Toddler Bike Seat

Biking Fun for Everyone

• What: Topeak Bicycle Baby Seat
• When: 12 months to 48 lbs
• Why: Ride safely with your tot
• Where: Amazon

If you need an extra seat for transporting your youngster on two wheels, check out the Topeak Bicycle Seat. It attaches over the rear wheel using an included rack to give you an extra seat in the back. We’ve had ours for more than six years and used it with all three of our kids, and it still looks and works fantastic.

It comes with a removable padded bar, so kids can hold on, or you can attach toys to entertain them for longer rides. You can remove the bar as needed. The padded seat includes a removable cushion, so you can wash it in case of any spills or accidents. We’ve never cleaned ours a single time, and stored it in a detached garage with a dirt floor, but it still looks almost brand new despite numerous times my kids have stood on it getting loaded and unloaded. We have the yellow padding, but you can also order padding separately in blue, pink, or green.

It’s difficult to get kids buckled into the seat if they already have their bike helmet on. Because the restraint strap goes over their head to buckle, I found it easier to load my kid first, then put their helmet on after buckling them in. I reversed the process to get them out, which didn’t come naturally to me, but is a small adjustment for seat that works wonderfully in every other way.

If you don’t like the idea of getting kicked in the bum every so often, this seat also features optional Velcro foot straps that will keep little feet clear. The molded plastic adjustable foot rests offer kids a place to put their feet, for comfort and extra safety so they don’t get mixed up with the bike gears. It includes a sizable rear reflector for added safety for biking in the dark, as well as cutout in the back that doubles as a handle when the seat comes off your bike.

My 35 pound three and a half year old still fits in this seat, and my seven year old would squash himself into it if I’d let him because he still has such fond memories of riding together. Kids end up in easy reach of you, so they feel secure and don’t get too much wind, but still enjoy the exhilaration of pedaling along and exploring by bike.

The seat detaches easily from a bike in a few simple steps, but it doesn’t go back and forth between two bikes unless you already have a rack attached to each one. It does feature extra suspension, so kids get only the fun bumps without all the jostling that comes from sitting over the rear wheel.