Balance bike for a 2yo?

[tethersend]

DD2 will be 2 in a bit and I was thinking of getting her one for her birthday...

Is that a good idea? Did your 2yo love/hate one?

Any recommended brands?

Cheers

We bought DD who is 2.6 a kiddimoto wooden one from costco. It was under £30 and came with a helmet so a great price! It's lovely quality but is a little too big for DD who is tall for her age.

We got the specialised one. DD1 got it at 2.6 but didn't master it until she was 3.5, but she is quite a timid child. DD2 is 2.7 and almost ready to get to grips with it. She is much more confident generally and wants to do what her sister can do which will be great motivation. Personally I think they are a waste of time at 2 and would make a better 3rd birthday present, but I have seen some 2yr olds who look very confident on them. DD1 went straight onto a pedal bike at 5 with no problem and we did 4 miles with her a month later.

Choose the lightest bike you can afford. Make sure the minimum seat height goes low enough to let your child have their feet flat on the floor - the Specialised one we have is too high. If you have space inside, let them ride it there first to get the hang of it, that way it is more readily accessible and they're more likely to use it. This was the best tip we were given.

We had a puky one because it was the smallest I could find and had excellent reviews

Ds2 rode it easily from 2 and it was then passed to ds3

Islabike Rothan.
Light
Real wheels with pneumatic tyres ( survives potholes much better than solid wheels, tyres can be replaced)
Very adjustable
Massive resale value and huge demand
Beautifully built, runs smoothly
Designed to be repaired rather than replaced
Consider it an investment, will still look like new when your child has grown out of it.

Bikerunski do you know if Islabikes have seats that will adjust low for a smaller toddler? Thinking of getting one for dd who is 2.5 but small for her age. We tried her on a ridgeback balance bike but it seemed a little too big for her. The shop thought we should think about an islabike as they are apparently a little easier to get to grips with.

The Islabike seat goes very low. I'll measure it for you later.

Although the is a size guide with recommended inside leg measurements on the IB website.

DS got one for his 2nd birthday. He's very physical & lives stuff like this. However he's only used it properly for the first time today. He's now 4!!!!

Both my dc got on the Islabike Rothan and were off....

Here's a thought - our friends bought Argos balance bikes for their dc at about £35 a pop. Over 6 years and 2 dc they bought 5, due to wearing out, breakage, growing, rust. Over 2 dc and 3 years we have bought 1, and spent less, the Islabike, still going strong, will have good resale value.

Meant to say that ds got the Rothan for his second birthday, and it was " regifted" to dd on hers.

When DD was 2, we bought a wooden one, it was too heavy and the seat was uncomfortable, she never really got to grips with it and moved onto a pedal bike with stabilisers when she got a bit bigger. We got the smallest Puky for DS when he was 18 mths (over enthusiastic grandparents!!) it was light and the seat could go right down and was comfortable. He was pretty good on it from 2 and at 3 moved onto a pedal bike.

Wow, thanks for all the replies

Hmm, although the Islabike is more than I wanted to spend, it does look good... DD2 is pretty physical and has got to grips with a scooter ok, so I think she'll be alright; but if she's not, will the Rothan be ok a year or so later, or will it be too small?

Yep, ds rode his for 2 yrs

We have the puky one and DS loves it. It's really well made, easy to ride and will last easily for DC2 and then sell on for a good price. One of the good features is it has a foot rest in the middle which helps when coasting along.

Another thrread also www.mumsnet.com/Talk/behaviour_development/2058903-Balance-bike-questions?msgid=46547938

I do swear by balance bikes, ds learnt to ride a pedal bike 3 months after getting a balance bike. He is 3 and still rides his occasionally even though he can ride a pedal bike.

Great, thanks for all the replies, particularly the aptly named BikeRunSki

I'm going to ask the grandparents to contribute and get her the Islabike Rothan

You really, really won't regret it tethers.

I might when she careers off into the distance at high speed

Well, there is that...

Good discussion here too singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/how-young-is-too-young-for-a-balance-bike-over-excited-dad-content

Our pedal bike is from Isla Bikes. The price did make me gasp a bit but I was given good advice when I phoned to order and the quality is lovely.

We also have 2 .Islabike pedal bikes. All fab.

Islabike here as well, fab construction, has seen dd and ds thru. We got got the metal one. Ds 4 can ride a proper bike but won't be parted from the islabike ....