Scooter or bike for nearly 4 year old?

[lecce]

I'm thinking ahead to Christmas. Ds2(will be 18 months) will be getting a trike. I know that ds1 (will be 3.9) will be extremly disappointed if he too does not receive some sort of 'vehicle' (not the right word but you know what I mean.)

He got a balance bike last year and adores it and is really good on it. It is used at least once a day, sometimes more. However, not sure if he will be ready for a bike by Christmas, mainly because he still doesn't use the brakes on his balance bike. Tbh, we haven't put that much effort into teaching him.

So I am considering a scooter but am worried that one of the two toys would be wasted. I don't want to end up with one of them gathering dust, especially not the bike as it is a stepping-stone to riding a 'real' bike.

Just wondered if your dc have 2 or more toys to ride if and how you ensure they are both used, or am I over-thinking this?

Thanks.

Bikes and scooters require different skills and it is good for a child's brain development to do both. There is more variety and stimulation for the child and hence more fun. Why not buy a scooter? A real bike without training wheels would be really frustrating unless you have endless time to help him learn to ride it. A lot of kids don't learn until they are 6 or 7 or even more unless they get a lot of opportunity to ride.

I have to say if your son is really good on a balance bike then he should be able to make the jump straight to biking without stabilisers (which is the point of the balance bikes). However, have you got a friend with a similar aged son who has a bike with pedals - you could then try him out to see whether he takes to pedalling.

Otherwise, in terms of practicality, scooters are fab - loads of fun and icnredibly convenient for just bombing to the shops or throwing in the back of the car when going to the park.

Being both a mum of two (3 and 7) and a toy shop owner (Little Nut Tree Toys) I can see both sides of the argument so I would say it mainly depends on whether your son could take to biking with pedals quickly if you haven't got the time to really get him sorted (I know I don't have the time yet - so absolutely no criticism on that point!).

If he is good on a balance bike he won't need stabilisers and should be riding efficiently very soon but faster than you pushing a buggy and also possibly not able to stop very well! A scooter would be much more useful to you IYSWIM.