when can kids inline skate?

[pigpokey]

My son is asking for skates. He is about 2.3 years old. Physical skills, pretty much bump him a year and he is still going to be right in there with the more talented kids. (I am weighing in my head the ethics of lying about his age and signing him up for 3 yo t-ball since he is also fairly big for his age, emotionally, intellectually and verbally advanced and driven toward the ball sports.) He is in the same skate size range as his sister. The smallest skates adjust for sizes 10-12. 3 yo sister wears a 10.5 and he wears a 9.5, so not ideal, but he could probably use the 10-12s with two pairs of socks.

I think that would be great fun when the time is right, but will stall unless one of my kids can use them. Assume a flat place like a basketball court (OK, actually a basketball court) where they could skate without hills or obstacles.

So ... can someone order the following wheeled objects in the order that a child would typically be able to use them. That way I will know what to give him next. He won't ride a trike any more and was desperate to learn his bike (which he is so close to riding but can't do independently) until I got him a 2 wheel kick scooter with big bike wheels, and he zips around the neighborhood on that.

Trike (I assume that comes first)
2 wheel scooter
roller skates
inline skates
bicycle (no training wheels)
skateboard
anything else I forgot

TIA

[hottmama]

My son learned to ice skate at 3 but he was 4 before he could roller skate/ roller blade. He's pretty athletic. He could ride a bike without training wheels now if he had a shorter bike-- he can only touch his toes to the ground on his 16" bike. He was riding trikes and 2-wheel scooters around 2.

[water]

My son got his first pair of inline skates at 2.5, and could use them on a flat surface right away. It took a longer time for him to be able to do hills, and downhill was sketchy for a while.

He was riding a two-wheeler without training wheels at 3.5, and got a skateboard for his fourth birthday. He is still not very skilled at the skateboard (at 5.5).

Trike by 20 months, 2 wheeler w/training wheels at 24 months, w/out at 3.5 years, three-wheeled scooter at 2 years, 2 wheeled soon after (I forget when?), skateboard at four, but I know another little boy who was pretty accomplished on the skateboard by 4.

At five we have taken him on 12-15 mile bike rides and he can roller blade 3 miles.

It's so much fun to have a little go for it kid! Have fun!

Now my 2.5 year old DD JUST learned to pedal her tricycle, so she's on a different schedule.

[babywearingmama]

My son and I have both taken roller blading lessons from a qualified instructor. He lets children start from age 5, but possibly 4 if they are strong. Certainly under 3 would be far too young I think.

[Terabith]

I don't really know, but why not just let him try? Whether or not most kids can usually do it, and especially if the skates are ones either someone else can use or he will grow into, I don't see the problem with just trying it out. He very well might be able to handle it.

I'd just let him try different things. Preferably by borrowing them from others at first (like scooters, etc).

[Daffodil]

My DD has a pair of beginner inline skates that have two wheel positions. You can have two wheels side-by-side in the back and one wheel in front, and then you can move the wheels so they're all inline. (DD is 4 and still hasn't progressed beyond a slow creep in side-by-side-back-wheels mode, but she's a cautious kid.) We got them at Target. They're not the greatest quality, but good enough for a first skate. You can adjust the length, too. The smallest size is 7, and I forget how big they get - maybe too small for your DS; I think they go up to 9 or 10. It sounds like he'd have no problem using them right away with the wheels not inline, and if he turned out to be really good at it, you could let him try the inline mode.

[supervee]

I think trike is a different movement from bicycle, and harder to coordinate except for the balance... anyway, we skipped the trike. We also skipped the 4-wheel skates and went right to in-lines, when DS was 5. He was scootering at 2, biking at 3, biking without training wheels at 4, and in-line at 5. He just learned to skateboard last weekend, at 6. That's his progression. HTH!

[pigpokey]

Thanks for the replies.

I did get him some inline skates, for both the kids actually, at Target. But that was the weekend he turned 2 1/3 and he finally nailed the two wheeler, so he's not been back in the skates since. He's super happy on his bike right now. That's fine and dandy with me Now I need some inline skates so I can keep up with the bikes. Maybe he can pull me with a rope?

[MorganRiley]

what about those roller blades by fisher price you put over your shoe...and adjustable...the one middle wheel moves to the side and locks there for greater stability

[mamaduck]

I think that many kids find inline skates easier to start on than quads. They are able to balance by standing slightly on the insides of the wheels -- with their legs in a triangle, if that makes sense. But if you look at them, it looks terribly hard on their ankles! With quads, you *have* to keep the weight of your body over your feet, and your feet flat. From what I've observed, learning on quads is actually more difficult, but they are at least learning to skate properly!

Make sure he has propper padding and helmet for skates and scooters. I recommend wrist guards. We've had broken wrists twice from falls on skates, and at this point wrist guards are not optional.

[Tuesday]

Originally Posted by mamaduck

...Make sure he has propper padding and helmet for skates and scooters. I recommend wrist guards. We've had broken wrists twice from falls on skates, and at this point wrist guards are not optional.

I'm thinking of getting my 4 year old started. He's not able to ride his bike(even with training wheels - he can't or won't push the pedals) but he seems otherwise very interested and eager to pursue anything physical. I don't feel one needs to pursue activities in any particular order. As an adult, I'm still hopeless at certain sports but a crackerjack skier and inline skater so I think you go with what interests your child.

I second the recommendation regarding wrist guards. Always wear those guards - wrist fractures can be really brutal.

[theelfqueen]

My 2 year old has a pair of over-the-shoe skates that convert from quads to inlines by rotating the wheels - so he can use them either way, he seems to prefer them as quads, strange since he's been ice skating since he was about 18 months. (considerably longer than he's been rollerskating).

[pigpokey]

update

Both my kids (young 4 and the now older 2) got into inline skating this fall with a little help from a long stint at the roller rink one weekday. BUT the Target skates were a big bust and my daughter refused to skate in them until she got some quality (expensive) skates. Now they both have decent skates and are loving it. The Target ones I gave away.

But ... we went to the ice rink for the first time today, and they were hitting the ice like crazy, they were really struggling and only wanted to do 10 minutes although I talked them into another 10 before we left without much effort. Much harder for them than the inlines. I thought rollerskating first might help the transition, but I don't think so.

[pigpokey]

Originally Posted by babywearingmama

My son and I have both taken roller blading lessons from a qualified instructor. He lets children start from age 5, but possibly 4 if they are strong. Certainly under 3 would be far too young I think.

I don't think most instructors would want the liability of watching a kid go down a hill at age 2 or 3. I myself don't count as my fondest memories watching my 2 year old biker go down long hills on the sidewalk ending in a nice cross street at the bottom of the hill the first few times when his braking skills were new. I'm the parent, and judgment-proof. Or the judgment is the ultimate one, but doesn't involve money.

Fortunately for me, I'm not turning him loose on the roads in his skates, in fact, I'm getting him a pair that does not have brakes next (they are inline hockey skates) and maybe add some rec skates when he becomes a very strong indoor skater.