A child seat is the easiest way to turn your commuter bike into a family vehicle. Here’s what to consider – along with a selection of good ones

Child seats attach to an adult bike, either behind or in front of the rider. They’re the cheapest and simplest options for cycling with a pre-school child – and in some cases older offspring – enabling you to do the nursery school drop-off on the way to work. It’s worth paying more to get a good one as you’ll never cycle with a more precious load. Don’t forget that you can save on the RRP by getting the seat through Cyclescheme.

Most child seats are suitable for children aged from about nine months to four years. The lower limit is the age at which your child can sit unaided and hold their head up. The upper limit is dictated by the weight limit of the seat and is typically around 20-25kg. If your child has to hold on rather than being strapped in, which is the case with some front seats, they’ll need to be at least two or three to use them safely. Some rear seats are designed for older children aged around six to 10.

Rear seats attach either to a pannier rack or directly to the bike frame, usually to a large bracket that fits to the seat tube. Front seats attach to the head tube, the top tube or a long, adjustable bar that fits above the top tube between head or steerer tube and seat post. Whatever system your chosen seat uses, it’s generally possible to buy extra racks or brackets so that you can share one seat between two or more bikes.

Front seats affect bike handling less and make conversation easier but can cause a more awkward, knees-out pedalling style. Rear seats have more wraparound protection and can generally carrier a heavier passenger but are incompatible with rear panniers and are somewhat less stable. A bike with a wide, flat handlebar and a longer wheelbase, such as a hybrid or hardtail mountain bike, offers better control than a quick-steering road bike if you’re using a rear seat. Longtail cargo bikes are better still and can often accommodate two rear seats.

All child seats need footrests, with straps to keep the feet in place for younger children. Most – but not saddle-style seats – will have a safety harness that fits over your child’s shoulders and buckles between their legs. Some have a safety bar as well, like on a fairground ride. The seat should be comfortable for your child when they’re wearing a helmet. Some are contoured to give space for a helmeted head, and some recline – a useful feature as small children often fall asleep in child seats.

Practise cycling away from traffic before riding on the roads. You’ll also need to learn how to get on and off the bike without kicking your passenger. Never leave a child unattended in a child seat as the bike could fall over. Make sure lights and reflectors aren’t obscured by the child seat if you plan to use it at night.

For a good-quality child seat, expect to spend between £75 and £150 (RRP), although there are outliers. There aren’t many manufacturers of good-quality child seats but most of these manufacturers make a range of different models.

Polisport Gruvi Baby Bike Seat Rack Mount £39.99

How come this rack-mounted seat, which complies with EU safety legislation, is so cheap? Partly because you need to supply your own pannier rack – it doesn’t come with one. The Gruvi goes on an off a pannier rack without tools and is suitable for children up to 4-5 years or 22kg. The footrests and fore-aft seat position are adjustable, the seat back is contoured for a helmet, and the seat cushion is waterproof. It has a three-point safety harness, plus (like most seats) a failsafe attachment strap.

Urban Iki Junior Seat MIK HD £79.99

The word ‘Junior’ in the name tells you that this is a seat for older riders, specifically children aged from five to 10 and weighing up to 27kg. It fits only to a MIK HD rack, which you need to buy separately. The seat back and foot pegs fold when not in use, so it adds little bulk when you’ve dropped off your passenger. The seat goes on and off in seconds and can be quickly fitted to another bike with a MIK HD rack, or swapped out for another MIK product such as a cargo basket. It has a hip belt for safety.

WeeRide Safe Front Baby Bike Seat £109

This front seat attaches to an adjustable bar the fits between your bike’s seatpost and head or steerer tube. It will fit most bikes, including step-through frames, and once the bar is in place the seat goes on and off in seconds. It has a five-point safety harness, a low-profile wraparound seat and adjustable, protected footrests. The unusual padded ‘lectern’ in front of the seat is something a sleepy child can rest on. The WeeRide seat is designed for children from nine months to four years. Like all front seats, it works better when the adult rider sits relatively upright.

Hamax Siesta Child Bike Seat £114.99

Norwegian company Hamax makes a wide range of child seats, plus accessories such as neck pillows and rain ponchos. The Siesta is a mid-range seat that gets its name from the fact that it can be reclined by 20 degrees for the comfort of a sleeping toddler. It fits to a bracket on the bike frame with a steel hoop that provides a little suspension. Features include a contoured shape for a helmeted head, the usual three-point safety harness, adjustable footrests and removable padding. It’s designed for children from nine months up to a maximum weight of 22kg.

Thule Yepp 2 Maxi Rack Mounted £119.99

This is the rack-mounted version of the Yepp 2 Maxi; there’s also a frame-fitting version (£139.99) and one that clicks onto a MIK HD rear rack (£149.99). It fits without tools and locks onto the rack with a key. There’s no cushion as the whole seat is made from shock-absorbing foam. A five-point safety harness will keep even a sleepy child securely strapped in. It’s designed for children from nine months to six years, with a maximum height and weight of 110cm/22kg. There’s a reflector on the seat and a mounting point for a rear light – Thule’s own Delight 2 rear light is £34.99.

Topeak Babyseat II & Rack (Disc) £179.99

While you can buy the Babyseat II and its rack separately (£149.99 and £44.99+ respectively), you need both as the seat is specific to the rack. That makes the seat-and-rack package better value. The seat hooks over the raised front part of the rack – you’ll need sufficient space between the adult’s saddle and rack for this – and is secured with a sliding, quick-release lock. As well as a three-point safety harness it has a padded roll-bar to keep your passenger in place. There’s a big reflector on the back and a mount for a rear light. Unlike most rack-fitting seats, this one has suspension.

Shotgun Pro Evo £299

Kids Ride Shotgun seats are front-fitting ones specifically designed for mountain bikes, so you can enjoy easy off-road trails with your child. You can, of course, ride on road as well. The Pro Evo model is expensive as it’s essentially two seats in one: a wraparound seat with a safety harness for children aged from nine months to two years (in which configuration it meets EU child seat safety legislation); and a saddle-and-footrest seat for children aged from two to five years. Like the WeeRide it fits to an adjustable bar, which fits between the seatpost and fork steerer. This goes on and off in under a minute.