A bit of background: my DD (2.5) is a ride-on fiend. She had various 'small-toddler' rides-ons like scuttlebug but we didn't end up getting her a trike. She now has a mini micro-scooter which is great and we use for trips to the shops, and even further afield (although I unfortunately end up carrying both her and the scooter some of the way for longer trips). She has good control and stays close to me when I ask her to. She's also just started on her balance bike, though that's still entertainment, not transport.
I thought we'd missed the boat for trikes, since most people seem to get them around 12-18 months, and she's moving on to her balance bike, which I think of as a similar thing. But at a recent birthday party, she went absolutely nuts for a trike with pedals. She struggled to reach them with enough force, but she was quite determined and managed to just about get it going.
Is this the right age to get a pedal trike after all? If so, which makes are good for this age - and especially with the pedals closer to the body so they are easier to use. Not sure we need a parent handle, since I'm pretty sure she would object, and I can trust her to be sensible.
Is a trike less tiring for a toddler to ride than a scooter? It would be lovely if she could ride it to the park - she currently struggles on the return journey with her scooter. Or would you just see it as a garden toy?
And does a pedal trike really provide something different from a scooter and balance bike, or would it end up being the 'boring' option she doesn't bother with? She WAS keen at the party, but to be fair she has never seen a ride-on and not been desperate to ride it...