can anyone recommend good bike/ trike for 18 month old?

[mamamila]

ideally like something dd can ride now and will last till 2.5
i'm confused about pedals are they a good idea or not?
dp insists we need a pedal trike with long handle but are they practical or just good for pushing the kid along quickly?

my friends ds had a trike with a handle at 22 months and she regrets it as he is now 3 and got a big bike but won't pedal at all as he has got used to being pushed.
dd is 19 months and just uses her push a long car.

none of mine worked out how to use pedals until past 3...

defintely get a parent handle if you intend actually going anywhere (even if down the street to a neighbours lol) for just playing in the garden you needn't bother, but for any further afiedl, absolutely essential.

I personally wouldn't go for a trike - noisy, big and neither DD got on with it.

We went for a trainer bike (Isla Bike Rothan) and DD1 loved it and has now progressed to a porper bike with no stabilisers and DD2 now has the trainer bike and loves it

thanks for fast replies.
dd has plastic push a long car but wanted to get her something she can steer, she just goes in straight lines and cries to be re-directed whenever she reaches a wall! drives me crazy
i can see the trike with stick could sustitute for pushchair sometimes
anyone bought a great bike or trike? i'm in a shopping mood

A like a bike?

wow tweetle i've never seen anything like the islabike that's such a cool idea. what age did your dd start on it? where do they put their feet? or is that a silly question? i guess they don't whizz around too fast.

hmm it's a brilliant idea and misses out on the stabiliser stage

i agree about the noise of plastic trikes

www.likeabike.co.uk/products/likeabike_mini_mountain.php

suitable from 18 months

wow again, like a bikes are awesome. i wonder i never found anything like this when i searched for trikes etc

they are kind of pricey though, although i'm pregnant so will be used for 2...

You can get like a bikes cheaper elsewhere. Maybe ebay?

Ours was from a local shop in the sale.

devil what age did your kid start on this bike? did they get their balance fast?

19 months, it was really fast tbh

We got DD1 her isla bike when she was 3 1/2 so a bit late, it didn;t last too long 6 months or so), however I knew DD2 would also use it and within 20 mins DD1 was balancing on it. The other great thing is that it is soooooo light so if your LO has had enough you can easily carry it home, unlike a trike. DD2 is now 2 and uses it though she's not as good as her sister yet.

You see a lot of the likeabikes round her but to be honest I don;t like the look of them and they are a lot more expensive, however the principle is the same.

They tend to start off walking with the bike between their legs, they then quickly progress to sitting down and walking then a kind of run, and lifting their feet off the ground so they can zoom along.

EvenDH who is a bit of a scrooge at times thought it was a great buy - DH is now complaining he's not a scrooge, he's a tightarse!!!!

I love the Puky range of bikes, especially the learner bikes which teach balance and have no pedals.

But at 18 months your LO is too young for one of these bikes, they won't have the co-ordination or physical maturity just yet.

We started our daughter on her Puky bike at 2 years 4 months and she 'got it' balance-wise within a month and was flying along with legs in the air free-wheeling away. She has ridden it for almost two years without getting bored, we felt this was such great value for money.

There is a toddler Puky bike called the Woosh, it is a lovely bike for an 18 month old and gets them pushing along quickly and steering so they will move easily over to a learner bike once they have turned two. You might pick a second hand one up on ebay.

I wouldn't recommend a trike, either. They don't have the strength to push the pedals at that age.

Puky is a quality German brand and much cheaper than like a bike too.

we've got really cool puky scooters - more like bikes than the normal scooters you get -very cool lol, but i think you need to wait a while before you try those!