Cycling with Young Children

It's been bike riding weather lately. Although one of my earliest memories is the view behind my polyester-clad Mother while riding around Small Town, Mississippi, I was never one of those brave moms who even wanted to cycle with my kids. I stuck to the jogging stroller even after my children got so tall their heads bulged the canvas of the canopy.

A few of my Mama friends with young children have been wondering about child seats for bicycles. A simple search in any browser brings up dozens of child safety seats to attach to your bike.  Plus, there is the trailer option which involves pulling the children behind you. There's always the unbiased information available from the safety testers at Consumer Reports. I found an interesting opinion piece from Harvard University that made the case that the trailer was safer for children than attaching them in bike seats to an adult bike.

Do you have any tips for parents regarding cycling with your young children? If you use a bike safety seat, is it attached on the front of your bike (those kind of scare me!) or the back? Is getting a trailer (with a potential cost of $200 to $300) worth the added safety? Where have you bought helmets for your children locally? Are there any partically child-friendly cycle shops in town? Your opinions and recommendations are humbly requested.