[LuckyMommaToo]

We're thinking of getting DS (turning two in September) one of those trikes that has a handle in the back. The pedals lock so they don't turn when you're pushing. It's a little pricey, though, and we're on the fence whether he'd use it, and/or for how long. (Although we plan on having two more kids, so that helps justify it a little more.)

Another option is a toddler scooter. He loves the big kids' scooters.

Here's the trike:'
http://www.whatshebuys.com/ket-8156-090.html

And the scooter:
http://www.whatshebuys.com/ket-8451-090.html

thanks,
Erin

 

[spiralmg]

Our DS turned 2 in June and I got all excited and bought him a trike with a handle on it (sorry, didn't go look at your link, but probably the same idea!). Well, he was all excited about it -

- but to be honest, the trike might be a better when he's a little older.

His legs weren't quite long enough to stay on the pedals when he turned the wheel, and the handle worked for us to control and push it - but it gets a little tiresome trying to steer it and push it all the time. So mostly the trike is sitting around unused.

On the other hand, we were at the toy store this weekend and he was having a great time using a scooter and I am kicking myself for not getting that. Everyone told me NOT to, that he wouldn't be able to balance etc. But I think it might have worked out better for us. Who knows...

I should add that we are city dwellers so it's not like we can give him free rein in the back yard or anything like that. That situation might be different and better as far as a trike is concerned.

 

[2GR8KIDS]

We have a trike with a push bar that I got for my oldest when he turned 2. He wasn't able to pedal until 2.5 years- I have since heard that 2.5 years is the age when most children learn to pedal. I just gave it to my almost-2-year-old daughter. She can't pedal but she can get around on it using her feet really well. So far, she likes it more than her brother ever did. So, like most things, I guess it depends on the child. It seems like lots of people skip the tricycle and just buy a very small bike with training wheels at age 2.5 or 3.

 

[MovingMomma]

We have the Radio Flyer Tiny Trike. Like this , except the older model...no streamers or bells! We had to look a little to find it. DD loves it!

 

[KKmama]

We got a similar trike when T turned 2, and he used it so much. (He got a bike with training wheels for his recent 4th b-day, and he's a little sad he's outgrown the trike.) He learned to pedal I think ~3 mos. after we got it, and we used to take it everywhere... riding to my OB's office (~a mile away) for prenatal appts for Z, to the playground, to deliver the local recycling newsletter. If he pooped out, I'd help him push a bit. I can't imagine that we would have gotten similar use out of a scooter.

 

[hottmama]

We have the radio flyer trike too, and Jules LOVES it. We got it for Xmas, so a month before he turned 2. He can pedal and has been able to for a couple months but still prefers to just use his feet on the ground and run with it. We live on a gated courtyard so he can ride up and down the "street" and around the fountain and he loves it. I wish we had one with a handle, though, because sometimes he'll ride it to the park and then want to run so I have to carry the metal tricycle wherever we go.

 

[mom2noah]

We have the Kettler Air Navigator and it is by far DS's favorite toy. We go all over town with it. It has replaced the stroller and the sling. The reason I bought the Navigator was because I got the trike when DS was 15mo so I wanted something that would be really easy to push. I wanted the air tires because we often ramble over dirt roads, grass, gravel etc. They were well worth it. I have heard many people say they regret not going with the air tires. The other reason I went with that model was because of the ability to add a tandem. I only have the one kid so far but for some reason I really had my heart on that tandem. Ds's cousin is 5 months old now so when he gets a little older I'll probably buy the tandem so I can haul them both to the park. DS will be two next month. He is 34" tall and his feel just barely reach the pedals. He tries to pedal but I think the trike is a little heavy for him. I have no doubt however that he will be pedaling in no time at all. Oh, and DS adores the dump bucket on the back. He loves to haul.

Here is the site I bought mine from. They had awesome customer service. I phoned my order in and the woman who answered was incredibly helpful and polite. https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/display/1095/0/

I've also heard really good things about the Kiddio 4. It has the air tires, dump bucket, push bar. Heck, had I known about this trike before I might have bought it instead. The price is a steal. http://tinyurl.com/7ftyu

I also wanted to say that the scooter looks super cool!! Now you threw a wrench in my plans because I am having the hardest time deciding on DS's second birthday present. We rarely buy him toys so it's so hard not to buy everything I want.

 

[Taosmama]

We have Kettler Air Happy's for both ds and dd. Bought dd's when she was 18 mos because she wanted a bike like big brother! We get so much use out of them. Dd used hers right away, either pushing like a scooter or with us using the push bar. She started pedalling about 27 mos. Ds still uses his at 4 1/2!

The air tires are worth it, IMO, especially if you have a yard that they'll be riding in.

 

[lizard]

We have the Kiddio Supertrike 4 http://tinyurl.com/7ftyu , which my ds likes, but he can't
reach the pedals. he's 25 months and 36", so he's not small.

He's got a scooter:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B0002HE3MW
which he's just starting to ask to ride (usually we push him and he holds on).

his favorite by far, which he's on all the time is a plastic 3 wheel bike like a big wheel, it's
something like this:
http://www.fisher-price.com/us/produ...t.asp?id=28639
(his is a motorcycle) it's light, and it's cheap. he pushes it along with his feet and he still can't reach
the pedals. why do they make the pedals so far away?

 

[bobica]

we have the trike but dd still can't pedal (it's a new goal

) i like that it grows with her. i just saw this scooter at fisher price that looks really neat. it says ages 5 & up but my friend's 3 year old would be great on it!!!

 

[OakBerry]

We got the Kettler trike for ds when he was 2. (can't remember the name but it was from www.onestepahead.com and cost $99). It has the pushbar and the footrest (which cost extra) but it was worth it. He hated the stroller so I took him for walks every day on that trike! He is 3 now and he still won't pedal it, but the push bar and footrest are off and he pushes himself around on it with his feet. Once he decides to pedal it he will love it even more, I'm sure.

The quality is great, if you are having more than one child it will last.

 

[LuckyMommaToo]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I'd still love to get him the Air Happy, but DH is now fixated on this:
www.likeabikeusa.com

(Don't look at the price; it's pretty horrifying. It would be from both sets of grandparents AND us.)

So we'll see who prevails in the end!

I had DS at Toys R Us today (killing time in the a/c) and tried to put him on a Kiddio they had out. He held his legs up and screamed, "no like it! no like it!" Maybe not a good omen, eh? :LOL

-Erin

 

[newmainer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiralmg Our DS turned 2 in June and I got all excited and bought him a trike with a handle on it (sorry, didn't go look at your link, but probably the same idea!). Well, he was all excited about it - - but to be honest, the trike might be a better when he's a little older.

yup... this is us. I was soooo excited about getting dd a trike for her 2nd birthday (also was in june) and she was into it at first because it was new and she loves to push anything, but she isn't really interested in peddaling and mostly she just wants to push it herself, which is hard. i expect she'll grow into it but like most things, she didnt' use it the way i *thought*. of course, she's a toddler, so i'm not sure why i expected that... :LOL

 

[monkeymommy3]

I got a tryke like that for my oldest ds now 7 and it has been through both of his brothers 6 and 2 and a friends dd in between. My 2y/o loves his "cycle" and we end up taking it everywhere. I wouldn't expect to see peddling for a while but it is small enough that they can scoot around for a while. We also had the scooters for my 2 older boys and they got a lot less use. The boys would have a hard time staying balanced ind steering and you have to be on pavement or it is really difficult to manuver.

 

[lexbeach]

I'd definitely get a three-wheeled scooter instead of a trike. My mom gave each of my boys one on their second birthday and they just LOVE them. They're really good at riding them too. We also have a kettler tricycle with the tandem seat which I used as a stroller for a while (but it's really tiring to push if you're used to pushing an actual stroller). When my boys were a couple months past two, we got a two-wheeler with training wheels for $30 at Toys R Us. Jasper could ride it right away, even though he still had never been able to pedal the kettler trike. After he learned how to ride the two-wheeler, he could also do the trike, but I think it was easier to learn on the two-wheeler. And he just looks so cute up there, a tiny guy on a big kid bike. Luke still can't pedal either of them very well, but he can go a few rotations on the two-wheeler. Had I known that such tiny two-wheelers were made, I would've skipped the trike for sure. I think it is harder because their legs are so far out in front of them, and the trike is so heavy. Another thing I don't like about our particular kettler is that it has a hand brake. This was a huge pain when I would be pushing them along and they'd pull up on the brake. Also, they don't seem to get how to use it when they're actually riding it, whereas with the two-wheeler, Jasper quickly figured out how pedaling backwards made the bike stop.

And of course, don't forget that he'll need a helmet to go along with whatever you decide on!

HTH!

Lex

 

[NoHiddenFees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuckyMommaToo Thanks so much for the feedback. I'd still love to get him the Air Happy, but DH is now fixated on this: www.likeabikeusa.com (Don't look at the price; it's pretty horrifying. It would be from both sets of grandparents AND us.)

The price is horrifying... but it's a very cool product. You've given me an idea though. We're going out today to buy DD1 an undersized bike (like a bike sized) and we'll remove the pedals. It won't be as pretty, nor made of wood, but it should do the trick. I've resisted getting her a bike so far because I don't see the utility of using training wheels for months or years just so the child can ride a bike. That's not the purpose of training wheels, but it's the way things are done in our neighborhood. When I was a kid we didn't even get bikes until 5 and then used training wheels for a few days. The like a bike, however, forces the child to learn to balance, even if only incrementally... so I think this is a way DD1 can have a bike like her friends but not have training wheels.

 

[LuckyMommaToo]

Quote:

We're going out today to buy DD1 an undersized bike (like a bike sized) and we'll remove the pedals.

NoHiddenFees, let me know how it works out, okay? I'm trying to convince DH this is a feasible option. He says you'll have to take off the chain and "cranks" as well. Hope your DD enjoys it!
-Erin

 

[Flor]

We got that exact trike for ds when he was 18 months old and it is his favorite thing! He calls it his motorcycle. He can't pedal yet, (24 months) but I use it as a stoller everywhere and he loves it. I don't find it too hard to push and I tilt him back slightly to steer. Be careful of other brands of trikes. We tried them all out to avoid paying the 120 dollars for the Kettler, but they all had problems like-- the front wheel spinning all the way around and the handlebars stabbing ds in the stomach. Some were SOOO unstable (including the American Flyer ones we tried) that I can't believe they tried them out on real kids. They tipped right over. I checked reviews on Amazon and Target.com and was surprised at the low reviews on almost all the trikes. Finally, we accepted that it would be pricey and we are very happy with it. Our friend's 6 year old still rides her's occasionally, so I know we will have it for many years.

 

[NoHiddenFees]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuckyMommaToo NoHiddenFees, let me know how it works out, okay? I'm trying to convince DH this is a feasible option. He says you'll have to take off the chain and "cranks" as well. Hope your DD enjoys it! -Erin

Ah, here's the problem: the like a bike inseam is 13-17" and the shortest bike we saw started at 18" which is too tall for DD1 to get her feel flat on the ground with bent knees. An internet search didn't help any.

 

[NoHiddenFees]

Found a candidate for like a bike on the cheap.