As tempting as it may be to put your littlest infant in a front pack and hop on your bike, this is not considered to be a good idea. Children need to be at least a year old before riding with you, because before that age, they do not have the strength in their necks to be able to wear even a lightweight helmet. Helmets are an absolutely essential part of bicycle safety, considering that they can reduce chances for a head injury by 80 per cent.

Trailers can be purchased that will carry more than one child, if need be. The total weight of the children is the factor to consider, which should usually be less than one hundred pounds. Make sure the trailer you choose has been approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), an organization that maintains safety standards for various products.

Child bike seats have been around for decades. In most instances, they can accommodate a child of up to forty pounds. It can take a little while to get used to riding with a child on the back of your bike, because the extra weight will change your center of gravity, thus affecting the way you balance. If you’re in good shape and used to carrying groceries and gear on your bike, it will help.

Visibility is always an important factor in bicycle safety, and you won’t want to take any chances when you’re carrying that most precious cargo. Consider installing an orange flag, and wear clothing in a bright fluorescent color. Make sure you ride on streets that don’t get much traffic, and forgo taking your child with you on your bike if the weather is bad, since this increases chances of an accident.

Part of being a good parent is balancing green choices with safe choices. It’s not worth compromising the safety of your child just to save a few ounces of gasoline. By following a few simple safety rules, though, you can include your toddlers when you travel by bike, and enjoy the fresh air and scenery together as a family.

Vehicle emissions are one major preventable cause of dirty snow. To help prevent those filthy flakes, consider walking, riding a bicycle, or carpooling as much as possible to keep the emissions to a minimum. Walking and cycling will also help you shed those unwanted extra pregnancy pounds so there are definite benefits to being planet-conscious! When you absolutely must drive, use cleaner-burning fuels.

Another unnecessary cause of dirty snow is soot particles produced by smokestacks from factories. The US has fallen behind most other countries in requiring factories to comply with reasonable emissions which could not only harm the environment, but also make it harder for you and your baby to breathe easy.

Forrest fires are a third factor that affects dirty snow. When camping be sure that you completely put out all fires before leaving camp. Keep fires far away from brush. Also, use common sense and don’t start fires on windy days, or throw cigarettes out of windows while driving.

How does dirty snow effect global warming anyway? Well, believe it or not, researchers have found that dirty snow can have as much detrimental effect on global warming as greenhouse gasses. You may find the idea of snow heating anything a bit absurd; however, consider this. Although bright clean snow reflects light, dirty snow is darker and absorbs heat which warms the atmosphere. Thus, at least one-third of global warming problems can be blamed on dirty snow, or at least on the people who produce the noxious emissions that cause the filthy flakes. Keep in mind that most of these emissions are preventable, and you can do your part to keep your family and planet healthy. Remember, use clean energy sources whenever possible.