Rank: | Photo: | Model: | Rating: | More Info: |
#1 |  | BEST OVERALL Thule Yepp Maxi Child Bike Seat | ||
#2 |  | Thule Yepp Mini Child Bike Seat | ||
#3 |  | Burley Dash Child Bike Seat | ||
#4 |  | Peg Perego Orion Front Mount Child Seat | ||
#5 |  | Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi Frame Mount Child Bike Seat |
Whether your child is six months or four years or somewhere in between, the easiest way to carry them with you on s bicycle is on a child’s bike seat.
There are different types of child’s bike seats on the market.
The centre-mounted seat is the best option for most cases, though it may not be the case depending on how you plan to ride with your child.
Choosing the best child bike seats can be difficult because not every seat fits every bike. So how do you choose the best seat when there are many seats available.
There are many things to consider when buying the best bike seat for kids, including the type of seat, the bike you have, and safety features. This article describes 5 of the best bike seats for children.
Contents
Best Kids Seat For Bike For 2021
BEST OVERALL: Thule Yepp Maxi Child Bike Seat
Featured specs
- Age range: one year to 48.5 lb
- Mounting type: Available in both rear frame and rack-mounted versions
- Best for: Families in hot climates
Benefits
- The seat is made of durable weather-resistant materials
- Comes in several different colours
- It offers great ventilation for hot weather
- It’s easy to mount and unmount the seat
Drawbacks
- The footrest is too high for the oldest kids
- The shoulder straps only have two height adjustments that aren’t ideal for the youngest riders.
Extra features
- Comes with an easy-to-use 5-point harness
- It’s available in real frame mount and rear rack mount
The Thule Yepp Maxi bike seat is our choice for the best kids seat for a bike. It is a rear-mounted seat designed for kids starting at one year and has a maximum rider weight of 14 lbs. You can mount the seat on a bike rack or the bike frame, with the Superior airflow helping alleviate and comfortable its sweaty backs.
This bike comes fully assembled, thus requires very minimal setup as long as you have the right rack or adapter. You can mount the rack-mounted version of this child’s bike directly on a rack with an easy fit window. You can also buy an adaptor that mounts to your rack if it’s compatible with the bike seat. The bike seat simply clicks into place after pushing the slider button and turning the knob clockwise after hooking the seat base onto the rack.
The shoulder straps on the Yepp Maxi child bike seat are great quality and padded with foam. The padded shoulder straps are more comfortable for children wearing a wide-necked shirt. You can raise the height of the shoulder straps for a better fit as your child across.
A safety strap wraps around the bike’s seat post as a backup safety measure. This strap prevents the bike seat from falling into the road by pulling tight enough. It is designed to ensure the seat stays relatively in place until you stop. The seat has durable material and offers amazing ventilation for hot climates.
You can adjust the rack-mounted seat to be closer or farther away in determining how close your child is to you. It’s convenient to keep the young kids close for better weight distribution on the bike. The rear rack mounted seats are higher than the rear frame-mounted seats, contributing to a higher centre of gravity and potentially more difficulty in balancing. A centre mark on the side is the recommended placement for an ideal balance.
Runner-up: Thule Yepp Mini Child Bike Seat
Featured specs
- Age range: 9 months to 48.5 lb
- Available in both rear frame and rack-mounted versions
- Mounting type: front frame
Benefits
- The bike seat has many safety features, such as foot straps and a two-handed safety buckle.
- It has rubberized shoulder pads to prevent the straps from sliding down a child.
- The seat is made of durable, comfortable, and easy to wash form materials
- It has a u-shaped handlebar that provides a sense of safety for the child
Drawbacks
- The shoulder straps are hard to adjust
- The initial shoulder strap setup is difficult
- It doesn’t come with a recessed helmet pocket to prevent the seat from pushing upon a child’s helmet.
Extra features
- This child’s bike seat comes in 10 different colours
- The installation is easy, and you can mount it yourself in less than 30 minutes
Buying advice
- This is an excellent child’s bike choice in terms of overall fit, the longevity of use, and durability.
This is a durable, comfortable, and easy-to-mount child bike seat. It is a front-mounted seat designed to fit children starting at nine months and a maximum rider weight of 33 lbs. You can install the seat on both the threaded and threadless headset. This Thule Yepp Mini child bike seat has a modern design. The company uses unique materials made of Crocs-like form material to make them durable and comfortable.
This child’s bike seat comes with a standard mount that requires about 2 inches of space on the steer tube of your bike. The standard mount will fit on the threadless or threaded headset but may require removing spacers on the threadless setup. You may also need to remove the handlebar to mount the seat.
The flexible shoulder straps on this seat provide a secure fit without the uncomfortable fit experienced by other child bike seats. A child can easily pull his foot out of his shoes during the rides, as it provides much more airflow than its competitors. You will also love the built-in locking mechanism of the Yepp mini.
Compared to other front-mounted bike seats on the market, this Yepp Mini excels in safety, durability, and disability. It has rubberized shoulder pads that prevent the straps from sliding down a child’s arm to keep them secure. You’ll also find a foot strap to keep the child’s feet and legs out of danger. The two-handed safety buckle on this seat prevents a child from unlocking their straps.
Alternative: Burley Dash Child Bike Seat
Featured specs
- Age range: 12 months to 40 lbs
- Quick Release: Yes
- Reclinable: Yes
- Mount type: rear rack or rear frame
Benefits
- It has a simple and intuitive frame-mount system
- Great quality materials and design
- Easy to mount and unmount for a ride with or without a child
- It has a real pocket to store keys, phones, and other paraphernalia
- Has a fantastic price point\
- Lowest shoulder strap placement that accommodates young toddlers better than most rear seats
Drawbacks
- The foot straps are difficult to secure
- The seatback doesn’t have ventilation
Extra features
- This child’s bike seat has a higher set buckle that helps keep shoulder straps in place.
- It comes with an optional recline feature
- It comes with an easy-to-use 5-point harness
The Burley Dash is the lightest rear-mount seat among the available child bike seats on the market. It is also the newest addition to Burley’s lineup of recreational transport gear. The child seat is available in both frame and rack mount. It lives up to the quality, safety, practicality, and comfort you expect from Burley’s name.
The brand is known for helping families get outside for everyday Adventures. They have made a fleet of exceptional bike seats for many outdoor enthusiasts. This specific bike side is a quality and easy-to-use seat with different options. The seat feels like it’s integrated into the bike and designed to be part of your everyday riding experience.
The best thing about this child’s bike seat is their fantastic price range. Despite the fantastic design and great quality components, they sell at a mid-range price point. You will love the better quality components and features of this child seat. It is a perfect option for families that want a high-class and functionally awesome seat but not the most luxurious seat on the market.
The rare seat pocket is a unique feature of the Burley Dash child bike seat. It is a game-changer and a reason enough to buy this seat. Furthermore, this child’s bike seat has a relatively low centre of gravity. Its leg shields tucked in ensures that they don’t interfere with the adult’s pedal stroke.
Alternative: Peg Perego Orion Front Mount Child Seat
Featured specs
- Age range: 9 months 33 lbs
- Mounting info: It accommodates different frame styles
- Mounting type: Front frame
- Reclinable: Yes
Benefits
- Padding stays firmly in place
- You can remove the handlebar
- The mounting system is compatible with a wide variety of bikes
- Quick-release mount for easy on and offs
- Affordable
Drawbacks
- It has minimal ventilation
- It is smaller than other front seats and not ideal for chunky toddlers
- The initial installation has a lot of pieces
Extra features
- This child’s bike seat has a more reasonable price tag for those on a budget. Since children grow up quickly, you may not want to spend a lot of money on a temporary solution.
This is one of the most popular and affordable seats on the market. It has a unique mounting system compatible with a wide variety of bikes. This child’s bike seat has four different ways to attach to the bike’s frame. Hence, it’s a universal mount that’s helpful for parents who are unsure whether the bike seat will fit on their bike. This universal mount helps parents who are unsure if their bike seat will fit on their bike. It has four different ways to attach to the bike’s frame.
While it’s not as fancy or easy to assemble as other options, the Peg Perego Orion will still get the job done. It is a solid plastic seat line with firm padding. The padding is more durable, and it won’t get crumpled over time. The shoulder straps are basic and have no padding, as we found on more expensive seats.
The buckle on this child’s bike seat is extremely secure and difficult for the children to unbuckle. You must press the front and rear of the buckle simultaneously to unbuckle your child. Similarly, its shoulder straps permanently connect at the bottom and click as one piece into the buckle. The shoulder straps are basic and have no padding. You loosen or tighten them by moving the plastic slider up or down and pulling the excess strap through a slider in the back.
A major difficulty you have to deal with is the initial installation. The bike has a lot of pieces that can be daunting for a non-handy person as it takes time. The mounting system has a red plastic piece on the bottom of the seat that allows you to adjust the mounting bar slightly forward or backwards to get more room in the bike’s cockpit.
Alternative: Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi Frame Mount Child Bike Seat
Featured specs
- Age range: 9 months to 40 lbs
- Mounting info: It accommodates different frame styles
- Mount type: rear rack or rare frame
- Reclinable: Yes
Benefits
- High-quality design and materials
- Lightweight and low centre of gravity for easy balancing
- Easy to mount and unmount for rides with or without a baby
- It provides great ventilation for hot weather
- Comes with a modern magnetic back
Drawbacks
- The safety buckle is hard to operate while balancing a bike
- The child’s helmet can interfere with the seat angle
- The shoulder straps only have two height adjustments that aren’t ideal for the youngest riders
- The leg shields can hit your calves, forcing you to push it back
- It has a padded seat bottom for extra shock absorption
This child bike seat features a unique mounting system that allows you to transfer the seat between bikes. It is a beautifully designed and easy-to-use child’s bike seat with minimal effect on your balance. This bike seat provides sufficient room for a helmet. It comes with a magnetic buckle that easily snaps into place. However, you need two hands to unlock the buckle, as one hand slides the magnet out of place and the other un-attaches the buckle snap.
Thule Rear-mounted seats are rated for babies, toddlers, and kids from 12 months to 40 lbs. It is a lightweight seat with a low centre of gravity, making it easy for the adult rider to manage. There are only two shoulder strap replacements with the lower of the two settings perfect for 12 to 18-month olds.
Thule Nexxt Maxi Frame Mount is a quality child bike seat. It is significantly more stable than other rare seats as you can relax and enjoy the ride. You won’t have issues mounting this seat if your bike already has a rack, with the foot straps easy to tighten and stay in place.
This child bike seat has better ventilation than most seats, with two large holes in the back. It is lightweight, durable, and made from styrofoam style material. The seat bottom is soft, textured, and adds great cushioning for little bums and a little shock absorption. Its material is firm but smooth, making it comfortable and supportive.
How to choose the best child bike seat
Choosing the best child bike seat for your growing child can be complicated.
You need to choose a comfortable seat for your child and one that fits your bike. Since there are thousands of bikes on the market, the decision can be difficult to make.
Here are some factors you can consider before buying a child bike seat.
Front or rear-mounted kids bike seat
Decide whether you want your child up in front of you or behind. The front-mounted seat allows you to interact with your child but is much smaller and can max out at a child’s weight capacity of 33 lbs.
They are smaller because they have to fit between you and your handlebar. Use the front-mounted Seat if you have children under three years, as it is best for babies and young toddlers.
The rear-mounted child bike seats are larger and can accommodate children up to six years old. Buy this site if you are looking for longevity. Therefore, even if you start with a front-mounted seat, you’ll eventually transit to a rear-mounted seat to fit your growing child.
If you choose a rear-mounted child seat, you will deal with two different mounting styles. The most common mounting style is the frame-mountain style, but it’s difficult to mount due to various design elements on the bike’s frame. The alternative is to use a rack-mounting style that fits on any bike and accepts a traditional bike rack.
Size and age of the child
The child’s bike seat age and weight limitations for safe travelling. Before buying a bike seat for your child, consider their age and weight.
You are encouraged to wait until your baby is one-year-old before putting them in any child bike seat. A one-year-old child sits in the front-mounting seat while a three-year-old is too big for the seat.
Look for the shoulder straps.
Shoulder straps are distinguishing features of child bike seats. Select padded straps as they are more comfortable and stay in place better.
The padded shoulder straps are more comfortable for children wearing a wide-necked shirt. Look for flexible shoulder straps on child’s bike seats as they provide a secure fit.
Compatibility
Find a bike seat that is compatible with your bike. Various options are making it tough to find a more compatible seat. If the bike cannot attach to the bike frame, you can use a rack.
The best way to determine which bike seat will work is by looking at the size of the seat tube and the saddle seat proximity to the bike’s frame.
Features
Once you decide on the mount type and find a compatible bike seat, look for the added features. The comfort and cushioning may be important, or you can consider one that’s easy to install.
Some bikes themselves have better head and neck support than others. Therefore check all the specs and added features before buying a bike seat for kids.
Kids Seat For Bike FAQ
What age are child bike seats for?
The recommended age for children in a bike seat is nine months and four years.
However, this age can vary since children develop at different rates. Therefore the question is more about physical development than age.
Are child bike seats safe?
Most child’s bike seats are safety rated for babies, toddlers and kids. They are the only safe way to carry a child on your bike since the front packs, backpacks, or carriers don’t offer adequate protection.
Is it difficult to ride a bike with a child seat?
It is not difficult to ride a bike with a child seat. The experience of cycling with a child in a bike seat is the same as cycling with a heavy basket or pannier rack.
Do bike seats expire?
A child’s bike seat should be usable for decades unless it’s damaged from sunlight or collision.
Regular maintenance of the child’s bike seat can extend its lifespan. For example, lift the seat to look for any changes or cracks, and tug on the belts to ensure nothing is loose. Exposing a bike to sunlight or condition can lead to damage, with fabrics rotting from dampness.
Conclusion
There are different types of child’s bikes on the market with various designs.
Find a bike seat compatible with your bike, comfortable for the child, and easy to install. Also, consider the mounting style when buying a bike seat for kids.
This guide has looked at the best bike seat for kids, highlighting each seat’s features, benefits, and drawbacks to help you make an informed decision.
Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by Danijel Cakalic
