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Original poster

2 year old - balance bike , trike or scooter?

46 replies

bebeboeuf · 04/05/2019 11:33

Son is 2 and very interested in all things on wheels so we have decided to get him something for using in the garden.

Only thing is I can’t decide between balance bike, trike or scooter?!

He can’t have all 3, but they all seem to do a different job.

What did your two year olds get the most out of and can anyone recommend a brand?

OP posts:

JaxTaylorDidIt · 04/05/2019 11:33

Balance bike

MinnieMountain · 04/05/2019 11:39

Balance bike.
Maybe trickier to start with but seems to move DC on to pedal bikes faster than a scooter.

cantfindname · 04/05/2019 12:29

Def Balance bike. Brilliant things. G'son got the hang of his very fast whereas he couldn't get on with a scooter at all (for some reason he kept jumping with what was meant to be the static foot!) Trike is limiting, they aren't very big, can't go places where a balance bike can.

Warning!! G'son was incredibly fast on his balance bike, no adult on foot could keep up with him! He has since advanced to a 'proper' bike and learned to ride it very quickly as his balance was so good. Oh.. and daughter bought herself a bike to keep up

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goingtotown · 04/05/2019 13:48

Micro Balance Bike, worth every penny.

Muddlingalongalone · 04/05/2019 13:49

Balance bike if you can only get 1. Scooter is my second choice. Decathlon have a decent looking mini micro copy.

Snowoctopus · 04/05/2019 13:49

Balance bike definitely!!!

imsorryiasked · 04/05/2019 14:12

Balance bike but make sure it has a brake lever did he can get used to it before graduating to a "proper" bike.
One with a foot platform is good for teaching additional balance. Like this one

TheVanguardSix · 04/05/2019 14:17

We have (no longer in use because DC3 is almost 5 now) a Ridgeback Scoot balance bike. I highly recommend this bike because it's very 'real' in terms of the weight of the bike and the use of the breaks. DC3 was on a proper bike within weeks of using it. It's amazing quality and you can get one second-hand from eBay (balance bikes aren't used for long, so they're almost always in excellent knick if they've only been used by one child).

And I recommend a didicar (as well as the balance bike). Didicars are SOOO much fun and they can be used for years. If you have a garden patio, get one.

TheVanguardSix · 04/05/2019 14:18

By the way, the Ridgeback Scoot comes in two sizes.

flitwit99 · 04/05/2019 14:19

Def not a trike. The pedals in the front wheel are in the wrong position for moving on to a bike and they don't give you any opportunity to learn to balance. And if it comes with a parent handle, they are really pointless. Hard to control, almost impossible to push up a kerb.

I vote for a balance bike also. Fast, light, teaches you balance. You can then move on to a bike without stabilisers or a cheap and cheerful 2 wheel scooter.

smurphy18 · 04/05/2019 16:47

Definitely a balance bike....we got our son the Frog Tadpole + but they also do Frog Tadpole, be more suited for your little one its lightweight and is like a proper bike minus the peddles. They are pricey but worth the money.

Equimum · 04/05/2019 17:09

Balance bike. Get a light-weight, though. DILs got very excited and bought a lovely wooden motor-bike style balance bike for DS1. It was too heavy for him to ride when he was tiny, and outgrown by the time he could manage it. It was also very heavy to carry when he got fed up. He loves his mini Micro scooter, but was later into a pedal bike than many friends.

RedSheep73 · 04/05/2019 17:14

Balance bikes are fantastic - they learn all the hard part of cycling, which is the balancing the bike part. Trikes only teach pedalling, which kids pick up really quickly anyway, so trikes are a waste of time. My 2 had balance bikes (well, 1 bike, passed down), and they bypassed stabilizers altogether when they moved onto proper bikes. They just got on and rode.

Scooters are great fun too although there was a lot of falling off them when they were that age.

Her0utdoors · 04/05/2019 17:37

Balance bike. Our Puky bike has been brilliant, both dc have ridden it since just after 2 years old. My first started on a little Frog pedal bike at just turned 3.

Nolagerformethanks · 04/05/2019 17:58

Another vote for the balance bike! 5 year old DSS never had any interest in bikes (or pedals as he said!) and we missed out on the stage where getting him a balance bike would have really improved his confidence. He's trying now with stabilisers but I really wish we had got him the balance bike at the time to build his confidence.

RaffertyFair · 04/05/2019 18:02

Valance bike. Dd loved hers from 2.5 years and got a pedal 2 wheeler for 4th birthday. She was able to ride it without stabilisers or adult support from day one.

Weepingwillows12 · 04/05/2019 18:04

Balance bike. Takes a bit of practice but my son loved his and now has great balance.

raisinsraisins · 04/05/2019 18:05

Both my DSs didn’t get on with a balance bike. But they both loved the feeling of freedom of being on a scooter. At that age they used a 3 wheel scooter.

Had no trouble learning in to ride a bike when they were older. The trick when the time comes is to make sure they learn on a bike that is a bit too small for them.

FannyFeatures · 04/05/2019 18:11

My daughter couldn't get to grips with a balance bike at all, lots of trying at home and nursery before we upgraded to one with stabilisers for her 3rd birthday, she was cycling without them by 5 so didn't seem to hinder her.

She did love her scooter though, Ozbozz my 1st and used to zoom everywhere on it from her 2nd birthday.

sirfredfredgeorge · 04/05/2019 18:35

"use in the garden" - I'm not sure anything unless your gardens are massive and paved. Small wheels don't really like grass, they like really smooth otherwise it's a lot of effort to get going. Also unless he's tall, I'd probably go for scooter as pedal bikes will be awhile before he really fits them usefully, so it'll be a long time before he can move on and you might end up needing to buy another balance bike.

They're quite different things of course and both are good, certainly not the trike though.

Original poster

bebeboeuf · 04/05/2019 19:16

Luckily it’s large garden with big paved area, but I am thinking I’d like something that will be useful on trips out

OP posts:

PhillipeFellope · 04/05/2019 20:03

Balance bike. Hands down. Although my ds also had a scooter and likes that. He prefers the bike he's 2.6 and has had both since he was about 2. Smyths balance bike is good.

TuckMyWin · 04/05/2019 20:14

Balance bike. I couldn't be without it for my 2 year old. Makes trips out so much easier because he covers so much ground, where he'd be whining and asking to be carried if he was on foot. I sold the buggy because I haven't used it in months. His older brother got one at 3 and was riding on 2 wheels on his 4th birthday. I reckon my now 2 year old will probably graduate to 2 wheels by the end of the year, when he'll be 3. We kept it inside at first, until he was comfortable on it - riding in circles round the kitchen.

TheseThingsAreFunAndFunIsGood · 04/05/2019 20:16

Ds and DD had both from two (yes I freely admit I'm a pushy 'outdoorsy' parent ) and DD got on better first with bike - she had a 'Tiny' bike as they're the smallest and she wasn't a big toddler! - but conversely DS was all over the scooter first and progressed to balance bike nearly a year later! I second the vote for a bike with foot platform and brake though - particularly at this age - DS's puky is amazing!!

The one thing I would say is if you're planning on using the wheels as anything more than just a yard toy, ie planning on using it as a mode of transport at all (eg we used ours on trips out and the school run occasionally) a scooter is far and away the easiest as they can either be folded up/collapsed to go under the buggy, or even pulled along with DS on board; we had one of those wrist links looped around the handle bars and I quite often found myself pulling both kids with no problem! 😁

Potentially Totally outing myself there! 😂

TuckMyWin · 04/05/2019 20:17

But I second the previous poster who said make sure it's light. My eldest got given one that was far too heavy for him to handle, and he hated it. As soon as we got him a (really cheap) light one he'd got it in about a week. You don't have to spend much, you can pick up a Strider second hand on Facebook for about twenty quid.

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