How to travel by bike with children?

What do we need to start riding with children?

It all depends on what age the children are and what route we are going on. If they are small children, a few months old and older, say up to 6 years old we definitely need a bike trailer. Up to about 1.5-2 years of age, depending on the child's weight and physique, we also need a special hammock for hanging inside the bike trailer. These vehicles work well for shorter and longer distances.
If the child sits up steadily, starts to walk, say after about 1.5-2 years of age, and we have short distances to cover, e.g. riding around town, it will probably be easier and quicker to fit a child seat to the bike for logistical reasons. In a seat, the child will also certainly have better visibility from a higher level. Keep in mind, however, that these must be really short distances. When riding, children are rocked and can quickly fall asleep for us. This is not the most comfortable sleeping position, although there are reclining seats. Helmets for our children are a must then. I am, however, a fan of bicycle trailers. They are, in my opinion, more comfortable and safer for small children. I have sometimes carried them in car seats too, and it was easier and quicker to take the seat out of the block, but I definitely used trailers more often.

At what age do you start? When did you start riding with your children?

I started going with my older son when he was 8 months old. We went camping at the lake in May with friends and their child of the same age. When he was younger, I used to look for excuses that it was difficult to get together with such a small child, that it was difficult to organise, that it was a big effort to take the bike out of the block by myself, fit the trailer and pack other necessary things like nappies, wipes, drink, food. Or maybe I was just scared before and not really convinced that it was possible to ride with such a small child and that it was safe.
With a younger daughter, and previous experience, I decided to start riding earlier - when she was 3 months old and holding her head quite steadily. We enjoyed it so much that we rode almost every day. I had a moment to myself in the movement of the air and my daughter had her naps during that time. In between, I was met with questions about whether I feared for her safety. I no longer had any doubts at that point, having had the experience of riding with my son. Besides, such a small child in the trailer has a specially suspended hammock, which I additionally lined with a special pad and fastened with straps. It is also protected from the outside by the walls of the trailer. In addition, I fastened a net at the front to prevent insects and sand from flying in while driving. I shielded from the sun with a nappy or sling, but you can also use a specially dedicated cover, which is often also included in the trailer.

In the event of rain, there was also no fear of the baby getting wet. We tested this on the Green Velo route when it rained all day and we had to get to our accommodation and then to the train. During our 4-hour bike ride, everything got wet: the tent, the sleeping bags, ourselves - just not the children in the trailers.

What is important for children during a journey?

Fun, ice cream, pleasures and attractions.
And from a parent's perspective, the safety of the children, i.e. tested equipment. That is why I recommend getting in touch with Rower Wanderer, which you can find at this address: https://www.rowerowywloczykij.pl/ The company is based near Koszalin, but also runs an online sales and rental service. It is worth consulting him when it comes to choosing a trailer. You can also try it out beforehand to see which one suits you and your child, and then hire it for a weekend, for example, to be sure of the model.

What can you do to make sure your children don't get bored during the ride?

In the trailer there is some space next to the seat in the front, so it is a good idea to take along a favourite toy, a book or, in an emergency, a tablet or other device with music or films, but I do not recommend using this method too often, so as not to get him used to such devices.
If our child has already started to ride a cross-country bike on his or her own, we can attach it to a trailer and ride together on safe routes. We will not do this with a bigger bike.
It is also a good idea to plan activities along the route which the children will enjoy and will give them a chance to run around, e.g. when stopping for lunch during a day trip, whether at a restaurant or for a picnic, it is a good idea to do this in a place where a playground is also available. Conversely, when planning a short trip, it is also worth planning a drive to a playground or other attraction that caters for our children. In the case of such young children, when planning routes, we must mainly take into account their needs by adjusting the length of the route accordingly and including breaks for sleeping, playing, eating, etc.

Our travels over longer distances, e.g. on the Green Velo during a 2-week trip with Marika, who was one year old at the time, and Nicolas, who was 4 years old at the time, were as follows: one day we travelled between 50 and 70 kilometres, stopping for about 1 -1.5 hours for lunch and a playground. The following day was spent stationary, e.g. at a campsite, lake or similar place where we could spend time together in a stationary but active way, e.g. swimming in water. It is important not to tire the children by sitting in the caravan.
For shorter distances around the house, I usually took the children during their naps. The problem of boredom was then eliminated.

What to take with you? What to pack?

If it's a short trip, not far from home, we need things that the baby needs on a regular basis, like a nappy, wipes, drink, snacks. If it's warm, then a blanket to stay in the open air, especially if the baby is not yet walking. If it's cold, a blanket to cover him too. Then we don't need an extra pannier for the bike. Trailers, depending on the model, have more or less space for extra luggage and a limit on the number of kilos they can carry.

On a trip of several days we will certainly need a pannier to carry our belongings, if only clothes. However, we should not bring too many of them, as it is unnecessarily burdensome and you can always wash something on the way. It happened to me that I brought clothes that were not used at all.
Depending on where you plan to sleep, you may not take anything to sleep in, but then you should book your accommodation in advance and then you should stick to that. My family and I always preferred to have the freedom to choose the distance to travel on any given day and so we took all our sleeping kit with us i.e. tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and even a cooking kit like a field cooker, crockery, cutlery. We used the kitchen set to make dinners and breakfasts, and ate lunches in restaurants.
In addition, sleeping in the campsite was an added attraction for the children and gave us the opportunity to make new friends. We were also not restricted by reservations or distances. In the event of inclement weather, we happened to rent a sleeping accommodation under a roof. However, on such trips you are more encumbered when driving, so the choice depends on your own preferences.

What tools to take with you?

Definitely spare inner tubes, spoons for changing them, a pump, maybe some Allen keys. Duct tape and triangles are always useful. I don't take other tools, I wouldn't be able to use them anyway.

Once it happened to us that a spoke broke in the wheel of the trailer, 2 of them, I think. We travelled another 12 km to the camping site in Wigry and found a bicycle service within 2 km, which repaired it for us the next day.

Near or far?

I think it's best to start with close distances near home, then gradually extend them to day trips, weekend trips, and then to multi-day trips, if you and your children like it and you have the strength to pull the trailer yourself. Of course, you can train yourself as in everything, but it is certainly better to start near home. Anyway, you don't have to go far to experience an interesting adventure, especially here in Western Pomerania, where the trails are so well-developed that there really is a lot to choose from, whether for a day or several. And you can always reach the route by train or car, for example.

How to get to the route? How do you logistically organise yourself? Do you choose a train or a car with a bike rack?

As far as my experience is concerned, I definitely have more with trains. And it's mostly positive, in fact I don't have any negatives. However, a lot of things have changed for the better since I started travelling with children, especially on regional trains. They are more comfortable to board, there is usually no difference in the height of the thresholds on the platforms, although this also depends on their height at the stations in question. Bikes and trailers can be placed freely by strapping them in place. It has not yet happened to me that I have not been able to buy a ticket for a bicycle, but it is better to do so in advance because of the limited number of seats, although there are now several trains in our province that have up to 16 spaces for bicycles.
Travelling on fast trains is also possible, although less comfortable, as usually on these trains you have to hang your bike up by the front wheel and there are usually stairs at the entrance of the train. However, it is not impossible. I happened to board such a train with two bikes, my own and my son's, a bike trailer loaded for the week and my own children, in addition without having bought a ticket in advance, so as far as I can tell it is feasible.

I can't comment on bike racks as I haven't used one myself, but I know you can hire one. It happened to me that I packed a bicycle and a trailer in the carrier and I went on a journey with my daughter first by car, then by bicycle, but then we had to return to the same place. By train we can go somewhere and not come back to the same point.

What routes to choose with children?

Certainly the Velo Baltica (EuroVelo 10/13), which is a section of our coastal route from Swinoujscie to Ustka, because of its good cycling infrastructure, large selection of accommodation, restaurants, attractions. As far as this route is concerned, I personally prefer it outside the holiday season. You could also try the route around the Szczecin Lagoon, our Polish side, largely gravel on the waters of Lake Dabie and the Szczecin Lagoon, as well as the Western Lakes Trail and the area around the bridge in Siekierki and Morynia, where I used to cycle myself, but I dream of taking the children. My favourite route, and one that is good for riding with children, is the Old Railway Trail, from Kołobrzeg via Karlino, Białogard, Połczyn-Zdrój, Złocieniec, and soon also Wałcz. Here we have a lot of sections separated from car traffic along former railway lines. I have also driven this section with my daughter in a trailer, where we made a vlog recording of the route, which you can see here:
Old Railway Trail - we ride with the West Pomerania app, practical tips [VLOG]
https://youtu.be/aeT7NMDq7os?si=VMevty8d89xpBZuU
and here: The best coastal cycling routes with kids: Velo Baltica (R-10) and Kozdrówka!
https://youtu.be/VKBDu074Y78?si=0KDb9CeF8wDf3SiB

How do you plan your route?

As far as I was concerned, I often just got on my bike from home and rode ahead, slightly modifying the familiar wheels.
On trips of several days riding with a tent, we would choose the region or area we wanted to see, analyse paper maps, pick a destination and, taking into account our time and physical abilities and the age of the children, ride ahead using first maps and then off-road apps. In West Pomerania this is quite easy as there is a website and app dedicated to cycle routes. And there is plenty to choose from!