3 wheels on my wagon

Has anyone used one of those 3 wheelers for running with a baby?

I'm going to be in a position where my soon to be born baby's going to seriously curtail my weekly mileage...

Having never seen one being actually used for running I'm starting to get a bit nervous.

Can anyone help??

I have recently started running with my little boy in a 3-wheeler. It's brilliant. It is surprisingly easy provided the road/pavement surface is good, and he loves it for the first 2-3 miles before falling asleep. We have a standard Maxi-Cosi thing, not a specialist running one, but even so it's great. No good for speed training or hill work, but it means I can push junior and happily run with Mrs D. We did wait until he was 6 months old though, and able to sit comfortably and unsupported. Check before running with a baby under 6-months.

Thanks dougie.That's made me feel a bit happier. Now all I've got to worry about is people thinking that I've run off with someone elses baby!

Phill

Planning routes with a minimum exposure to dangerous traffic is another priority, although I haven't had any scares yet. The best route I have found is the Bath-Bristol cyclway along an old railway line. Unfortunately I live in Sussex.

Congratulations Phil, enjoy it!
If you're wanting to get out with your baby/toddler these are well worth the money, and good for at least a couple of years (by which time your upper body strength will be the envy of the neighbourhood). Not only for running (only when your baby is 6 months + as dougie says) but for taking on walks on rough terrain with ease. I used to borrow my neighbours (they were rare when my first daughter was born) and as dougie says, a fantastic work-out pushing all that weight, and no agonies over baby sitting. Not to mention the bonus of the baby usually going to sleep!
I got used to not moving my arms quite quickly, but you may find you have a slightly different gait as a result of leaning on the handle bars a bit.
Be careful with oncoming traffic, dogs etc and get a strap which you attach to your wrist and the handles just in case you let go on a downhill section! Excuse me for stating the obvious but your baby will need more layers of clothing, covers etc than you might think as they're not moving and are quite exposed to wind etc.

Good luck with your baby.

Hi Phill

I've got a Maxi Cosi too. It's not sold as a specialist running buggy, but it does a great job, plus it's a lot more practical than the specialist ones for using day to day. As Dougie,six months was when we started going running with our daughter...lots of people laugh, it's great and the baby loves the 'speed'. When you've done a few miles with the buggy your ordinary runs feel a lot easier as there's no extra weight or, importantly, wind resistance. I've also noticed a real upper body improvement too. Get one they're brilliant! You'll need to find nice pavements to run on though, we're luck to have some good cycles paths around our house.

Good luck and enjoy your sleep for now.

Peter

I guess I've got a lot to learn but I appreciate all your advice and I thank you all for it. I like the idea of the upper body training as well. Thanks...

Phil, my wife had a daughter 6 months ago, and we waited until last weekend (payday!) before buying a 3 wheeler. I hope to go for a run along the local cycle track with Ellen in the next few days. We got an expensive - but standard normal 3 wheeler.

My wife took the new pushchair and dog for a walk yesterday and raved about it, she went along a gravelly track full of potholes and had no problem, even going up hill was easier than with a standard pram.

Best of luck and I hope that you enjoy fatherhood as much as I am.

I saw a whole family running down the street where I work in London the other day: Mum and pre-teen daughter gently jogging behind Dad and baby in buggy racing out in front! They looked great.

Thanks niggle. I'm looking forward to being a dad and maybe junior will become a runner one day - or a racing driver...

Meerkat - I'm glad that it looked okay. I'm still concerned that I'll look like a baby snatcher!

Have been running for a while now with a 3 wheeler made by Cossatto which is sponsored by Sally Gunnell's so one would hope it has been designed with running in mind ... the wrist strap makes for peace of mind running down hills, although you need to be careful not to tip the buggy over when cornering at speed (admittedly not a great issue for me!). My daughter inevitably falls asleep almost at once, so a winner all round