Talkin Bout my Chariot

So a while back, H asked me about bike trailers. This is what I sent her:

So I did some research on bike trailers. The Burley trailers are considered fine for light use. Once Cleo is old enough to go in a trailer, though, I'm thinking the bike will be my primary mode of transport with her. So I'm not looking for a Sunday bike ride trailer, I'm looking for a car substitute.

Enter... The Chariot.

Has storage space in back. All weather. Shocks and a hammock style seat for child comfort. Converts quickly and easily to a stroller and back for outings and shopping. Should be able to haul her around for a few years in it until she's old enough for a tag-along. She and I will fear no rain in it. Expensive, but this will free us up from having to depend on the car!

I was expecting to get it for my birthday in the fall, but H was able to get it on sale recently to allow us to enjoy the summer!

Don't get me wrong, the Yepp is still preferred for sunny bike rides, but our Chariot isn't about that. It allows dad to capture a bit of his former life when I lived primarily by bike. There have been many times in the last 9 months where I have been immensely frustrated with having to pack up the kid into the car for minor trips out.

Non-approved baby positioning

Now, that's a thing of the past.

We tried it out a few times on fun rides and set things up so H's bike hitches up to it as well. For me, though, the real test came last week.

You see, Cleo sometimes enjoys hummus on pita in the mornings. One day a few weeks ago, I gave her some hummus for breakfast that I had bought at our local store. Then, as is our tradition, I took the slimy post-breakfast baby upstairs for a shower.

While getting cleaned up, though, her skin became super red on her face and chest, causing a dad freakout!

A superposition of two states

I called the advice nurse but, thankfully, the kid wasn't troubled and was mostly bewildered as to why her shower was cut short. The blotches were actually fading even as I waited. The nurse first reassured me it was not the dreaded allergic reaction. She told me that different types of hummus have different concentrations of lemon juice and other irritants in them and that, combined with hot water and soap, irritated Cleo's skin significantly.

Fast forward to last week. Cleo is out of hummus for tomorrow and I now only trust Trader Joe's Organinc Hummus. It's raining outside. I could pack her in the car... but all we really need is hummus. My eyes turn to the Chariot.

Let's do this!

Wave function collapsed...
And the kid is nice and dry

I'm leaning that the biggest downside of a baby trailer is the fact that you have no idea what's going on in there. On a sunny day you can leave it open enough to look back and see how the kid is doing. When you close the rain flap? Cleo suddenly turns into Schrodinger's cat. The only thing keeping me from hopping off of my bike at every intersection to check on her is Cleo's humming or occasional laugh.

Actually, one time I did hop off because I hadn't heard her make any noise for a time and it was raining a bit fierce. Cleo was happy as a clam and looked up at me with this casual "Oh, hi there!" expression on her face.

Anyhow, the trip went well, the baby stayed dry, and we got a few things more than hummus, all fitting in the Chariot easily. Successful trip? BIG YES!

In fact, the only real problem I have with the Chariot is that I get that Phineas and Ferb song stuck in my head every single time I load the thing up; often I end up singing it to Cleo. Enjoy.