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Christmas

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Original poster

Balance bike now or wait until birthday For 2.5yr old?

19 replies

rachael2401 · 01/12/2012 17:28

My DD1 is desperate for a bike. She is a whizz on her mini micro scooter (recommended for 2nd b'day by mumsnetters). She is two and a half and is asking for a bike. I want to buy her a dolls' house but am now tempted to get her a bike. What are the respective benefits of a blance bike versus a normal bike. How long do kids use a balance bike for? Do they go straight on to a normal bike without stabilisers? should I wat til her third birthday in May?

OP posts:

JackThePumpkinKing · 01/12/2012 17:30

Now. 2.5 is the perfect age and you might not use it much past 4yo, so best get the use out of it.

5madthings · 01/12/2012 17:31

She should be fine with a balance bike zulily have some on offer for £50 at mo which look great!

They can.be used ftom age 2-4ish and she should then go straight to a normal bike without stabilisers as they get the balance from the balance bike and thrn.just need to learn to pedal.

gregssausageroll · 01/12/2012 17:41

Ds got his at aged 2.5 for Christmas. He got a bike without stabilisers for his birthday 6 months later and rode it no problem! They are great and kids seem to learn very quickly on them.

Original poster

rachael2401 · 01/12/2012 18:04

So which balance bike is best??? I quite like the thought of a wooden one to differentiate it from a 'proper' bike that we'll get her later on.

OP posts:

5madthings · 01/12/2012 18:22

We had a wooden.first and i wouldnt recomend them.tbh. Not good if its wet and they are heavy. Plus you want one with a brake!! Adjustable seat height etc.

We got one from amazon but i saw a great one on zulily they advertise on mnet. I am om my mobile but their ad is at the top of mnet at mo.

You.need to.sign.up/register with them but all thay means is giving them an email addy. The one they are selling us very funky.

Or have a look at some of the decent bike makes. There are lots about now but i would say get a metal one, adjustable seat, handlebars and a brake is a must!

MrsCF · 01/12/2012 21:46

My nearly 3 year old DS loves his balance bike, we got a Puky bike. He has had it for nearly a year but only recently started riding it properly. My DD had a wooden balance bike and I much prefer the Puky bike. It has space for him to put his feet up when he gains enough speed so he can balance properly, where as DD has never really managed to balance as well on hers. There is 22 months between the two of them bit I think they will probably master a bike without stabilisers at the same time.

jenbird · 01/12/2012 21:53

Go for the bike. My ds is 2.5 and whizzes around on his. We have an Isla bike which has gone through all our children so far. My older dc's also have their big bikes. We had cheaper bikes in the past but I wouldn't go back now. They are quite pricey but worth every penny: www.islabikes.co.uk/

cakeaddict · 01/12/2012 22:40

With balance bike, I think choosing one very much depends on the height/inside leg measurement of your child. You need them to be able to touch their toes on the floor at least when sitting on the seat. We got a Puky bike for our DS which I think was about the smallest available (though he was 2 so slightly younger than your DD when he got it).

It has been fantastic though - time will tell whether or not he takes to riding a bike easily. His older brother didn't have a balance bike and is now struggling to get the hang of cycling without stabilisers, whereas I can already see DS2 has a better grasp of how to balance.

BikeRunSki · 01/12/2012 22:45

DS got an Islabike balance bike (the Rothan) for his second birthday. Had a go for a bit, and really got the hang the following spring when he was 2.5. At 3.5 he got a "proper" Islabike as an early birthday present, to give him the summer to ride it (autumn birthday). He was pedalling alone within an hour. . The balance bike is in super condition and waiting for DD.

INeedThatForkOff · 01/12/2012 22:56

I've got DD a Weeride balance bike (great reviews on here). Asda Direct was the cheapest I could find.

NancyBlacket · 02/12/2012 06:20

DS got an Isla bike for his 2nd birthday, now at 2.7yrs he loves it and is really scooting/balancing, think he will be getting his next Isla bike with peddles for his 3rd birthday.
We went with the Isla bike as it is lightweight, adjustable, and has brakes. He plays on it every day.

vix206 · 02/12/2012 07:25

DS has had his wooden once since he was 2 (only 3 months ago). He loves it so much. It was from Amazon (£34.99), is not at all heavy and has an adjustable seat. I imagine when spring comes he will be racing around the park on it! For now he's scooting around the house

gregssausageroll · 02/12/2012 08:43

I thoroughly recommend islabikes too. Yes, they may seem expensive but you can sell them on very easily at a good price. Ours cost £99 and we got about £60 back for it on eBay. They are very well made and very light for little people m

upinthehills · 02/12/2012 09:12

Br prepared for tears! We found going from a scooter to a balance bike hard - it was abandonded lots and i carried it lots but, once they "get it" it is great! Ds1 had his bike before the scooter, so it was easier for him i think. Ds2 could scoot first and found the bike deeply frustrating.

Ds1 was on normal pedal bike no stabalisers at 3.5 as he outgrew bb. Ds2 switched at 4. You just put them on the bike , hold the seat for a few sessions and they are off - it is amazing!

OverWintered · 02/12/2012 09:16

We had an Islabike (rothan) and i too had the dilema of should i wait for birthday or not for DS1. I decided not to wait and it was the right decision as he got so much use out of it from the day it arrived (his 3rd birthday wasn't until about 6 months later too). I used to walk a lot when DCs were little and had a phil&teds puschair. Ds2 would be in the front and if DS one got tired after a long cycle or on the way home from playgroup etc, then DS1 could sit in the back of the puschair and the rothan was light enough to balance it over the top of the pushchair handlebars and push all of them, bike and all home.

Verugal · 02/12/2012 09:18

Ds got a puky bike for his 2nd birthday. It's light and easy to control. He has been whizzing around from day 1 and It's just the right size for him. Go for a quality brand, and metal rather than wooden as they're the easiest to handle for tiny kidspuky lrm set us back 60 quid but worth every penny imo

hotbot · 02/12/2012 09:18

Islabikes fab! Ds inherited his big sisters islabike,he will be 3 in jan,and is getting a proper bike for Xmas. He has has used the islabike since being around 18mths old.he is a whizz on it. I wonder if you may be better getting a real bike bearing in mind ds will just get on his real bike and ride it! Have checked he can do it.!

OverWintered · 02/12/2012 09:19

hmmm ....a "pus" chair ........sounds a bit yukky!

lljkk · 02/12/2012 09:45

Last year, 2 days before Christmas, we bought a wooden balance bike (LikeaBike) off of Ebay (local pickup). Bargain price due to timing, and perfect for DS (then almost 4yo).

So I see no harm in waiting 6 months if it otherwise suits you. And a quality wooden one definitely a good buy. I honestly think the main factor (that you can't influence) in learning to ride without stabs is inside leg length; if your child is tall for age you might indeed not get much use out of balance bike after 4yo.

Main thing is make sure that you get one with pneumatic tyres & not too heavy. Some of the Puky models we looked at were very heavy.

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