When is it safe to use a bike trailer with my little one?

Can I use my car seat in the trailer if it is properly attatched?
Do I need a helmet for her if she is in the car seat?
She is just about 4 months old and I have the biking itch and would like to get out there. The brand doesn't seem to have anything online (I believe it's Bell) about safety standards.

My son's pediatrician suggested that he be a year old before being put into a bike seat or a trailer behind a bike. He said that a child younger than a year doesn't have enough head support to properly wear a helmet. Of course, your daughter's pediatrician may disagree, but it would be a good idea to ask.

HTH

I hope you do not imagine that a helmet would do anything to protect a child if struck by a motor vehicle, helmets are not even made to withstand vehicle impact with an adult, the most that can be expected of any cycle helmet is that it might withstand medium to hard, but not violent, impact with a, hard, flat surface, at a low velocity. The danger of a child falling out of a bike trailer and sustaining injury to the head, can be totally eliminated by simply strapping the child securely into the trailer.

I used my son's rear facing car seat in my Burley trailer. He was strapped in the seat and the seat was strapped into the trailer.

Although I didn't have any problems, when I got new fabric for the trailer the instructions said not to use car seat in the trailer.

It is not recommended that a 4 month old wear a helmet because they would have a hard time holding their head up: which is why they should not be in bike seat until they are a year old.

I tried to use a helmet on my son when he was in the trailer but it pushed his head forward and put pressure on his neck. I was also, maybe overly , concerned about his breathing when he fell asleep in the trailer with the helmet on.


www.learntobicycle.com

My son went on his first ride at 5 months. He was in a trailer strapped in and surrounded by blankets to hold him up. He had a blast. Never thought about a car seat thats a great idea that would keep there head very stable. Everything says 1 year but you have to use your best judgement, we were on a group ride out in the country with very little traffic and there were a few of us so we had the trailer surrounded just in case.

I'll second Intrepid's answer, although the car seat idea is something I'd never thought of, and might be worth discussing with the pediatrician.