Balance bike vs. Tricycle for 2 year old

[MacroMama]

Hello!
My parents are planning on buying our DS either a balance bike or a tricycle for his second birthday.

We were wondering if any of you have had one for someone his age and what your thoughts are. Are there benefits? Cons?

Thanks so much!

[chick]

Millie has a trike with a parent handle and we use it instead of a pushchair most of the time. She can actually pedal it a little without my help but most of the time I push and she has her feet on the pedals making it look as if she's doing all the hard work!

My elder dd had a trike at 2 (they didn't do them with parent poles/ handles then!) then went straight to a bike with pedals at 3 - first with stabilisers then without at 3 yrs 8 months.

[RoundAbout]

We have a balance bike and love it. I think the theory behind balance bikes is very sound in that it teaches kids to ride a bike without having to go through the awkward training wheel stage.

Check out the videos on the Strider Sports website. The fact that the kids are having so much fun and doing so much really convinced me that the balance bike was the ideal choice for us.

[AllisonR]

My DD is 28 months and we've had problems with both. She can pedal, but she does not have the strength to pedal hard enough to pull the wheels around. Its a heavy, metal tricycle. We have a balance bike as well, but even at the lowest setting she is still too short for it. So she still uses the plastic three wheeler thing. If you can get a balance bike that is small enough, I'd go with that.

[SparklingGemini]

Originally Posted by AllisonR

My DD is 28 months and we've had problems with both. She can pedal, but she does not have the strength to pedal hard enough to pull the wheels around. Its a heavy, metal tricycle. We have a balance bike as well, but even at the lowest setting she is still too short for it. So she still uses the plastic three wheeler thing. If you can get a balance bike that is small enough, I'd go with that.

Sorry to hijack here...but I have a question.

Which balance bike to you have? My DD will be 2 in July and I wanted to get her one but she is very teeny and very petite and I am worried about just what you mentioned.

According to the Strider website, they have the shortest seat height, so I was leaning toward them but I would love to know what works (or doesn't as the case may be) for other mama's of shorties.

[boigrrrlwonder]

On average, children learn to peddle at about 2 1/2 yrs. old. My parents gave us a trike that the parent can push for her 2nd b-day. T loves it, but we use it like a stroller.

[Meems]

DD got a kettler trike for her 2nd b-day and was pedaling independently in a few minutes. it was unbelievable.

i've heard the balance bikes are cool, and may get one for her in the future.

we also use the trike w/ pushbar for walks. she pedals and i push. it's great.

[Peony]

DD1 was pedaling herself around by 2.5, DD2 is about that age and has no idea how to make the petals work. She doesn't have a clue about the balance bike we have either. She uses the trike with the pushbar and we just push her around.


It just depends on the child. DD1 has always been one to pick up sports very quickly, DD2 not so much.

[sugarlumpkin]

Balance Bike!

My mom bought a Strider for my DS when he was 18 months old. He loves it. He is now 26 months and can go faster than I or my DH can walk! I am considering buying a bike for myself so we can go riding together. Seriously. We started with the seat at the very lowest position (13" off the floor) and we've only raised it once since then (I think we need to raise it again). My DS rides the bike indoors and out.

[Boot]

My DS is about to turn two and I had the same dilemma. I decided on a trike with a pushbar after getting to try out a friend's balance bike on the lowest setting. He just didn't seem ready for it although he is tall and quite physically able. But he LOVES all bikes and trikes. I'm thinking, what's the point in pushing him? Those balance bike's go to about 5 years old so even if he gets it for christmas, or his 3rd birthday he'll still get lots of use out of it. I think a trike with pushbar is more versatile for this age.

[snoopy5386]

I think it depends on the kid. My DD is not very physically advanced, at all. She got a trike for her 2nd bday, now this year at nearly 3 she can peddle it on flat ground or a downslope. If there is any kind of slight incline she can't do it. I figure by the end of this summer she'll be able to ride it. We may get her a balance bike for her 4th birthday. I don't think there is any way she could ride it even at 3.

[ShyDaisi]

Originally Posted by SparklingGemini

Sorry to hijack here...but I have a question.

Which balance bike to you have? My DD will be 2 in July and I wanted to get her one but she is very teeny and very petite and I am worried about just what you mentioned.

According to the Strider website, they have the shortest seat height, so I was leaning toward them but I would love to know what works (or doesn't as the case may be) for other mama's of shorties.

I had been leaning towards Strider, but had heard that it is kind of cheaply made. I need the shortest bike possible for my petite little man. I had thought about waiting till Christmas or his 3rd birthday, but he wants a bicycle soooo bad I have been trying to find one for his 2nd.

After pouring over web site after web site (and discarding a LOT of good options that are only sold in the UK), I have found what I *think* I am getting Micah for his birthday....

It is made by Haro (which is a manufacturer of both adult and children's bikes)...It is a 10" bike, which seems to be virtually impossible to find. I haven't found any reviews to discern whether there are any issues with it though. However, since the manufacturer makes more than just this one bike, it makes me more hopeful. I have found several bike shops around the country that sell them, but only a handful, and only two websites online so far. It is the Haro Z10 and retails for around $90.....Depending on where you find it, it comes in blue, pink, and black.

[MacroMama]

Thanks for all the info. It's going to be a tough decision.

If anyone has any other recommendations on different brads, I'd appreciate the info!

Has anyone tried a Skuut?

[LittleBlessings]

Dc had a trike with a pushbar

[Snuzzmom]

Originally Posted by MacroMama

Has anyone tried a Skuut?

We have a Skuut. DS is 28 months and loves it.

[askew]

My DS got Skuut for his second birthday. He is only now able to touch both feet to the ground on the lowest setting and he is really tall for his age. He is 27 months and 36 or 37". Like in 3T and 4T pants.

I love the bike, and it is REALLY well made. Looks like it will last a long time! I don't think I would recommend it for a 2 yr old unless you want to hold onto to for a while, or bend down and hold the back of the seat to balance them. (very hard on your back, trust me )

[phillychiquita]

When DD was about 15 months I got an old kettler trike from a garage sale and then for her 2nd birthday, my husband got DD a skuut balance bike because he liked the idea.

DD is tall for her age (about 37 inches) and she can barely touch on the lowest setting of the skuut. She calls the skuut balance bike "too slippery" (meaning, she can't straddle it well enough and it slips from under her) and does not want to ride it...she only wants to ride the kettler trike (which she just figured out how to pedal by herself).

If it were me, I would go with a nice trike that has a parent handle (and steering control for the parent) and a little trunk that they can put their "stuff" in and I would save the skuut/balance bike for an older birthday.

[Limabean1975]

Subbing so I can open this on tapatalk

[cyanviolet]

We bought a Wishbone balance trike that converts to a balance bike. It is more pricey then other push bikes but I liked it because it was good for ages 1-5. You get rid of one of the wheels once your child is comfortable with just two and then the frame flips for short or tall kids. I thought my little guy was going to go nuts for it and he does love walking around on it with his "hemet" on, but he isn't reallying riding it much yet. We gave it to him when he was 18 months and he just got PO'd that he couldn't push it around easily. I think it really varies with the kid. He's requesting a skateboard lately (at 21 months) but we told him he'll have to learn to ride a bike first!

[ellairiesmom]

We also have the Haro Z10 (in pink) and DD1 just never really took to it.  Granted, she was still a little short for it when we got it the Christmas after her 2nd Birthday (2009), but even now, she prefers the Radio Flyer Fold to Go trike over the balance bike.  The 4.5 year old boy next door loves her balance bike though! 

I suspect DD2 might be on that balance bike by the fall.  She is already showing signs of being much more adventurous & less cautious/timid...

It is very well made, adorable & a shop near us ordered for us & it was there in a week.  Cost in 2009 was $95.
 

Originally Posted by ShyDaisi 

Originally Posted by SparklingGemini

Sorry to hijack here...but I have a question.

Which balance bike to you have? My DD will be 2 in July and I wanted to get her one but she is very teeny and very petite and I am worried about just what you mentioned.

According to the Strider website, they have the shortest seat height, so I was leaning toward them but I would love to know what works (or doesn't as the case may be) for other mama's of shorties.

I had been leaning towards Strider, but had heard that it is kind of cheaply made. I need the shortest bike possible for my petite little man. I had thought about waiting till Christmas or his 3rd birthday, but he wants a bicycle soooo bad I have been trying to find one for his 2nd.

After pouring over web site after web site (and discarding a LOT of good options that are only sold in the UK), I have found what I *think* I am getting Micah for his birthday....

It is made by Haro (which is a manufacturer of both adult and children's bikes)...It is a 10" bike, which seems to be virtually impossible to find. I haven't found any reviews to discern whether there are any issues with it though. However, since the manufacturer makes more than just this one bike, it makes me more hopeful. I have found several bike shops around the country that sell them, but only a handful, and only two websites online so far. It is the Haro Z10 and retails for around $90.....Depending on where you find it, it comes in blue, pink, and black.