We will be sending our two kids (Ages 2 and 3) to preschool next year. The preschool is connected to the high school I teach at. I get there via bicycle because there’s no reliable busses (school buses don’t leave until after after-school programs have ended… which is 3 hours after I get off work). I don’t know how to bike with two kids and public transit is not an option (the nearest public bus stop is a 2km walk from the school. With two kids in tow, that’s going to be an hour walk)
Fortunately, we just happen to live 3km from the school. It’s just close enough to be convenient… but just far enough away to be annoying.
Purchasing a scooter for a 3km trip seems like overkill but I’d be willing to do it except for the fact that I’d afraid he’d fall off the back of the scooter. I can only fit one kid on my lap. My wife and I could each get scooters… but that’s way beyond overkill.
Another option is a bike trailer. I’m used to biking most days. So, I could get a hitch that lets me drag the two kids behind me. But both of our kids a growing so fast I’m afraid they’ll outgrow the trailer (or rather, I won’t be able to pull them) a few months into the school year. Of course, I could upgrade to an electric bike if that becomes a problem.
All the options I’ve considered seem to be way too complicated. There has to be a simple and easy solution for such a short trip… but I can’t seem to think of it. Any insights anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated!
Do as @tando suggested, if both of you can go to school at same time.
At home, we have different time schedules, so we bought one bike with two seats (our children are 1.5yo and 3.5yo), like this one:
What do we do when it rains? When I bike in the rain, I wear waterproof clothing with a raincoat on top (cuz the rain gets down the raincoat no matter what…) but I’m afraid the kids will get sick.
If we had a covered bicycle trailer, the kids would stay dry… if only they would stop growing…
Cheaper cars tend not to depreciate too much here , maybe have a word with @sulavaca to see if he has a decent cheap car ? So dangerous to scooter/ bicycle with young children .
My experience
In my case, we were just 1 km away from the kids’ preschool.
I got a bicycle like the one pictured above. I disassembled the pedals, chain and plates. I kept the brakes.
So I could walk, guide the bicycle and chat with the kids at the same time.
We did that for 3 or 4 years with great stories and even a movie (I hired a video guy to shoot one of our daily trip to school and show to my parents, good fun)
Don’t worry about weather. Kids love the rain.
But in your case, 3 km might be a challenge.
And I don’t know the road and sidewalk conditions in your area.
How about a cargobike? Just google ‘cargobike children’
Like a Harry vs Larry Bullitt, the best cargobike on earth!
I’d recommend a bike trailer. Kids love them and they’re good in all weather. Could also be used for many other activities.
A friend of ours has two kids at my school. He bikes over in all weather with them in the trailer. Ours is rated to 40kg and apparently his can carry up to 80.
Perfect! It even has an electric motor for when our kids get too big for us to use the pedals.
I see that the seller has a physical location in 新莊. I’ll be heading over there to check out his other inventory. I bet I can rig a rain cover over the back but I’ll see if the seller has any pre-made covers in stock.
