Are balance bikes a fad?

[BabyofMine]

My girl is turning 2. I wanted to buy her a trike. I LOVED riding round on my trike when I was little.

EVERYONE is telling me don’t get a trike, get a balance bike. They didn’t have these when I was little - or at least I’d never heard of them. I feel like she’ll miss out on the pure joy of whizzing about on a trike.

I know they help to learn to ride a bike better. But I’m not wanting her to learn to ride a bike! I’m wanting her to enjoy riding a trike!!

Can’t I get her a trike for her 2nd bday and get her a balance bike later, in prep for getting a proper bike?!

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MNHQ

Yes you can.
However, balance bikes are amazing. Once they get the hang of them, which they do quickly, they can fly along. Much more fun than a slow trike trundle.

One thing to consider is that you don’t need to buy a balance bike unless you want to. Just buy a normal bike and take the pedals off. Then once they have the hang of it, put them back on and they are off...

Not a fad, I remember some kids had them when my son was 3, he was riding a regular bike with training wheels off he was a daredevil. He's now 25.

You do whatever you like but they are awesome, my little boy loved his and learnt to ride a proper bike so much quicker them my dd who didn't have one. You can take them more places too as they are so easy to use once they get the hang of it.

Depends how long a fad is? My DD is 10 and DS 7 and bothlearned to ride with one. They were never impressed by the trike. I loved the idea of a cute pushalong trike but neither of them took to it.

The balance bike will have her riding a bike and she won’t need stabilisers. My Son did a two wheeled bike without stabilisers a month before his third birthday. They will
Whiz around on the balance bike.

We had both (at age 2-3). A trike is great for learning to pedal and strengthening legs. The balance bike taught them to .. well ... balance. When age 3 they got their first proper bikes, they could easily balance AND pedal.

Balance bikes are a brilliant toy in their own right. DS had one, and used to whizz around the BMX course in the local park on it. Trikes don't go very fast, in my experience. I have a vague recollection of finding mine a bit rubbish as a kid.

Both of mine started on a balance bike at two and DS1 in particular was an absolute speed demon, leaving trike-riders in the park for dust. They used trikes at nursery so learned the mechanics of pedalling there.

Both were on two wheeled pedal bikes at four having never used stabilisers. I think trikes have been superseded by balance bikes, personally.

Oh dear now my partner is saying he’d actually PREFER to get her a balance bike! I’m so confused and also maybe have rose tinted glasses on about my childhood???

Trike for birthday, balance bike for Christmas? I think they're both great. The smart trike is really handy for when they're rebelling against the pushchair but you need to be in control/steering.

My 2 year old has a balance bike and a scuttlebug. Loves both of them.

What @Mercedes519 said. We had a balance bike but both kids ignored it. So we bought cheap reconditioned bikes and took the pedals off and they got the hang of balancing then we put the pedals back on.

Balance bikes are brilliant, they can't really whizz along on a trike.

Balance bikes are awesome! Not just as a step to riding a proper bike, but just as a really fun thing to do. My kids loved zooming along. Plus its much less effort than learning to use a trike.

OP, you sound very sweet. Think of it this way - what you want is for your dd to have masses of fun. You remember having fun on a trike. If your dd has masses of fun on her balance bike and then regular bike, then you have achieved your aim! It's not he device, it's the having fun you are aiming for.

My 2 didn’t get on with balance bikes. I had one for my eldest and he just didn’t like it. A trike then a proper bike and scooter he loved though! I kept it for my second and she tried it a few times. Nope, she didn’t like it either and preferred the trike. So some kids just don’t get on with them.

Trikes are much less fun than balance bikes, my son could whizz around on his at 18 months but didn't have the strength to pedal a trike. Also trikes are actually more dangerous and likely to tip over while kids on balance bikes have their feet very close to the ground and rarely fall over as a result. Plus no traumas learning to ride a bike.
I know kids who were still struggling along with stabilisers at age 8 or 9 while my kids could ride properly before they started school.

Balance bikes seem to be a lot more fun than trikes. Kids can zoom around on them in a way that they can't on a trike.

Balance bikes are fab. My kids still whizz about on it at 4 and 5 (despite being able to ride pedal bikes).

Other advantage of a balance bike over a trike - it's lighter, and less of an arse to carry when they get bored.

We had a trike and a balance bike. The bike got a lot more use than the trike. No idea if it helped dc learn to ride quicker or not, but it gave a lot of enjoyment. We had scooters too, which also went down well.

I've done both - trikes for DC1 &2, balance bikes for DC3&4.

They all loved whatever they had - have to say, it made no difference whatsoever to the speed at which they learned to ride a proper bike. In fact, it put DC3 off using a normal bike as he just couldn't get on with the pedals and go as fast as his balance bike. Eventually we took the pedals off his bike, but it still took a while before he'd go on it. DC4 yet to change - DC2 was the fastest to learn and didn't have a balance bike.

Not entirely sure how helpful that is but, like most stuff, think it varies according to the child.

Not a fad - DD (who is now 19) had one as a 2yo and loved it!

I think they may have been more common in non-UK European countries before then,

We've got family pictures of balance bikes from the 1920s, so not a fad!

DD had only a trike, and the transition to bike was painful (mentally and physically) and took about 3 years. DS had trike and balance bike, much preferred the balance bike, and transitioned to a bike in about 5 minutes one day. He still liked to whizz around on his balance bike and we've only just sold it, he's had about 3 years out of it (a Frog adjustable).

Balance bikes are better and not fad. They are faster and more fun.

You will also be glad when you can more or less skip teaching them to ride a bike in a couple of years. Both my kids went from balance bike to pedal bike in about ten minutes age 4.