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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

How old was your child when they got their first proper bike (with stabilisers) ? Especially interested in answers from parents of non-trike riding kids.

57 replies

NomDePlume · 12/02/2006 08:44

As you may (or may not) have seen, DD is 3.5 and we are just about to start the waking nightmare that is getting rid of the dummy. We were going to start last Friday night, but I've got this flu bug and was in no state to be dealing with the fallout, and last night DH came down with it . Anyway, it was suggested that the 'dummy fairy' takes her dummies and leaves something fabulous for DD as a reward for being such a big girl. I love this idea and have been wracking my brains for a good enough present that won't break the bank but will make her feel grown up, and have come to the conclusion that a proper bike (with helmet etc) would be a good idea.

She has a Disney Princess trike (the one with the plastic wheels), but she's never been able to pedal it herself, it seems to take too much strength somehow. Would a bike with stabilisers be easier for her to pedal ? How old was your non-trike riding child when they could pedal a normal bike ? Is it unusual for a 3 year old to find a trike awkward (she is a strong, tall 3 year old) ?

TIA

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Hulababy · 12/02/2006 08:48

DD got her first proper bike last year on her 3rd birthday. It was a 14 inch cyle, a proper Rayleigh one and it is great. She loves it.

DD never managed to get her trike going, but was able to ride her bicyles, after a few practise goes. Unfortunately as our house move was delayed she didn't get much practise last summer, as no garden, but she has used it a few times now since moving - more and more now weather is improving, and she is doing really well with it. She is fine on it now.

I think cycles are easier to get moving than a trike.

Wallace · 12/02/2006 08:50

We got ds a bike for his second birthday - he had never had a trike. He couldn't pedal all the way round at first, but managed fine pedalling halfway round, then back IYSWIM.

I think bikes are easier to learn to pedal as the pedals are more straightdown from the saddle, making it easier to push.

LadyTophamHatt · 12/02/2006 08:51

Ds1 got his first proper bike for his 3rd birthday,
Ds2 was riding it(Ds1 had a new one by then) before his 3rd birthday!!!

Niether of them found a trike easy, and both struggled to pedal them but the change over to a bike was a breeze.

mszebra · 12/02/2006 08:53

I think that Chris Green (Toddler Taming) suggests that just before 4yo is the youngest you can safely expect to do the "swap the dummy for a nice prezzie" ceremony; the youngest that they will really get the idea & accept it.

DD is a big wimp & didn't get pedaling at all until she was nearly 4yo. Part of her problem is being small for age, height-wise, she's about a year behind the average for her age, so her legs just weren't long enough. She picked up riding the trike about the same time as the bike with stabilisers. hth

Original poster

NomDePlume · 12/02/2006 08:53

I thought that, the fact that they have narrower air-tyres and a chain should make the pedals/wheels easier to control. The pedals on her princess strike seem to be heavy and cumbersome, they've also been known to 'slip' (the pedal moves 180 degrees but the wheels don't turn at all). Thanks, Hula

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 12/02/2006 08:54

A bike shop man told me bikes are easier than trikes for this age, as trikes can actually be too small for their legs. Try out a few bikes in a proper shop where they have a decent range. Could the dummy fairy leave a voucher instead of the actual bike itself so you can go and choose one together? It's important that you get the right size, and that's hard to guess without the child there.

maggiems · 12/02/2006 08:56

I have twin boys ages 4.5 yrs. Both are quite small for their age, Dt2 is strong and Dt1 is very agile. DS2was the first to pedal at about 2.9 years and ds1 just pushed the trike about with his feet as he loves speed and could get about a lot faster that way. I think it was his lack of strength that made him not try. He pedalled shortly after turning 3. However he tried a friends bike with stabilisers soon after that and could use that fine as he is very agile. They both got bikes at 3.5 yrs but until very recently Ds1 still liked his trike as he could race about so quickly on it. I dont think its unusual for a 3 year old to find a trike awkward. A friends boy was 3.5 yrs when he mastered pedalling but his friend was at it at 2 years

Original poster

NomDePlume · 12/02/2006 08:58

Cheers

Zebra, thanks for that . DD definitely isn't short for her age, in fact she is the complete opposite, we have to buy her age 5 clothes (she isn't 5 until August 2007 !). So her leg length isn't an issue, in this case. That Toddler Taming tip is a useful one, DD is actually 3y 6m with good comprehension & language skills, so it has to be worth a shot, surely ?

OP posts:

Hulababy · 12/02/2006 09:02

MDP - Give it a try. We did the dummy swap much much younger with DD - her language and comprehension was really good - and it worked just fine for us. DD left her dummy with our BIL/SIL's new little cat - as he was missing his mummy. See got a big girl's present in return. Worked well, with only a few tears the first couple of evenings. ince then whenever she found a dummy, she will put it int he bin with a look of disgust. LOL!

Definitely worth a try.

Hulababy · 12/02/2006 09:04

DD was abouy 2y8m - so just over a year ago...never looked back.

jambuttie · 12/02/2006 09:04

WE bought ds1 his first bike with stabiliser last year when he was 3. He has only just learned to ride it.

He too never rode a tryke

Original poster

NomDePlume · 12/02/2006 09:09

lol, hula

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charliecat · 12/02/2006 10:15

DD was about 3.5, for years we had to shove her to get her started, she had one of those girly bikes with a basket, looked like she was sitting up in an armchair posistion so I dont think she could get any welly behind her leg IYKWIM
At 6 she got on her cousins mountain bike and rode off all by herself.
So make sure you get a bike where her legs can really push the peddles.
No trike here.

Troutpout · 12/02/2006 16:50

dd is really tall... with very big feet and long legs ..and could never pedal a trike effectively. (she could do it a bit ...but it was hard going and very awkward). We got her a bike (horrible pink Barbie monstrosity) for xmas ...just before her 3rd birthday. She could pedal it brilliantly straight away...could even go to the park and back no probs.It just seemed to put her in the right position and be much better for her.
Go for it i say.

Piffle · 12/02/2006 16:52

My dd (3.3y) has low muscle tone (and is size of 18-24mth old) and curiously can pedal a two wheeler but not a trike!

MrsSpoon · 12/02/2006 16:52

Both DSs never had trikes they just went straight to bikes with stabilisers at 2 1/2, DS1 struggled to push the pedals all the way round but still managed to get along, DS2 had no problems at all.

Spidermama · 12/02/2006 17:04

My dd went straight onto a bike with no stabilisers when she was 5. My dh took her to the park and helped her to learn to ride on the grass. Within half an hour she was doing it.

I was amazed, but we#ve done the same with her younger brothers and it seems to work. They had scooters before which I think are really helpful for getting practice at balancing.

Spidermama · 12/02/2006 17:04

Actually she was four going on five.

brimfull · 12/02/2006 17:51

ds got bike for 3rd birthday,he found it too difficult to pedal trike but no problem with bike.

cod · 12/02/2006 17:51

Message withdrawn

GDG · 12/02/2006 17:53

NDP - none of mine have managed to do a trike - I think just the position of the wheels makes it harder. Ds1 got a bike with stabilisers when he was just 4 and took to it straightaway. This summer we'll be taking the stabilisers off.

Ds2 is 3 and cannot do the trike at all - he just pushes along with his feet.

Piffle · 12/02/2006 17:55

Same here Spider with ds, he was so tall and strong for his age that when we got him a 2 wheeler (summer several mths before his 4th birthday in Feb)
The bike was bought out of the local paper - no stabilisers, so we decided we would go to the local bike shop and get them to fit some.
We decided to try him out on it first for fun and bang first time on he went!
He could not brake or steer though and promptly headed for the nearest tree - the only one on 3 sq miles of flat paddock space might I add.
So no stabilisers but we did buy a helmet pronto!

Bozza · 12/02/2006 17:56

DS was about 3.2 and I definitely agree that it was easier for him to pedal than the trike which has been passed on to DD (has optional parent handle).

PeachyClair · 12/02/2006 18:04

Both of our older boys were given bikes on their third birthday, ds3 will get one for his too I expect, but I will hold back until Chrsitmas as ds's were a little too short to reach the pedals and it took them a while to get any use, and ds3 is even smaller.

Original poster

NomDePlume · 12/02/2006 18:20

Thanks all, it's good to hear that DD's lack of tricycling skills aren't unusual . i'm pretty sure we're going to go for the bike.

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