Scooter or balance bike (or neither?!) for will-be-19 month old Xmas

[cupoftchai]

She is very keen to try out scooters in park etc ,but just stood on it last time, didn't try to move.

She is however very active, always climbing and balancing. Dh has been asking people in park and met someone who gave their 18minth old a balance bike. Is that a bit too early? Is the scooter too early?

What scooters can u recommend for little ones? I hear it should have 3 wheels not 2 is this right?

Meant to say. Dh thinks we should go straight for the balance bike. I said I would put it to the hive mind!

i would say balance bike for sure.
mine were a bit older before they could manage a scooter, but took to the bike really quickly.
you just need to make sure you get one small enough

My ds had a scooter at 20 months ish and got it quite quickly. Then a balance bike at 3. He still uses both at 4. I'd get a scooter first - as they're lighter and easier to lug around IMO. There's no rush to get it all even though it feels like it sometimes!

Go for a micro scooter every time. She will have years of pleasure from it and scoot along to nursery etc without complaining it tired legs. They are so so portable too. Worth every penny. Our balance bike has not been used.

My two never got on with balance bikes but loved their scooters

wow quick replies! thank you all. Interesting that different children seem to have taken to them in different orders. You're right steamwisher, mustn't rush! Perhaps we will check the prices and see which is cheaper...

maybe go to a shop that has some you can try out?

I didn't think of a bike at that age TBH. He probably would've been fine one one (he is very physical like yours) - a scooter seemed to be better.

How big is she? Balance bikes are much heavier than scooters and while DD could scoot at not much over 12 months, the weight of even the lightest balance bike makes it trickier. I'm sure if she was physically larger she wouldn't have as much of a problem. It's also a pain for you to carry too if they decide they can't go any more.

The Scooter is also cheaper, even the Mini-Micro with the short handle adaption (which again you might need if DD is short) is probably cheaper than a balance bike.

She is about 82cm and 11.7kg (last month) so around 75th centile. I will go and try her out on some, that will be great fun anyway! good point about carrying it aruond. I expect it'll spend a lot of time hanging from the buggy... I like the mini micro with the ride on seat, just saw that.

My DS is very tall (off the centime charts) and strong. He managed his older sisters bike from around 20 months.

It was a specialised hot walk balance bike, with the seat post cut down to be as low as poss.

He now has a Rothan Islabike which is brilliant and he zooms around on. He has just turned 2.

If your DD is quite a physical child (no way would my DD have been riding a bike at 20 mths but she is a gentle non-physical type!) and is tallish, she might well be able to ride soon after xmas.

Get a small and light one though. Unfortunately this = more expensive!

PS he also tries to ride her miniMicro scooter which he finds much harder.

I would say definitely scooter over a balance bike for a child this young. I would get the micro scooter with ride-on seat add on or, if that's too expensive, consider waiting till 2nd birthday or next Christmas to get the basic micro scooter or one of its imitators like the elc one. I would guess that only about 40% of toddlers are competent scooters before about 2 years, tbh, and even at 2ish some children do take a while to get the hang of them. If you do get one now without a seat it won't be money wasted because she'll almost definitely love it from age 2.5 to 5ish ime, but it might lack the instant jump on and go wow factor that is such a nice thing at Christmas if she is only 19 months. My daughter had a scuttlebug at that age, which she loved and is a bit like the scooter with seat add-on. Might be a cheaper option? It did have a shortish shelf life as it's quite small and she was firmly into scooting by about 2 and a half but I resold it on ebay for a reasonable price.

My ds is 18 months and can ride his sisters maxi scooter easily!!
He is getting micro scooter for Xmas and balance bike for his bday in April.

He can manage a balance bike as tried one but I think he will be older and more capable of controlling it when he is 2 . Also easier to go for quick scoot whe short if time.

I have got the normal scooter...no seat...as doesn't need it but got the scoot pull to help control him!

The Puky LRM is the perfect balance bike for small toddlers. Ds3 got his for christmas when he was 13 months old and was big enough for it at 18/19 months.
Don't know how tall he was at the time but he was 82cm when he turned two, so smaller than your dd.

He mastered it very quickly even at such a young age.

The hotwalk balance bike is brilliant but would be too big at this point, I think.

Minimicro with the O bar handle & seat.......my 20 MO has been using one for 3mths now. The actual scooter bit was DD2's so I just bought the seat. Was a bit shocked at the price of the whole thing (£75 I think), but have to say, these scooters do last. As they're 3 wheeled & turning is done by leaning, small children seem to get the hang of using them quickly. This particular scooter is now 4-5 years old & we've never had to replace any parts. When I think DD3 is fed up of the seat, I'll take it off & eventually replace the o-bar handle with the original. My two older DDs (8&6) have Maxi-Micros now. We love them!

We got a balance bike for DS for his 2nd birthday. He's 75th centile for height but on the lowest setting it is only now the right size (he's 2.5 now). So if you do go for the balance bike, try it out before you buy, so you can make sure it's the right size!

As for what is the right choice, I think it depends on the child. DS isn't very physical, maybe he struggles a bit with his gross motor skills, and riding the balance bike doesn't come naturally to him. He had a go on a scooter and seemed to take to it more easily. Is it possible to take DD to a Toys-R-Us or similar so she can try out both?

At that age I got mine a Scuttlebug instead. He struggled hugely with a balance bike and a scooter (both his brother's) but was instantly confident on the Scuttlebug, which is also too beautiful to be true and folds down flat for easy transport/storage.

Mini micro scooters are worth every penny. We've taken ours abroad and on city days out/holidays. Easy to cart about. I'd give the balance bike a wide berth for another year.

Mini micro scooter. My dcs had a balance bike around 2 and their legs were not long enough to push themselves along.

Mine would be far better off with just a push along car at that age. Next yr the right age for scooter or bike.

Honestly, you do get balance bikes that have a low enough standover height for a 19 month old. I've even heard of a (tall) eleven month old on a Strider bike.

I definitely am going to take dd to a big toy shop this weekend so I can see her on a range of wheeled contraptions... Should be a fun trip! Am leaning towards the scooter but will c what she does with it in store :). Am sure there will be somewhere here with balance bikes to try

Try your local bike shop for balance bikes :)