Mila Colas – Cycling with a baby

Watch the video interview

Listen to the podcast

Read the interview

Presentation

Today, I’m hosting Mila Colas from the blog Un Monde à Vélo, who has a great deal of experience of bicycle travel and who continued to travel after the arrival of her baby. So I’ve invited her to tell us a bit about her experience and how she does it, and to give us her tips and tricks, because I think a lot of you might be interested. Welcome Mila, can you introduce yourself?

Yes, then I’m Mila. I’m 37 years old and a new mom. I’m a writer for the blog Un Monde à Vélo since 2017, but I started my career as a startup entrepreneur. I worked in the collaborative economy, notably for platforms like Ulule. After several years of helping people finance their bike trips, I decided to embark on my own adventure.

Excellent. And how did it come about? Well, you may have found out a little about it from the project leaders. But how did your passion for bike travel come about?

Absolutely. It was the project leaders who motivated me to leave, because they really inspired me. In fact, my partner Deni and I wanted to travel, but we didn’t really know how. We even hesitated about sailing. All we knew was that we wanted to travel ecologically and not necessarily by plane. In the end, cycling seemed to us to be the best solution: a slow, environmentally-friendly means of transport that offers a great sense of immersion.

So, in 2017, we set off on a seven-month cycling tour of Europe. Originally, we wanted to do a world tour, but we thought that might be a bit ambitious as a first project, given that we’d never cycled before. So we decided to test it out with a tour of Europe first. We really liked it, but the round-the-world trip never happened: when we wanted to go to Asia, there was the Covid, and the opportunity never arose again. And now that we’re parents, it’s a project that’s been put off a bit.

So in the end, you got right into the swing of things. You didn’t start, as many do, with short trips over weekends or a few weeks. Before this European tour, you jumped straight into the adventure!

Exactly. What’s more, for the record, I had ordered a new bike. Denis, on the other hand, left with his childhood bike, which he’d received as a present when he was 12. It was a mess: too small, not adapted at all, but he had modified it for the trip. I didn’t have a bike, so I bought one. But it got stuck at the Franco-German border for two or three months, and didn’t arrive until the morning of our departure. We hadn’t even trained for it, so we just jumped right in. My parents thought I’d go 50 kilometers before coming back crying, convinced it wouldn’t work. In the end, it was perhaps this remark that, out of pride, drove us on. We said to ourselves, “Oh no, we’re not coming back!”

The arrival of a baby

I know what you mean, a little ego can come in handy at times like this! Once your baby arrived, was it always a matter of course for you to continue cycling, or were you unsure of how to handle this new stage?

In fact, the question arose in a different way. Basically, I didn’t want to have children. For years, I always said I didn’t want children, precisely because I have an adventurous side and I was afraid my life would become routine. I don’t like routine, it’s not me at all. What changed my mind was seeing other families leave with their children, and of course Deni who had this desire to become a father. The idea that we could continue to travel in spite of everything finally convinced me. It was knowing that it was possible that made me want to have a child.

The fears of cycling with a baby

In the end, you discovered that it was possible, and it made you want to have a child and adopt another way of life, so to speak. What prejudices or preconceived ideas do you have about this type of adventure with a child?

Well… as I also had a lot of children, it’ s true that there’s nothing more we can do. It’s really, I think, that we’ve all had loved ones who, one day, had children and we’ve never seen them again. You get the impression that just going for a little walk in the woods is the end of the world for them. And I think it’s a bit like all those relatives – there were quite a few of them around me – who tell you: “It’s blocking the children, it’s complicated, you have to bring everything home.”

And actually, no, not at all. Children, especially babies, need almost nothing. They just need you, your smile and to take care of them, that’s all. Then, of course, there’s a bit of equipment, but it’s not a lot. In fact, we’ve realized this since we’ve traveled with our daughter, and there’s no problem at all. We hardly have any toys, it’s really very minimalist… And yet, she’s very alert, she’s doing very well, there’s nothing to worry about.

That’s good to hear. Yes, I think we’ve all been there. You see people who just don’t do anything anymore, and it can be a bit frightening. So it’s great to have testimonials like yours to show that it can be done. It also depends on the parents’ desires and what they do. When you first decided to travel with your daughter, did you have any pre-departure apprehensions? Questions where you really said to yourself: “I’m still scared, what am I going to do?

Yes, so I was very apprehensive because Léa is an adorable baby. She’s really very, very easy. There’s just one thing she’s extremely complicated about, and that’s sleep. And so sleep, managing it with her… Knowing that at home, she needs to be in complete darkness, in her bed, to have a whole ritual, and so on. I thought: “Oh dear, she’s not going to sleep all day, she’s going to scream, it’s going to be complicated. So that was really my fear. After that, I think it really depends on the child. Everyone will have their own fears. There are so many things that can happen, depending on personality. So that was really my difficulty. In the end, it worked out fine.

Et sinon, il y a pas mal de débats autour de la carriole, du voyage à vélo avec bébé, du bébé secoué. On se fait quand même pas mal culpabiliser finalement d’être parent et de partir avec un bébé. Tu ne sais pas trop, tu as l’impression d’être un monstre presque de partir avec un tout petit loup. Alors qu’en fait, les remorques vélo aujourd’hui sont quand même assez performantes. Et puis, je trouve que si tu t’adaptes, si tu prends le rythme, vraiment, il faut casser ça. Il n’y a pas de gros problèmes. Tu t’adaptes à ton enfant, encore une fois. Ça dépend de sa dynamique, s’il se tient bien assis, etc.

Adapting to cycling with a baby

And in terms of organization and logistics, how have you adapted? What have you put in place? So, either in terms of your choice of routes, your organization, your daily breakdown, your breaks, etc., or in terms of your equipment. Also in terms of your equipment. What have you changed to adapt?

First, there’s transportation. It had already become very complicated from home. For the record, we live in Italy at the moment. I didn’t mention this in my presentation. I’m French and we have two houses: one in Brittany and one in Italy. So we live between the two. But right now, coming from Italy to France with a bike and a trailer is almost mission impossible. It’s already very complicated. Trains and train lines are cut off. So we had to adapt.

We invested in a bike rack and took the car more, unfortunately, for our itineraries. But then, that’s part of the adaptation process when traveling by bike. So several times we left the car for a week somewhere, two weeks somewhere, and made loops instead. Not least because traveling with a child and a trailer is very complicated by train. In fact, you have to have the trailer folded all the time. Except that when you have a baby who doesn’t walk, for example, you can’t take the trailer easily like that under your arm, with a baby in the other. You see, it doesn’t work.

Even without folding it, we still took the train several times. Even without folding the trailer at the dock, we still had to ask someone to help us board. So if you start folding, it doesn’t work. And it’s true that, as a result, we got quite a bit of gibberish from the train crew for boarding with the trailer unfolded.

Then, on a day-to-day basis, we’re going to have more worries. We won’t be able to travel like we used to. You do feel the weight of the difference in altitude a little more. But that’s not really the problem. It’s more that, after a while, baby gets tired of being in the trailer.

So we traveled until she was 12 months old, or 14 months old last time, because the last time I traveled with her was last month. And I can see there’s been a change. Already, when she was 7 months old, it was cool. In fact, she slept most of the day. As soon as we did three laps around the wheel, she’d fall asleep. So we had an hour in the morning, two hours in the afternoon. We had peace and quiet, and that meant we could get on with things.

Today, she still sleeps 2 hours in the afternoon, but it’s a little less regular in tow because it wakes her up more easily. So, in the morning, she has to be quite busy, otherwise it’s complicated. So we adapt: we travel when she feels like it, we take more time in the morning before setting off, we take a big picnic break when she starts to get fed up, etc. In the end, the rhythm is completely different. In the end, the rhythm is completely different.

But in the end, we really adapt to the child’s rhythm. It depends a lot on each child, and especially on his or her sleep needs.

It also varies according to age. Parents often opt for a small saddle installed on the bike frame, allowing the child to sit in front. This offers an alternative to the trailer, allowing you to alternate between the two. It’s handy for moving forward a little faster. But in our case, she’s still a little too young for this system. She’s in an intermediate phase: after a while, she’ll tire of the trailer, but we can’t really put her anywhere else yet. Some parents choose to put a bicycle seat on the luggage rack, but that’s not an option for me. I don’t find this system very suitable, and I’m especially afraid of it. But it all depends on individual preferences.

Equipment tips from Mila (and Léa!)

What about equipment? How did you choose? I imagine there are a multitude of trailer models to choose from. What do you really need to take into account to make sure that your baby is comfortable?

We chose a Croozer trailer because we already had one for our dog. We also had a Burley before, which wasn’t bad. But the Croozer is really top-of-the-range. And we knew we’d be traveling a lot. I don’t think we all have the same budget.

What we liked about this trailer is that it’s cushioned. There’s something about it that means when you hit a hole, it’s fine. It doesn’t move all over the place, becausesome trailers aren’t cushioned. You can really see that it’s moving all over the place, and that’s not great.

You could put a hammock in it when it was smaller. So I didn’t use it too much for the trip, because I thought she was still too small before. But as the trailer fits, she can be used as a stroller. I took her around a lot with it before.

Then there was the dimension and there are little pockets everywhere. So she can play, rummage around, look, take out toys and tidy up. So that keeps her busy too.

And above all, trailer tracking. You have to test several of them, it depends. But there are a lot of models where you really feel that you’ve got something behind you that’s a bit heavy. But with this one, you almost don’t feel it at all, even going uphill. It almost feels electric. It’s really incredible. And yet it’s heavy – 16 kg, I think. But it’s really well made.

It’s incredible that there’s such a difference. I didn’t think you could feel a bit of lightness or not.

Yes, we felt it enormously between the Burley and the Croozer. We went from a dog weighing 25 to 40 kilos. So we put on weight, a lot of weight. And yet the follow-up was amazing. So obviously with the dog on the climbs, on the other hand we were just suffering. But it doesn’t work. Fortunately, the babies are lighter.

It’s actually easier!

Oh yes, that’s a lot. As I’ve often said, it’s much easier to travel with a child than with a dog. I’m sure it is. But by far.

Calling all, if you have a dog and you hesitate, exchange it for a baby! 😛

Maybe not. Keep it anyway.

The choice of route

Let’s keep them both! Do you have any tips for choosing the right itinerary?

So yes, for us it’s all the itineraries we haven’t done this year, because I think it’s also true that we haven ‘t had many obstacles from a personal point of view, because we’re quite experts in bicycle travel, we’ve been riding for a few years now, and we’ve done some long, long trips, so we haven’t had many obstacles.

But what’s going to hold a lot of families back is safety. In particular, you need an itinerary where you’re sure you won’t come across too many cars, or at least hardly any at all. And in these cases, I really recommend itineraries that are often very well known for these things, such as the Vélodyssée, the Loire à Vélos and the Vélo-Francette, which I think has been seen quite a lot.

There are all the canals: the Nantes-Brest canal, the Canal du Midi des Deux Mers. These routes are great for beginners. Recently, my mom and Léa and I went from Rennes to Saint-Malo via the Ivérance canal. It’s true that when you’re a family beginner, it’s not difficult, it’s always smooth, and it goes really well. It’s really cool, you’ve got lots of parks, games, places where you can sit back and take a break. And the kids, even the babies, are really happy to be here. So it’s a good way to get started. You’ve got plenty of campsites, and they’ve got everything you need to keep yourself busy, to keep your family busy, and to have really safe infrastructures.

They are indeed good itineraries. You said Canal des Deux Mers, but I find the Canal du Midi part has a lot of roots. It’s not asphalted now, is it? Because I was thinking, if it isn’t, it must be shaking with a baby!

It’s changed, we’ll have to check again, but it seems to me, if I remember correctly, that already in 2018, it was planned to be asphalted. Yes, the problem is that, like the Canal du Midi, a lot of work had to be done to make it fit in with everything else around it. And so, it seems to me that the work has been done. To be verified, but it seems to me…

It would be nice, because it’s true that it’s a choice of route, but at the time, it was quite shaky and not necessarily wide. There’s also that, I sometimes wonder, I sometimes have questions about that too, about the fact that a trailer passes on the road and that, finally, I have the impression that there isn’t that much information? Do you ever have problems with that, that the path is too narrow and so with a trailer it’s not ideal or it’s not a problem at all?

This year, we mainly travelled on shared routes, so the problem didn’t arise. In fact, we’d long wanted to tackle more ascents and descents, but this year our professional projects took precedence, delaying this ambition a little. In the end, we focused our trips on more demanding itineraries, with high gradients, without encountering any major difficulties.

We tend to put the brakes on, especially when it comes to safety. However, we have taken certain precautions, such as using flashing lights that are visible even in broad daylight. We chose small, shared lanes with little traffic, which contributed greatly to our peace and quiet. Of course, there are times when attention is required, but in the end, it’s up to us to manage the trailer; we’re responsible for it. It’s a totally controlled operation.

We’d never have dared take this kind of trip with Léa in a year or two, when she has her own bike. But as long as we have a baby, it’s a unique time to take this kind of route. It’s now that we can take advantage of these less-frequented routes, before Léa gets older and we turn to itineraries like La Vélodyssée, for example. So we’re taking full advantage of the opportunity to experiment with other types of route.

It’s interesting, it’s actually a bit counter-intuitive. You’d think you’d immediately go for cycle paths, but in the end, you’re right, it makes a lot of sense. It’s easiest now, so with a baby, you can carry on doing what you were doing before.

Indeed, we’ve opted for itineraries like the Grand Tour du Pays Basque or the Vallée du Lot à vélo, which are a little safer and will become even safer in the years to come. However, these routes include a lot of elevation changes and mountain passes, making them less suitable for some families, at least for the time being.

Essential equipment for cycling with a baby

And if you had to make just a short list, you know, of must-haves when traveling with a baby, what would you give?

There are several essentials when traveling with a baby. First, a small picnic mat. We used it all the time, and it was really practical. As soon as we stopped, we put it on the ground and Léa could play quietly on it. It was really nice.

Secondly, warm clothing is essential. After all, babies don’t move around much in their trailers, so we’ve opted for complete, effective down suits. N

e also found a sleeping bag with sleeves, which came in handy for bivouacs. This model, which we bought in the USA, was the only one that met all our performance criteria, especially for low temperatures, down to 5°C. It cost us 100 euros, but customs added a tax at the border, bringing the total to 120 euros. A rather high investment, but well worth it.

We also took a small mattress from Décathlon, suitable for bivouacs for those who aren’t too fussy about comfort. It’s the size of a baby’s cot and originally designed for adults, but we found it very practical for Lea. It allows her to sit comfortably in the tent.

It’s alsoimportant to have a few spare comforters, at least two, in case one gets lost. We also packed toys and books, which Léa really enjoyed. Waterproof books can be a good choice, as the trailer, especially ours, tends to let water in from underneath. When the rain was heavy, the ground became quite wet, so waterproof shoes for the baby are essential. Léa was about a year old at the time, and we hadn’t yet found suitable shoes for her. On a particularly wet day, with the trailer soaking wet, her feet froze, which was really difficult.

Finally, a bottle warmer or thermos flasks can come in very handy. Initially, we thought we’d be able to find places to heat water just about everywhere, but this wasn’t always the case. So we really appreciate having our own bottle warmer, even if it does take up a bit of space.

And, for restaurant meals, a booster seat can come in handy. Although it may seem a little superfluous, we found it very practical, especially as Léa is a great gourmet. It allowed us to introduce her to a variety of dishes. It’s not always easy to find high chairs in restaurants, so the booster seat was a good solution. Of course, it’s an optional accessory, not essential if you don’t have one.

We’re only a few kilos off now, aren’t we?

Yes, but in reality, there’s a lot of equipment that seems heavy, when it’s not necessarily the case. For example, the picnic mat weighs only 100 grams, so it’s still very light. In the end, you don’t really feel the weight. We put everything in the trailer, where there’s plenty of storage space. Incidentally, I tend to say “carriole” by reflex, because in Italian you say “carriola”. But hey, both terms work, I hope that’s clear!

Managing travel arrangements and unforeseen events

And you said that sometimes you had trouble finding a bottle warmer. Were there any organizational aspects that you found particularly difficult?

Not particularly, but it’s true that heating the bottle at the beginning was a bit of a pain. Otherwise, in terms of organization, there’s one point we found complicated: managing accommodation if everything is booked in advance. In high season, for example, having a reservation every night can become a headache, especially with a baby. Because if your child can’t take it anymore and you want to stop, it’s not possible. You have to go all the way to your accommodation. That’s why it’s so much better to avoid booking everything in advance. Of course, we know this isn’t always feasible, especially on popular itineraries like the Vélodyssée or the Loire à Vélo.

Trying to travel without a reservation must be complicated, especially in the middle of August…

Yes, that’s for sure. It’s great to be able to stay flexible, but to do so, it’s best to go out of season or choose a less crowded itinerary. It’s a tip that can really make your trip easier.

And how do you deal with the unexpected? Because on a bike trip, there are always unforeseen circumstances: an unexpected storm, a road cut, a detour… And with a baby, I imagine that adds a challenge?

We tended to plan our trips according to the weather. It’s a habit we’ve had for a long time. We consulted the forecasts to spot favorable weather windows, or to know precisely what time it was going to rain. This enabled us to adapt our days. As we were planning very short stages, between 30 and 40 kilometers a day, it was largely manageable with a baby. If she was in a good mood, we could even go up to 50 kilometers, as we had done when she was still very young.

On those occasions, we travelled without booked accommodation, which gave us a great deal of spontaneity. But this year, with stages reduced to 30 kilometers, it gave us even greater flexibility. Three hours on the bike, or four with a bit of elevation gain, and the day was complete.

That’s good to know. It’s interesting not to put pressure on yourself. Sometimes, especially on social networks, we see people setting themselves ambitious targets in terms of kilometers, whether they have a child or not, by the way. But your message seems essential to me: the idea is to adapt to your child, so that the journey is a shared pleasure for both parents and baby. If you aim for 100 kilometers a day, your child may not really appreciate it. But if you adapt the pace, everyone’s happy.

Exactly. And I’d even go so far as to say that, until he’s two or three, we’ll probably continue to limit our stages to 30 kilometers a day, with even more regular breaks. Sometimes children just want to settle down. I felt this very strongly with Léa. After a month’s travel, the last few days became complicated. By the end, I was hardly driving at all. I had taken over the car while Deni did the stages, and I was looking after Léa.

It has to be said that the itinerary was particularly demanding: we were doing the grand tour of the Basque Country , with lots of gradients and stony roads. Surprisingly, on two occasions I rode with Léa in the trailer on these rough roads. She fell asleep immediately, lulled to sleep by the shocks. But for me, it was a real ordeal: 20% gradients with the trailer not moving forward… You come to accept your limits, that’s essential.

In the end, we adapt everything : the break days, the itineraries, the rhythm, to suit the child. And you have to know how to let go. The pleasure must be shared. You can return to sport later, during training sessions or at other times. In any case, the moments when you’re riding with the extra weight are twice as intense. When you let go, you enjoy it more, and you can go much further.

Benefits of cycling for parents and children

It’s a good message. In your opinion, what are the benefits of traveling by bike for the baby, but also for the parents?

Oh, there are many! First of all, it’s a great bonding experience. It creates a real bond between parents and baby. Finally, we get to know him better. Even though he’s part of our lives, he’s a tiny being with his own personality. And in everyday life, especially when you’re working, that’s not always easy. Many parents have to go back to work very quickly, sometimes after three, four or five months, and the baby is in day care all day. In the evening, you’re back with the baby, caught up in the routine. These moments of travel, on the other hand, are a break, a parenthesis where we share unique moments.

It’s a time of mutual learning. Bicycle travel also enables babies to observe the world and learn to be bored. In our society, children often find it hard to wait, to observe their surroundings. These moments in the trailer, when Léa was sometimes bored, enabled her to develop all these skills. And when she got bored, she started singing!

For us, it also meant that we were able to successfully diversify her diet. On our travels, we often ate out or had breakfast in hotels. She tasted lots of different things, which was fantastic. Today, she eats everything without any problem. This experience has been a real enrichment for us.

Regaining confidence in your body as a mother

It’s great, indeed. It allows them to discover so many things. What about you? Has this experience changed your vision of bicycle travel? You were already traveling a lot by bike with Denis before Léa arrived. What has changed for you?

No, it didn’t. It hasn’t changed me, but rather strengthened me. My perception remains the same: traveling by bike is still a pleasure, something I’m not ready to stop.

That’s great to hear. We can continue to follow the adventures of Un Monde à Vélo with baby!

Maybe there’s a point where it’s changed my thinking slightly, but from a personal point of view. Having a baby has enabled me to travel alone, especially for professional projects. For example, and I’d already experienced this with Ringo our dog, I felt that some climbs were very difficult. Deni had to take over. This made me doubt myself and my abilities. I was still in the postpartum phase, with a few extra kilos, and I could feel that my body wasn’t quite the same as before. These sensations can give the impression that you’re no longer able to do what you used to do.

But, in the end, by tackling these changes in altitude and regaining confidence in my body, I was able to tackle other demanding routes. And they seemed easy! It gave me a lot of confidence, both as a woman and in this postpartum phase. Regaining control of my body was an important experience.

It’s very inspiring. After giving birth, women often go through a complex period. It’s great to see that cycling has helped you to overcome this, to regain your abilities, while also serving as a physical workout with Léa in the trailer.

Yes, it does. It helps a lot.

Reading ideas

To conclude, you’ve already given us a lot of advice, but would you have any ultimate advice for parents who’d like to embark on a cycling trip with their baby, but are still hesitating? Maybe because they don’t have your experience and don’t know how to go about it.

I’d recommend reading two books. The first is Prends ma roue by Olivier Godin. This book inspired me enormously. Olivier and his family crossed the United States via the Rockies with an 11-month-old baby. When I read the story, I said to myself, “If they’ve managed that, then anything is possible.”

The second, very practical book is called À vélo en famille, written by Jeanne and Camille. It covers a wide range of topics, including cycling during pregnancy, postpartum and many other aspects that are often overlooked. This guide is really well done, and you can feel that it’s been written by women, which makes it very relevant. It came out during my pregnancy and reassured me enormously. These two books were revelations for me.

What’s next?

Good to know! I’ll put the links to these books in the descriptions so listeners can discover them. And finally, do you have any plans for future travels with your family?

Yes, of course, but nothing has been decided yet. For 2025, I’d like to concentrate more on personal projects, as recently we’ve been traveling a lot by bike for professional reasons. I want to travel more freely, without constraints.

Okay, we’ll keep a close eye on this on Un Monde à Vélo. Thank you so much for your testimonial and all these valuable tips. I’m sure it will help many parents dare to embark on a bike trip with their baby. It’s inspiring and full of practical tips. I invite you all to discover the Un Monde à Vélo website, a real mine of information. Many thanks again!

Follow Mila

• Website: https://un-monde-a-velo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unmondeavelo

References and inspiration

• À vélo en Famille, Jeanne Lepoix and Camille Boiardi-Franchi.
• Take my wheel, Olivier Godin(https://www.oliviergodin.fr)
• Jeanne Lepoix’s account https://www.instagram.com/jeannelepoix/
• 2bike3: https://www.2bike3.com/
• Enjolivélo: https://www.enjolivelo.com/