Let me start by saying that I love a good bike ride. I’m a fan of bike commuting to work and generally riding a bike whenever I can. So when I had a baby, I couldn’t wait to take him on a bike ride! The number of toddler bike seat options and the spectrum of reviews about each left me pretty bewildered about which kind of bike seat to buy. Luckily, it ended up that I didn’t have to make a decision. A friend of ours gave us the seat that he had used for his two kids and we have been a happily pedaling family ever since.

We use the Wee-Ride Kangaroo Classic which is a front seat, not the traditional seat that puts the kid behind you. It’s awesome that the child has an unobstructed view from this seat. No more staring at mom or dad’s back the whole time or having to uncomfortably crane their necks to the side to see anything.

At first I thought that would be weird and maybe even more dangerous. But after taking it for some serious test rides, I’m completely sold that a front seat is the way to go. When your child is sitting in the front, it improves your balance and center of gravity so you’re less likely to fall. Your arms are around your child, giving an extra layer of protection. You can also easily talk to your kiddo and communicate about what you see, what’s happening and have a more engaging adventure every time you ride. We like to sing songs and point out interesting things that we see as we go.

The seat itself will run you around $60. Unfortunately, you’ll most likely also have to buy the Wee-Ride Mounting Bar for around $36 that you install on your bike to then attach the seat to, but we have no trouble taking the seat off and on and Pace loves it. That puts the total cost at around $100, which feels little steep but, it’s great being able to easily get on and off the bike, talk to him while we ride and to see what catches his attention. We rode all the way to Prospect Park a couple of weeks ago and had a blast in both directions.

We haven’t tried any other seats, so I can’t really compare this to any other experience. But I can say that this was easy to install, it’s pretty easy to get the kiddo into and out of, and we have had nothing but good times using this one since day one. And, considering that our child is the third one to use this seat, it is in amazing shape and has held up really well to hard-core city use.

What other bike seats are you considering? Share the knowledge!