9 Best Baby (Child) Bike Seats – Front Mounted

Whether you’re looking for a traditional front-mounted baby bike seat or a new open-style mountain bike shotgun seat, we’ve tested all the options and have all the intel to help you make the best decision for your child and your bike.

Traditional front-mounted child bike seats are best for babies and young toddlers. With smaller seats and harnesses than rear seats, they’re designed to keep the littlest of passengers comfy and secure. Children typically fit in these seats from ages 12 months to 2.5 or 3 years.

Open-style or “no harness” front-mounted child bike seats are mounted closer to the adult and are meant to fit kids ages 2 to 5. For parents that like the experience of riding with a front mounted seat but have an older child that’s too big for a traditional seat, this style is an ideal option.

Off-road or mountain bike kids seats are also designed for slightly older kids (ages 2 to 5 years old) and also do not have a harness system. They were born and bred in the mountain biking world, and are suitable for much more aggressive riding.

Check out our list of favorites that are tested, tried, and true! If you also need a bike for yourself, check out our 10 Best Women’s Bikes page.

9 Best Front Child Bike Seats

Peg Perego Orion

Best on a Budget

MSRP: $95

AGE RANGE: 12 months – 33 lbs.

INCHES TO MOUNT: 0″

FEATURES: Suspension, 3-position adjustable footrest, standard nylon shoulder straps.

FULL REVIEW: Peg Perego Orion

Regularly selling for just about $100, the Peg Perego Orion is a solid bang for your buck. While not as refined or luxurious as a Thule baby bike seat, it’s still comfortable and pretty easy to use. Did we mention it’s about half the price of other seats??

The Orion’s mounting system is unique from any other seat on this list. It attaches to the head tube of the bike instead of the headset, which is a great alternative for bikes that have little or no room on the headset for a mounting bracket.

This mounting style also keeps the bike seat stationary when you turn the handlebars. This keeps your baby’s weight and the center of balance of the seat more consistent. Some parents prefer this because it tends to affect the adult’s balance less.

Keep in mind that the Orion is one of the smaller front-mounted seats on the market, so your child will outgrow it sooner.

Thule Yepp Mini

Best for Hot Climates

MSRP: $199

AGE RANGE: 12 months – 33 lbs.

INCHES TO MOUNT: 0.83″

FEATURES: Superior back ventilation, effective foot straps, variable height footrest, handlebar to keep toddlers’ hands occupied, 5-point harness. Quick release for mounting in seconds.

FULL REVIEW: Thule Yepp Mini

Functionally, the Yepp Mini is very similar to the Yepp Nexxt Mini, and its quality and ease of use is what you’d expect from the Thule name.  The Yepp’s most notable feature is the “crocs like” seat material, and the many ventilation holes along the back of the seat.

If you live in a hot climate, the Yepp is a cooler bet than the Thule RideAlong Mini. The seat also comes in bright, fun colors that many parents prefer.

Thule Yepp Nexxt Mini

Most Lightweight

MSRP: $190

AGE RANGE: 12 months – 33 lbs.

INCHES TO MOUNT: 0.83″

FEATURES: Large vents for keeping babies cool, effective foot straps, variable height footrest, handlebar to keep toddlers’ hands occupied, 5-point harness. Quick release for mounting in seconds.

FULL REVIEW: Thule Yepp Nexxt Mini

After using this seat regularly for over a year, our Thule Yepp Nexxt Mini still looks and works like new! The quality and durability of this front-mounted seat is seriously impressive. It’s also really easy to use and has made getting out for spur-of-the-moment rides with the baby a breeze.

There are two features we particularly love about the Yepp Nexxt Mini. (1) It is sooo lightweight! You could ride with it on your bike full time and you wouldn’t even notice it’s there! (2) The unique magnetic buckle is easy to use and basically impossible for a child to figure out how to unbuckle themselves.

Hamax Observer

Best for Petite Parents and Babies

MSRP: $139

AGE RANGE: 12 months – 33 lbs.

INCHES TO MOUNT: 1.9″

FEATURES: Non-slip shoulder straps are padded with foam and easy to adjust, 3-point harness, adjustable footrests, one-handed safety buckle release

FULL REVIEW: Hamax Observer

Narrower than other front-mount seats, the Hamax Observer takes up less space in the adult rider’s cockpit, allowing for more room to move around comfortably. This extra space is particularly beneficial for petite riders.

Because the seat is smaller, children will outgrow it more quickly. As a result, we’ve found the Observer to be the perfect solution for petite parents with petite babies.

NO HARNESS CHILD BIKE SEAT – FRONT

Best for Ages 2 to 5

Do Little

Best Universal Fit for Any Style Bike (Casual, Women’s, and Mountain)

MSRP: $140

WEIGHT LIMIT: 61.8 lbs.

MOUNTING LIMITATIONS: Fixed width, but easily mounts to any bike with a top tube less than 2″ wide

FEATURES: Soft, padded saddle, footrests (non-adjustable), kid handlebars or grips not available

FULL REVIEW: Do Little Seat

While the Do Little is just as capable on mountain trails as the Shotgun, it also comes with an adapter to make it comfortably fit non-mountain bike style frames such as step-through women’s frames and cruisers.  As a result, if you’re looking for a front-mount child bike seat that you can use on all the ponies in your stable, the Do Little is the seat for you.

The Do Little also has a higher weight capacity than the Shotgun, so while you likely aren’t going to take your 5 or 6-year-old mountain biking on a front-mounted seat, you could certainly cruise around town with them on the Do Little.

The initial installation of the Do Little is much more challenging than other seats, and it’s also not an easy process to remove or put back on (takes about 5 to 10 minutes). As a result, the Do Little is better suited for families that won’t need to take it off the bike frequently.

Another major difference between the Shotgun and the Do Little is the footrest designs.  The Shotgun has a footrest with an adjustable strap, while the Do Little does not.  Do Little intentionally made their footrest “loose” so that a child’s foot could easily detach from the footrest in the event of crash. (This is a point of discussion for many riders, which we explain further below.)

Tyke Toter

Easiest to Take On and Off: Standard Bikes

MSRP: $139

WEIGHT LIMIT: None

MOUNTING LIMITATIONS: Must have 1.75″ of clearance on the seat post for the bike seat to mount to.  If the adult’s saddle is set low on the frame, it will have to be raised to use the Tyke Toter.

FEATURES: Wide saddle, integrated kids’ handlebars, small footpegs

FULL REVIEW: Tyke Toter

The Tyke Toter is our top choice for everyday use around town.  Easily attached to the seat post of a bike, the Tyke Toter quickly mounts to almost any bike!  Those who ride with their seat bottomed out, however, will have to raise their seat about 1.5″ in order to install the Tyke Toter.

Unlike the previous open-style seats on this list, the Tyke Toter’s handlebar is integrated into the seat itself, so those little hands always have a place to land.  The placement of the handlebars is close to the child’s seat, however, making the child sit more upright since they aren’t stretching to reach the handlebars.

As a result, the child on the Tyke Toter can take up a considerable amount of the adult rider’s cockpit, which is one of the reasons why we wouldn’t recommend the Tyke Toter for aggressive riding. While the Tyke Toter can certainly be taken on mild trails, it really excels for casual, paved bike rides.

The footrest on the Tyke Toter consists of a small plastic peg that straps onto the down tube of a bike.  The pegs are pretty small and don’t have a strap, so the potential for a foot slipping is high.

UrRider

Honorable Mention for Casual Riding

MSRP: $159

AGE RANGE: Up to 6 years old, 4′ tall

MOUNTING INFO: Mounts quickly and easily to seat post, while also resting on the top tube. Must have 1.5″ of space on the seat post to mount, or the seat will have to be raised.

FEATURES: Ventilated seat, adjustable, grippy handlebars for kids, footrest angle is adjustable

FULL REVIEW: UrRider Child Bike Seat

As one of the top-selling child bike seats on Amazon, we wanted to include the UrRider in our testing to see how it stacked up against the other four open-style (no harness) child bike seats on our list.

Overall, the UrRider is a decent front-mounted seat, and the mounting process is incredibly fast. We also appreciate that the angle of the child’s handlebar is adjustable to allow you to choose for your child to sit more upright or more leaned forward.

While similar to the Tyke Toter because it attaches via the seat post, the front of the UrRider actually rests against the top tube for added stability. This prevents the seat from pivoting to the sides like can happen with the Tyke Toter (depending on the diameter of your seat post.)

On the flip side, the UrRider’s design can make it tricky to fit on your bike if you don’t ride with your seat post rather high. (Read our full review for all the details on that!)

The 2021 update of the UrRider narrowed the saddle to prevent it from rubbing against the adult’s thighs while riding. Additionally, the legs attached to the footrest now have a rubber layer to protect your bike’s frame from potential scratching.

The $159 price tag is a bit steep for the quality of the seat, especially considering you can get a Kids Ride Shotgun seat for $150. But if you have a steeply sloped top tube that won’t work with a Shotgun seat, UrRider is a great option.

MOUNTAIN BIKE CHILD SEATS

Mac Ride vs. Shotgun

Shotgun Seat

Best Bang for Your Buck

MSRP: $100

WEIGHT LIMIT: 48 lbs.

MOUNTING LIMITATIONS: Best for use on a bike with a front suspension fork (bikes without suspension fork often don’t have enough clearance between the front wheel and down tube). Fits bikes with top tubes 35 – 68mm wide and down tubes from 35 – 100mm wide.

FEATURES: Soft, padded saddle, optional mini-handlebars, footrests (not height-adjustable)

FULL REVIEW: Shotgun Child Bike Seat

If you’re planning on introducing your little one to the trails, the Shotgun seat is a solid and affordable bet. Mountain bike frames come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and the Shotgun seat will likely fit them all (unless it’s an ebike!). It can even be adjusted to fit bikes with wider tubing.

The thickly padded saddle can rotate independently of the rest of the seat, which greatly increases its ability to adjust to fit various styles of frames.  Reinstallation is pretty quick and easy, but the seat will have to be re-adjusted when mounting to a new bike.

Another benefit of the Shotgun is the optional mini handlebars for kids (shown in the pic above).  Some kids love having their own handlebars as it gives them their own place to hang on, while also keeping their hands off your grips.

In the end, however, using the mini handlebars comes down to personal preference as most kids have no problem holding onto your handlebars next to the stem.

Compared to other mountain bike child seats, the Shotgun tends to sit a bit lower on the bike frame. This can be a huge benefit for shorter riders or anyone riding with taller kids. Keeping your child lower means they are less likely to be in your riding space, especially in the low ready position.

Mac Ride

Easiest to Take On and Off

MSRP: $229

WEIGHT LIMIT: 60 lbs.

MOUNTING LIMITATIONS: Mounts to seat post and headset.  Bike must have a 10mm spacer on the steer tube that can be swapped out for the 10mm mounting spacer.  Two 1 1/8″ diameter spacers are included but spacers are available down to 1″ in diameter.  Other less common limitations listed on Mac-Ride.com

FEATURES: Seat shape that cradles the child in place, adjustable footrests, optional mini handlebar grips

FULL REVIEW: Mac Ride

If you need the ability to quickly and easily attach and remove a seat from your bike (or swap it between bikes), the Mac Ride is king.  While its initial installation is a little more complicated than the Shotgun, once the mounting components are installed, the Mac Ride can be removed in seconds.

Although the Mac Ride does attach to the seat post of the bike, it’s compatible with dropper posts.  The clamp just needs to be attached below the moving portion of the seat post.

The unique cradling “u-shaped” saddle of the Mac Ride was a big hit with our testers as it helped to keep riders firmly on the saddle during more aggressive rides.  The Mac Ride does not offer mini handlebars, but does offer optional small grips that you can mount on the inside of your grips.  It is also the only mountain bike kids seat on this list that offers a height-adjustable footrest.

The Mac Ride will also easily adjust to fit any style of bike, including threaded and threadless headsets. But compared to the Shotgun and the Do Little which mount on the top tube, on a bike with a steeply sloped top tube, the child rider will sit much higher on the Mac Ride.

Baby Bike Seats That Didn’t Make the List

Just because they’re best-sellers on Amazon doesn’t mean these front-mounted child bikes seats are actually the best. While the following seats certainly work for many families, they didn’t make our top picks because there are too many better options available. Read below for more information about why these seats fall short, despite the Amazon stars.

iBert Seat

MSRP: $119

FULL REVIEW: iBert Child Bike Seat

The iBert child bike seat is affordable, super easy to install, and compatible with most bike frames. It’s probably for these reasons that it has been a best seller on Amazon for many years.

But often parents don’t know what they don’t know, and if you’ve never used another bike seat, you might think the iBert seems like a solid, affordable choice.

Unfortunately, the back of the seat is so low that it provides very little back support for young riders. Additionally, the shoulder straps fall down consistently, creating a less-than-ideal safety environment for toddlers. Lastly, without any foot restraints, we’ve had our little testers pull their feet up and onto our handlebars on several occasions, which is definitely a potential safety hazard.

If you want the most comfortable and safest ride for your little one, the iBert is bright and fun, but not your best front-mounted option.

Thule RideAlong Mini

Incredible, But Only Available Second Hand

MSRP: $190

AGE RANGE: 12 months to 33 lbs.

INCHES TO MOUNT: 0.94″

FEATURES: Soft, easy-to-adjust shoulder straps, color-coded adjustment buttons, handlebar keeps babies’ hands occupied, variable height footrest, standard lock to prevent theft. Quick release for mounting in seconds.

FULL REVIEW: Thule RideAlong Mini

If you’re looking for the cream-of-the-crop front child bike seat, the Thule RideAlong Mini is it. High-quality and durable like other Thule seats, comfort and best-fit is where the RideAlong Mini really shines. Its shoulder straps are soft, padded, secure, and don’t slip down. To top it off, the RideAlong Mini is the only seat on this list to have two shoulder strap height positions to adjust as your child grows.

Safety is also second-to-none. The 5-point safety harness requires two hands for unbuckling (no baby is going to unbuckle themselves on accident!) and your child has their own handlebar so they’re less likely to grab yours!

Our very favorite feature of this seat is its easy-to-adjust shoulder straps with soft foam pads that keep those straps from sliding off shoulders. We’ve used a lot of seats in our day, and these small details can make all the difference in the comfort and convenience of your ride!

Front Mounted Child Bike Seat Comparison Chart

Are Front Mount Child Bike Seats Safe?

There is inherent risk any time you get on a bicycle, and adding a child to the mix increases that level of risk. Child bike seats come with their share of potential dangers. 

While bike trailers cocoon a child within a covered metal frame, are much closer to the ground, and are designed to stay upright when your bike falls to the side, kids are much more exposed in a child bike seat. 

With any child bike seat, if you fall or crash, your child is coming crashing along with you. However, there are safety benefits of different styles of front mounted seats.

Traditional front mounted child bike seats with harnesses (most common) will prevent a child from being ejected off your bike in the event of a sudden and extreme stop. They will also help keep your child supported if they happen to fall asleep during the ride.

MTB style front mounted seats, however, don’t have a harness.  Like all bicycles, the lack of harness allows the rider (as well as the child) to be separated from the bike in the event of an intense crash.  The ability to be separated prevents the child from being dragged or pinned under the bike as it tumbles to the ground or rolls down a hillside.

As a result, there are absolutely pros and cons with each style of seat.  There are risks with all front mounted child bike seats, and the best seat for your family really depends on your child’s age and temperament, your riding ability, and where and how you will be using the seat. 

Also keep in mind that while rear child bike seats can be safety certified by ASTM F1625 in the US, there is no safety certification for front mounted child bike seats. As a result, you cannot buy a front mounted seat that has been safety tested against any agreed upon standard.

How to Choose the Best Front Mounted Child (Baby) Bike Seat

For detailed information on choosing the best traditional front mount seat for your baby, check out our article Baby and Child Bike Seats: How to Choose. If you’re interested in the alternative mountain bike child seat world and need more help, keep reading below.

There are many different factors to consider when purchasing a mountain bike child bike seat.  While there currently aren’t a lot of these off-road child bike seats, the best seat for you depends on a handful of factors.  Having tested out these seats with our crew of mini testers on various bikes, here’s our breakdown of what you need to look for when determining the best open-style (no harness) front-mounted seat for your child and your bike.

Riding Style – Mountain or Casual

Open-style child bike seats were originally designed and created for mountain bikers.  The main benefits of mountain bike child seats are that they place the child lower on the frame and more centered on the bike as opposed to traditional front and rear-mounted seats.  As a result, the additional weight of the child is much more in-line with the adult rider, making the bike and the child feel more stable, especially on more aggressive terrain.

Another benefit of mountain bike child seats is their simplistic nature.  They allow kids to experience riding front and center without the often complicated fit and bulkiness of traditional child bike seats.

As a result, their popularity has also carried over to the causal biking world as well.  From dropping a little one off at preschool to enjoying a family ride around the neighborhood, mountain bike child bike seats have their place off the mountain as well.

Before selecting a seat, it’s essential that you determine what type of riding you plan on doing most of the time.  Also keep in mind that seats designed specifically for mountain biking (Shotgun, Mac Ride, Do Little) can work great for casual riding, but seats designed for casual use (Tyke Toter and UrRider) are not recommended for mountain biking.

Mountain Biking Use

The Shotgun, Do Little and Mac Ride were all designed specifically for mountain biking. Consisting of merely a seat and a footrest, they are small and compact so as to not take up very much space on the bike.

All three are designed to keep the child’s weight as low on the bike and as close to the adult’s center-of-gravity as possible.  Just keep in mind that your child is not strapped into the seat in any way, so they will need to be old enough to hold firmly to the handlebars while riding (and not try to turn around to grab you!).

We have personally tested out all three seats and can say they all perform great on the trails, but each seat has its own unique benefits.

The Shotgun is the best seat for you if:

• You want the thickest padded seat for your little grom
• You want your child to have their own handlebars
• You want your child to sit low on the bike frame

The Do Little is the best seat for you if:

• You plan on using the seat with other bike styles, such as a cruiser or bike with a step-through frame
• You want the child to sit as low as possible on the frame.  On most mountain bikes, the Do Little sits slightly lower than the others.

The Mac Ride is the best seat for you if:

• You plan on switching the seat between two or more bikes regularly
• You’ll be doing aggressive riding – the scooped saddle keeps kids in place better
• You want adjustable height footrests

Casual Use

All of the seats we listed above will work for casual riding, but the Tyke Toter and the UrRider are better suited for casual riding.  Both seats are bulkier and include integrated handlebars for the child.   On the flip side, they are easy to mount and are more affordable.

The Tyke Toter is the best seat for you if:

• You are concerned about child’s weight (it has no weight limit!)
• You want a seat you can quickly and easily swap between bikes

The U-Rider is the best seat for you if:

• You want an adjustable handlebar or have an e-bike

Frame Design with Casual Use

If you plan on using either the Do Little, Shotgun or Mac Ride on “non-mountain bikes” be sure to be aware of their limitations.

The Shotgun is only compatible on bikes with front suspension forks, so it won’t work on most cruisers.

The Mac Ride mounts between the headset and the seat post, so the seat’s placement is independent of the slope of the top tube. However, with bikes with deeply sloped top tubes or step-through frames, it eliminates your ability to step through the frame.

The Do Little includes an adapter to allow it to easily mount to these different styles of bikes, which not only allows the seat to sit lower on the bike, but makes getting on and off the bike much easier for the adult.

Do Little versus Mac Ride

Size and Age of Child

The size and age of the child rider will greatly affect everyone’s riding experience on a mountain biking child bike seat.  Unlike standard front and rear-mounted child bike seats, with these styles of seats, the child is not strapped in. As a result, the child needs to be old enough to hold on tight and remain relatively still during the ride.  Babies should not ride on this style of seat! On the flip side, older children can hold on tight, but will certainly take up more of the adult rider’s space.

We’ve tested mountain bike child seats on kids ages 2 to 8 and have found that age 3 and 4 tend to be the sweet spot for both child and adult riders.

3, 4, and 6-Year-Olds

Size of the Adult Rider

The size of the adult rider should also be taken into account when buying a mountain bike child seat.  A taller and/or larger-framed adult on a large size bike will always have more space and likely be more comfortable using these types of seat as compared to a smaller adult on a smaller bike.

Cockpit Space Difference: 5’2″ and 5’11” Adult Rider

The height at which the adult rider’s seat post is positioned also plays a role in the comfort level of the riders. In most cases, the higher the adult seat is set on the bike, the more room the adult rider will have.

If the adult rider’s seat is set at the lowest position on the bike, they are going to feel very cramped while riding.  In some cases (especially the Tyke Toter), the adult rider will need to raise their seat in order to use an open-style child bike seat.

Higher Set Adult Saddles = More Space for Adult & Child

Handlebars

When riding these open mountain bike child seats, kids typically hold on to the adult’s handlebars while riding.  With your hands gripped to the end of the bar, there is usually plenty of space for the child to place their hands between yours.

The Shotgun and the Tyke Toter, however,  have mini handlebars for the child to hold onto (Shotgun’s are optional).  In our experience, the Shotgun’s mini handlebars are fun, but don’t play a significant role in determining which seat is best for you as kids didn’t seem to miss having their own handlebars when they weren’t there.

For the Tyke Toter, the handlebars do put the child in a much more upright position than any of the other  child bike seats.

Footrests

The footrest on off-road child bike seats vary from a single peg to a height-adjustable footrest with straps.  While just a minor point to consider, it’s still best to be aware of the seat’s footrest design prior to purchase.

The smallest footrest of all the seats is found on the Tyke Toter.  The footrest peg is attached to the down tube and does not provide any straps to secure the child’s feet. Our bigger testers did have trouble keeping their larger feet on the pegs, but younger/smaller testers did just fine.  To accommodate for age, the footrest can be placed anywhere along the down tube of the bike.

The footrests on the Do Little, Shotgun, and Mac Ride all extend down from the seat mount and rest of the sides of the down tube.  The Mac Ride’s footrest is the only one of the three that is adjustable for height.  The Mac Ride and the Shotgun also have rubberized straps that can be adjusted to fit closely against the child’s foot.

The Do Little’s footrest is a fixed metal bar that cannot be adjusted.  The “loose” design of the Do Little’s footrest is to allow the child’s foot to easily be released from the footrest in the event of a crash.  Do Little’s belief is that it is better to have the child easily separated from the bike versus potentially having their leg or foot tweaked by the footrest.

Of the three, the Mac Ride footrest was our favorite as it offered the most adjustability.

Related Child Bike Seat Articles

• 11 Best Child (Baby) Bike Seats: If you’re not sold on front-mount, check out our favorite front, rear, and mid-mounted seats.
• Child Bike Seats: Comparison Chart: To view, sort, and read reviews on ever more bike seats.
• 10 Best Bike Trailers: Another great way to bring kids along for the ride!