Balance bike or tricycle?

[Beener]

So I've been researching balance bikes and I think the logic behind them is sound but I don't know anyone who has one. Because of this, DH is being difficult to persuade.

Any experience with either a balance bike or tricycle that you want to share with me?

[Dorothy Zbornak]

Steering a trike is hard ... We don't have a balance bike, but if I had to choose, I'd get one instead of a trike.

[Beener]

Mar 22, 2014 16:35:10 GMT -5 Dorothy Zbornak said:

Steering a trike is hard ... We don't have a balance bike, but if I had to choose, I'd get one instead of a trike.

Plus the trikes look so bulky. Like, I couldn't easily put it in my car and take it to the park with us. A balance bike, though, is way less bulky.

[Deleted]

Cara has for Lincoln! carawestt

[laurack]

We got a balance bike but Matilda is still too small for it. I feel like it might be more of a 2.5-3 thing.

She sits in her cousins trike but she doesn't really "get" the whole pedaling thing

[Deleted]

Mar 22, 2014 16:45:52 GMT -5 laurack said:

We got a balance bike but Matilda is still too small for it. I feel like it might be more of a 2.5-3 thing.

She sits in her cousins trike but she doesn't really "get" the whole pedaling thing

It's not adjustable? The kind I saw were and tiny D fit okay a few months ago.

[laurack]

Mar 22, 2014 16:48:14 GMT -5 ladybug said:

Mar 22, 2014 16:45:52 GMT -5 laurack said:

We got a balance bike but Matilda is still too small for it. I feel like it might be more of a 2.5-3 thing.

She sits in her cousins trike but she doesn't really "get" the whole pedaling thing

It's not adjustable? The kind I saw were and tiny D fit okay a few months ago.

I don't think it is. Her feet don't reach the ground really. Maybe we will try again soon. I also don't think she'd really "get it" yet.

[Deleted]

The strider balance bikes have adjustable seats. We went the scooter route bc he was obsessed with his friends

[Deleted]

My mom bought Wy a balance bike for his birthday. I think he is going to like it a lot. They are supposed to help with the whole not having training wheels things.

[Beener]

Mar 22, 2014 16:56:26 GMT -5 @jayhawkali said:

The strider balance bikes have adjustable seats. We went the scooter route bc he was obsessed with his friends

The Strider ST4 is the one we are looking at because it's seat goes so low. Also, it is highly rated, especially for its price point. Hmmm, I just need to convince DH!

[Deleted]

Mar 22, 2014 17:08:33 GMT -5 Beener said:

Mar 22, 2014 16:56:26 GMT -5 @jayhawkali said:

The strider balance bikes have adjustable seats. We went the scooter route bc he was obsessed with his friends

The Strider ST4 is the one we are looking at because it's seat goes so low. Also, it is highly rated, especially for its price point. Hmmm, I just need to convince DH!

I got it for William for his bday, he hasn't seen in yet but I can tell you in 2 weeks if he likes it.


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[vthokie]

I think I'm getting this for A because you can push it and then it converts to a trike.
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006LMZJY8?pc_redir=1395130528&robot_redir=1

I have considered a balance bike, but in my neighborhood she would have to stay on the sidewalks and I don't trust her to do that yet. We will probably so a balance bike next year.

[biblionerd]

I think I'm getting trikes for both kids honestly. Fiona would def not understand a balance bike yet. Linus... Let's just say he's as sweet as can be, but he is a big ol klutz. He wouldn't even ride the little ride on toys until he was so big he dwarfed them. I'll probably look at more of the big wheel type for him though. I'm getting Fiona one that we push her on first, probably the joovy tricycoo.

[chasbride07]

We got Audrey a balance bike because she is obsessed with the boys' bikes. I got it off of zulily a couple weeks ago. We had a trike and the boys never used it.

[Beener]

Mar 22, 2014 18:36:47 GMT -5 chasbride07 said:

We got Audrey a balance bike because she is obsessed with the boys' bikes. I got it off of zulily a couple weeks ago. We had a trike and the boys never used it.

Has she tried it yet?

[fusion]

J looooves his balance bike and can really zoom and balance on it now. I think it is going to be a breeze to transition to a regular bike. He has a strider.

[browndog]

We are getting a hand-me-down balance bike from my SIL. Her son is 6 now, but I remember him being 4 and he was able to ride a regular bike by then. So I think it really worked for them and they never really dealt with training wheels or anything. I'm excited to try it, but J is also very clumsy, so we will see if/when it works out for him.

[teamhayes]

We have a trike but he was too small to figure it out last summer. It has an adult handle in the back so I would just push him on walks

[Deleted]

We bought DS1 a balance bike right when he turned 2.  However he is a super cautious kid and not a risk-taker AT ALL so he didn't really ride it until about 2.5.  He took a lot of convincing, haha.

DS2 is more adventurous and I think he'll want to start riding it soon.  It's a great intro to bike-riding and that said, once DS1 got the hang of it he was ready for a proper bike (with pedals) at 3 and only had training wheels for about a month, and could ride the big bike confidently without trainers by 3.5.

I think it depends a lot on the nature of your kid.  How adventurous they are, and how attached they are to their tricycle.. DS1 LOVED his trike and like I said, took a lot of convincing to get on the balance bike!

[Beener]

Mar 22, 2014 19:05:45 GMT -5 @starbound said:

We bought DS1 a balance bike right when he turned 2.  However he is a super cautious kid and not a risk-taker AT ALL so he didn't really ride it until about 2.5.  He took a lot of convincing, haha.

DS2 is more adventurous and I think he'll want to start riding it soon.  It's a great intro to bike-riding and that said, once DS1 got the hang of it he was ready for a proper bike (with pedals) at 3 and only had training wheels for about a month, and could ride the big bike confidently without trainers by 3.5.

I think it depends a lot on the nature of your kid.  How adventurous they are, and how attached they are to their tricycle.. DS1 LOVED his trike and like I said, took a lot of convincing to get on the balance bike!

This is really helpful, thanks! Emmy is very adventurous and does lots of running and climbing and has good control of her body for her age. I think the balance bike would work well for her, especially since she doesn't have a trike so she wouldn't have anything to compare it to.