I have ridden with my kids in a rear rack seat, top tube seat and then a Burly trailer. By far my favorite was the top tube seat. In my case, I lashed an 8” dowel to the bottom tube for foot pegs and mounted a small padded board on the top tube of my bike frame for the seat. With this arrangement, I had my son in between my arms and knees and needed to pedal slightly bowl legged. I don’t remember that bothering me at all. We took long rides on both streets and mountain biking (on smoother trails). We were able to have intimate conversations in all conditions with this set up. Note this did not have a seat belt and I never recall ever wishing that I had one. It would have been easy to fashion one on.
Before that, I used a rear rack child seat. I did not like it so much because we could not really talk while I pedaled. His voice was too little and I was panting too much. Three decades later I have a Radwagon with the Thule Yepp seat. I have the same complaints about that rear rack seat as well. On the positive side, it is MUCH safer and I love how easy it is to put on and off. With it, I take my grandson on most errands with me. I love it and think the high price is worth its weight in gold.
Finally, I my thoughts on the trailer are quite positive. Most trailers can carry one or two kids plus all the accessories and toys any of us could think of. With the bug and separate vinyl wind screen, I could adjust the climate needs and ride in summer, snowy winter and rains in between with a clear conscience. I had the luxury to avoid busy or narrow roads, so it worked well for us. Finally, after my kids outgrew the trailer I continued using it to commute to work when I had lots of gear to haul. I could also lash the same gear to my bike rack, but lashing it down effectively was the most difficult part of the ride. The trailer made it easy to again throw in anything I felt like having at work ( food, books, projects and safety gear).
There you have it. Thanks for this forum.