Balance bike or training wheels - Page 2

[Ceili]

We just got ds a bike with training wheels and he's doing great. I like training wheels because you can slowly move the wheels up as the kid gets accustomed to being on the bike. In the beginning they hold you up and overtime they're just there to catch you if you need it. It's a nice transition.

There are two main things to riding a bike, balance is one of them, but being able to pedal fast enough to maintain that balance is a big part too.

[jillmamma]

Originally Posted by TiredX2

I think balance bike vs bike w/training wheels is a personal choice, but I just wanted to address the OP's concern about past peddling difficulties.

DS got a two wheeler w/training wheels when he was 20 months old. He couldn't really ride a trike well but a bike was MUCH easier. I think that is because having your legs below you and moving is much more natural for humans (since we walk upright) then sitting and trying to move your legs.

See, and my DD (almost 4) is just the opposite. She can easily pedal a trike as the pedals are in front of her, but her two-wheel bike with training wheels, she pushes down and back, which engages the brake.

[lisalulu]

Originally Posted by Ceili

We just got ds a bike with training wheels and he's doing great. I like training wheels because you can slowly move the wheels up as the kid gets accustomed to being on the bike. In the beginning they hold you up and overtime they're just there to catch you if you need it. It's a nice transition.

Oh I didn't know that about training wheels!

[FreeRangeMama]

We have found that the transition from training wheels to no training wheels to be really difficult for my older two kids. It took a long time and was really frustrating for them. My oldest is not terribly coordinated, so I wasn't surprised that it was hard for him, but ds2 is very coordinated and has great balance for lots of things (like using the railing of a high playground as a balance beam for example ). It has been hard for him (he is nearly 6).

We went with the Skuut for dd1 for her 4th birthday. She was having a hard time with figuring out pedals on the tricycle. My nephew had a balance bike and was doing well with it so I figured it couldn't hurt. It has been great! She can keep up with her big brothers pretty well (better than she could with a bike with training wheels). She is balancing well on it and loves that she has a "big bike" that she can use.

Just today we gave my dd2 a balance bike for her second birthday (Adams run bike). Her first time on it she could walk it around. It is a tiny bit tall for her but she has the right idea. She couldn't peddle a tricycle so we thought this would be a great way to keep up with her siblings. And after the great experience her sister is having with the Skuut we figured it was a good way to go. We didn't go with the Skuut with her because the lowest seat height was too tall (the run bike has a seat height low enough for newly 2 year old).

I should also mention that my 5.5 and 8 year old boys also LOVE the balance bikes. They are always tearing around on their sister's bike and they go FAST. No worries about keeping up with other kids

[Juuulie]

Another vote for the balance bike. My youngest zoomed around as fast on the balance bike as the bigger kids on their 2-wheelers and he was soooo proud! Often he'd go down the whole block without his feet ever touching the ground. When we got him a 2-wheeler he didn't have to learn to balance at all. However, he did have more trouble learning to handle the bike (start up, steer, brake) than my older two, who started with training wheels.

[thismama]

Just wondering if you can take the wheels off a two wheeler to make a balance bike? Or no?

[Juuulie]

Take the wheels off? Did you mean take the pedals off? Yes, you can. My neighbor took the whole pedal assembly, chain and everything, off his kid's bike and it worked great. We followed a different strategy: we begged Grandma to buy our little guy a Kettler.

[curvyred]

We did a strider balance bike because DS was too short for even the 12" bike. We're hoping by his 3rd birthday (9 months away) that he will be able to reach and we can move up to a pedal bike. I don't think he will need training wheels for long though given how well he glides on the strider now.

[kafka]

What age are the balance bikes for? My husband is from Germany, where balance bikes are very common. When I suggested getting one for my dd (3 1/2) as a way to transition her from a trike to a 2-wheeler, my MIL was extremely dismissive, saying that balance bikes are for toddlers, not children.
I wouldn't want to buy it and then need to replace it with a bike after a few weeks. Any thoughts on the appropriate age? My dd trikes like a pro, if that makes a difference.

[mrs*kewpie*pie]

we also turned a small bike with training wheels into a balance bike by removing the pedals....ds is 3 will be 4 in oct and has been riding it as a balance bike for a couple of months now, and we're starting to consider putting the pedals back on

he rides with his older sister and neighborhood kids and keeps up pretty well...though his 9yr old sister does complain that he slows her down some

[thismama]

Originally Posted by Juuulie

Take the wheels off? Did you mean take the pedals off? Yes, you can. My neighbor took the whole pedal assembly, chain and everything, off his kid's bike and it worked great. We followed a different strategy: we begged Grandma to buy our little guy a Kettler.

Yes I did mean take the pedals off.

I had never heard of balance bikes til this thread. Now I oogling them and thinking they might make a nice second birthday present. Not sure if that is too early?

[livinlovinlaughin]

I know this is an old thread. I'm trying to decide between a balance bike and a pedal bike with training wheels. Any fresh opinions? I wonder if using the balance bikes tear up kids shoes from slowing/stopping the bike? My DS mostly goes up and down a small  hill near our home. I wonder if the balance bike would work for this or if he would go flying all the way down the hill. I also wonder how easy it is for kids to learn how to pedal after using the balance bikes vs learning to balance after mastering pedalling.

[pianojazzgirl]

Ds has a small bike that we took the pedals off of to make a DIY balance bike.  He just turned 4 and we put the pedals on and the first time he tried it he was able to ride! 

With dd she had a bike with training wheels that she rode for a year or more and it was so hard for her when we took them off.  Eventually we lowered her seat, took off the pedals and made it into a balance bike.  Did that for a month or so then put the pedals back on and she took off like a shot.  I totally think balance bike is the way to go, but I'm all for doing it DIY-style... no need to pay $$$ for a fancy shmancy balance bike imo...

ETA re. the pedaling - both dd and ds had a trike when they were toddlers, so they were both familiar with pedaling before getting a bike.