Tricycle or Bicycle w/training wheels for 3 1/2 year olds

Now that the weather is getting nicer, I am thinking ahead to summer. Every time my boys see a bicycle, they want to go over and play with it. I was thinking of getting them one in the next few months but I don't know if 3 1/2 is too young.

My other option is a tricycle but I feel that it will only be used this year and by next summer they will no longer want to ride them.

Does your 3 year old have a bicycle? How quickly were they able to get the hang of it?

 

My 4.5 yr old still has trouble with her bicycle with training wheels, it takes a lot of leg strength to pedal that thing on our grass and gravel driveway

But, neither of my two older kids used their tricycles much either, again, it's hard to pedal on grass and gravel.

If you have pavement or asphalt a bicycle would probably be fine, just try to find one with adjustable handle bars and seat or you may be buying a new bike again next year.

 

If pedaling isn't a problem then I'd say a bike with stabilizers. If pedaling is still tough, then a balance bike or a tricycle.

 

Definitely bike.

 

I'm glad you asked this question because I was debating getting my girls bikes with training wheels this summer when they turn 4. They have tricycles now that they've had for almost 2 years. One of my dd is getting a little big for her trike and the other still falls off hers at times.

I'd say if you're kids are average to big for their age definitely go with the bike.

 

Our two got little bikes with training wheels for Christmas. They have only ridden them a few times. But their biggest issue is the helmets. They hate wearing them and I think it's just because they need to get used to it. But they are not allowed to ride without them, so we're at a stand-still with the bikes. I don't know if they would have been better about a tricycle.

 

ours got balance bikes for Christmas. They love them! my dd will lift her feet up and coast and balance on the two wheels - there are no training wheels to stabilize.

Not sure how long these will last, but I don't see us buying other bikes for them until they are at least 5 yrs old?? I'd definitely say some type of bike.

 

Our two got balance bikes when they were three & they have been fantastic! LOVE them. They have used them for about a year & a half now and will probably move up to bikes this summer (with no training wheels), but the balance bikes are still in great condition & I think we will be able to sell them easily for almost what we paid for them.

 

Last summer my girls got 12" bikes w/training wheels (at not quite 3 1/2). It only took about 2 days before they got the hang of it. Its still their favorite thing to do outside AND the bikes still fit them this year (we just raised the seats and the trainers).

 

Balance bike! They are small enough for young preschoolers or even (somewhat coordinated) toddlers to ride, and they give the kids the fun of riding a bike without becoming dependent on training wheels. At about age 4.5, Amy was leaning heavily on her training wheels and having a hard time balancing. We borrowed a friend's balance bike and she got the hang of it after about 4 sessions.

If that's not an option (they are kind of pricey and hard to find used), I would skip the tricycles and just get bikes with training wheels. The pedaling motion is actually (IMO) trickier on a tricycle than on a bike because the child has to push forwards rather than down.

 

DS has done great with his tricycle since right after he turned 3 - he got the pedaling motion right about then. He's almost too big for the trike, so now we're getting him a bike with training wheels. I got him the balance bike for Christmas and he has absolutely not interest in it...I've had him try it over and over again, and it just sits in our garage gathering dust.

We took my 3 up to TRU to let them try the bikes and trikes they had put together to get a feel for them. We're just going straight to a bike for our 2-yr-olds, but partly because we already have older DS's trike for them to use if they want one.

 

For those of you with balance bikes, what age do you think makes sense to get them? Our boys turn two in a few weeks and we were considering getting them for presents, and I know that the bikes claim to be okay for this age, but not sure if it seems too young.

 

If you or your DH are handy with the tools you can turn any little bike into a balance bike. We removed the pedals and chain from our girls little bikes and turned them into balance bikes--then we put them back on when they were ready for pedals. Now at six they need bigger bikes and we're just waiting for my summer bonus to get them.

 

We got the kids bikes for the 3rd birthday and they love them.

 

I agree. My in-laws bought C&B these strider bikes shortly after their 3rd bday. It is amazing how good DS is on it. I think when we actually get him a bike he will learn to ride it really quickly.

It takes them awhile to get the hang of it. Ours got them at 3 and even at that age they really didn't know what to do with them. They basically walked with it for the first several months. They are 3 1/2 now and DS is really good at it. Two might be a little young, but I absolutely think these are a great idea in teaching them to ride a bike.

 

We did bikes last summer at 2 and a half and that was just a little too young. We got them back out this winter right around 3 and they picked up the pedalling immediately. We have sidewalks/asphalt though so it's not difficult. I would go ahead and go with the bikes.

 

we did the balance bikes at Christmas, and the kids were 2 yrs 8 mo. and within weeks they really started having fun! My dd is so good at it, and whips around the turns inside our house while they make laps... she overtakes my ds all the time! we take them outside too, but since it was cold when we first started we let them ride in the house!

anyway, I did try to turn a set of used 12" bikes into balance ones. we took the pedals off and the chains etc... BUT at 2 yrs 6 mo. their feet didn't touch the ground with the bikes we'd bought... those bikes weren't designed for shorter children. that said, the balance bikes I have fit the kids perfectly at 2 yrs 8 mo.. and I'm not sure if at 2 yrs even those might have been too tall for them?? not sure.

we had the cutest trikes that we'd gotten, closer to 2 yrs, but they never seemed to get the hang of the pedals... so we've kind of abandoned those. maybe we'll use them this summer? maybe I'll just sell them...

 

The angles and ratios of a balance bike are not the same as a regular bike. I have taken pedals, etc off a regular bike to make balance bikes but they aren't exactly the same as a balance bike. If you are going to use a regular bike then move the seat back as far as possible.

 

Hey, I just wanted to let you know that we went ahead and bought our 3 1/2 year olds 12" bikes today. Our dd who is average size picked it up very quickly and was riding around in our driveway in no time. Our other dd who is much smaller and has gross motor delays struggled with it. Our friends who have a dd who will be 4 next month did very well on a 14" bike, but she's quite a bit taller than my kids. So I would definitely recommend taking your kids to the store to try them out.

Toys R Us is having a sale on bikes this week.

 

I second the idea of the balance bikes. We got our girls balance bikes just after they turned two, that summer was not the best, but very cute! The next summer at age three they were all about the bikes. We could seriously bike for at least a mile or more! By the end of the summer they wanted to try pedal bikes and could basically do that, but having a hard time reaching the pedals. This summer, at age four, I am sure it will be all pedal bikes!