Fountain Valley, Calif. “You’ve got the kid 3 to 4 feet off the ground–that’s a tall distance before crashing to the ground.”
If you must get one, spend the money on a high-quality product and make sure the carrier protects the child’s feet from getting caught in the wheel spokes. It also should have a locking bar to prevent the child from getting free. Most of all, make sure the child wears a helmet.
A better choice might be a trailer hitched to the bike frame. Trailers are made of nylon and synthetic mesh and have a metal frame and two pneumatic tires. Inside, the better trailers have a seat harness, padding on the front to protect knees and snug-fitting panels to keep little fingers from probing outside. Outside, the trailer should have reflectors and a safety flag.
The most crucial feature that parents should look for is a solid hitch attachment, said Rob Templin, territory sales manager for Burley Design Cooperative in Eugene, Ore., the largest maker of baby-bike trailers.
