Hi all,
My husband and I are trying to figure out when is the "right" time for a bicycle. Brady will be three in a few weeks and I was hoping to get him a bicycle for his birthday. He has a couple of other ride on's that have pedals, but here is the problem - He is really tall so a tricycle is pretty much out of the question and he seems to have a problem pedaling. I took him to Toys R Us to find the right height and he just couldn't seem to get the hang of it on any of the bikes we tried out. I know that all kids do different tasks at their own pace, but has anyone had a similar issue with getting their little ones to ride a bike? Or does anyone have suggestions on how to get him to improve? I've shown him how to pedal and steer the things he has many times, but he ends up just using his feed to get where he is going. My daughter had no problem with the tricycle we gave her for her third birthday (many, many years ago), so I am at a loss as to activities or skills we can give to Brady to get him on the path because once he gets started on it, I think he'll have a ball. We'd love to be able to go on a family bike ride in the neighborhood or on some of the paths around the area. Thanks!
Thank you everyone for all your suggestions! I do like the idea of the attachment to the adult bicycle and the bikes without pedals, but I think we are just going to buy a regular bike with the training wheels and practice and practice. He can't go to college without knowing how to ride, right?????
We also have very tall boys and basically bought them training wheel bikes from wal mart. I have a 4 yr old and twin ( almost )3 yr olds. We only paid like 30 dollars for them and they have worked out great!! Good luck
My husband and I found out he had a 30 month old daughter last August. We hadn't been involved in her life and now that her mother was going to let us, we wanted to introduce her to biking. My husband and I bought a 12 inch bike (when shopping, you'll see what I'm talknig about) a 12 inch bike should be adequate until a child is about 5. We also bought a pair of velcro shoes and used a large needle with fishing line to "sew" the shoes to the pedals. This allowed his daughter to learn the circular pedal motion without knowing how to properly apply force. We also would use our hands to propel her feet in a circle to teach her the pedal motion. We see her once a week and work with her and her bike each time. I'm sure she rides at home with her mother too. Now she is 37 months and can ride with nobody holding on to her. She has learned to steer and brake on her own. I definitely think 3 years old is a great age to learn to ride a bike.
My son w/b three on Friday. I just bought him this type of bike for his b-day. http://www.learningtobike.com/home/bike2.asp?gclid=CP6W9Z...
I have two three kids - 2 boys now 10 & 5. The best thing to get is the attatchment bar that you use to attatch (any bike of his) behind an adults bike. Sold at most bike shops. I swear by this, and many people have thanked me for recomending it. It mostly promotes balance. They both started using it when they were 3yrs old. My kids can ride on their own now, but when we go for longer rides we will sometimes attatch my 5yr old just so we can all stay together more easily. Good Luck!!
Hello K., If there is a TREK store near you look at the Trikester. We love it. They have many great, sturdy products.
Good Luck. K.
Hello,
Now is a good time to get him a bike. Although it won't be the tricycle, get him a small one with training wheels and practice, practice, practice with him.
Don't forget the knee/elbow pads and helmet.
He'll be even more excited if Mom and Dad join him on his ventures!
Have fun!!
J. D.
just fyi...i was riding a bike without training wheels at 4. just depends on the child like you said. i would say just practice and practice and guess what...practice. get him a bike and dedicate a certain day every week as "brady's bike lesson day" and have the whole family come outside and show him how.
Hi K.,
My son just turned 3 in January and we bought him a bike with training wheels when he was only 2 1/2. Now I am not saying he could pedal at first but it was here for him to try. What really started him going was being out there on the bike and seeing the big boys from the neighborhood riding around and he wanted to join in. I would just go ahead and get him that big boy bike, he will catch on when he is ready. We also went out on our bikes in the cul-de-sac and rode around in circles so he could watch us. We did not push him to do it right, or tell him it was wrong to walk it. We just let him see how the pedals work and how well we could get around when pedaling. Before we knew it he was working those pedals like a pro.
Good Luck
T.
Hi K.,
I think you just need to buy it! Having one at home versus trying one in the store makes a big difference. I would get him a 12-14 inch (whatever fits him comfortably) regular bike with training wheels. Both of my boys(who tend to be coordination challenged) got this type of bike for their 3rd birthdays and were able to master it with a little practice. Just make sure it looks great and get him a really cool helmet. A little bell is usually a HUGE hit too (and only a couple bucks). He won't be able to resist it and will figure it out quickly. If he hops on it daily he'll be riding in no time and feel like a very big boy.
Good luck!
A.
Hi Karen,
The best thing to do is just purchase the bike that he can fit. Adjust the seat so he can sit on it without being able to put his feet on the ground but being able to touch the pedals safely. As he begins to learn how to pedal, then you can adjust the seat back down so he can learn how to push off and pedal. Make sure he has training wheels and he will eventually learn how to make the bike go. We purchased both of our girls bicycles around that age and they just had to keep practicing until they figured it out. My 6 year old still has her training wheels on because she hasn't completely learned all the way. My 8 year old knows how to ride very well now. It just takes time for their little minds to figure out the pedaling process. :) Have fun!
V.
Hi K.!
I have 2 little boys Almost 4 and 5 and one girl 18 months. Both my boys ride 2 wheelers with no pedals... We started with a bike that my mother in law got them a couple of years ago... It looks like a wooden bike with no pedals. I have seen them at some Target stores in the Toy section (the aisle where there are small jungle gyms wooden kitchens minin trampolines etc... Also saw one called the PV Glider on a website.. Also look at the Wallaby Grip... That is pretty neat. Both will have your little on riding in no time.
Hope this helps!
J.
K.
My son is also three. We started him out with a tricycle about a year ago. Yes he would want to walk it at first. But I just kept telling him to keep his feet on the pedals and I would push him. After a while he could tell what to do because he kept his feet on the pedals and feel how they worked while I pushed.
Now he is on a small bicycle with training wheels and he is fast and loves it.
It may take a few weeks for your son to get the hang of it but he will.
