Trikes

We have the Kettler Limited Edition Navigator that I ordered through One Step Ahead. I bought it for my son for his 2nd bday just last month. I absolutely LOVE it. It is extremely solid, and the tires are rubber NOT PLASTIC. It is very well made and rolls very smoothly. My son absolutely adores it.

I also love it because it has the handle so I can stear it. We live two blocks for a park. The handle is super easy to put on and off, and you just push two little switches to change the bike over from him controlling it to me controlling it. It's great because I can push him to the park and then switch it over really quick so he can play with it and then switch it over really quick so I can push him back home. LOVE IT. Only thing is the stroller wheels take a little to get used to.

I like the Kettler Trikes. There are a lot of different models in different price ranges, but they all seem very sturdy (unlike a lot of mother trikes on the market.

Another well-made option would be to check out the trikes that schools get (see Lakeshore learning materials, for example).

--E.

Hi D.! We have a few trikes around our house. I recommend the kind with the parental steering option for a young 2. For the most part they are not coordinated enough at that age to both steer and pedal (or pedal at all, even), so if you are planning on going for walks around the neighborhood, the steering option does save your back! My 2.5 year old prefers riding her trike to being in the stroller, actually. With the steering option I can make sure we can cross the streets quickly, and can push her home if her legs get tired.

When our older daughter turned 3 and had become proficient at steering and pedaling on her own, we bought her a trike at our local bike shop. It is one of those very high quality ones that is sturdy welded metal (with flames on the sides!) and is a little bigger than the toddler trikes. She can really fly around on it. She actually still loves to ride it even though she is 5.5 and has a 2-wheel bike. (As a side note, a really fast trike is a bad idea for a very young child - the steering is not stiff enough for them to control easily, and their little legs can't reach the pedals anyhow - our little one took a nasty fall off of big sister's trike when she had just turned 2.)

So... I guess all in all, just realize that the trike that you buy when they turn 2 will not be used all that long (maybe a year) and then when they grow out of it you can get a bigger and more useful trike that they can use for several years.

We JUST bought my two year old her first trike, and took her to the store with us so that she could "try out" all of them on her to see what fit her the best.
Our daughter is very tall for her age and at 37 inches tall and 33 lbs, she is in the 99% aisle in both height and weight. Regardless of this fact, the traditional metal trikes were just too heavy for her to easily pedal (we even put her on a tiny 2 wheeler with training wheels because she is tall enough, but it was SO HEAVY she couldn't pedal at all).
We ended up going for a model made mostly of plastic, with some metal in the frame to make it sturdy: in fact, it is made by Radio Flyer, the same company that makes those traditional, red, all metal trikes. This is the one we got:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2415215

They come in boy colors too! It folds almost flat for easy storage too. She loves it. OH and she also LOVES the little storage compartment on the back of the trike - she fills it with stuff and transports it all over the house! Adorable. At 2, you really dont need a trike with a parent push handle --- he will be old enough within a few weeks to pedal and ride wherever he wants and he will NOT want you pushing him.

Hi D.!

Well.....good question! You know why there are so many Trikes to choose from? Because there are so many different kids! :o)

Some kids are "self-starters", some are NOT and need assistance. Some choose by color, some by handle bars tassles! I have been through SOOOOOO many different bike's over the years, you may end up purchasing one, but realizing it's not the best one for her later.

Because of her age, I would recommend the kind that starts off as a "rocking bike" that is stationary in your home. It then "transforms" into a bike that they can peddle while a mommy pushes (basically, the mommy handle-bar is the rocking part, then the handle bar is released to be a handle-bar). Then you can take off the handle when she's learned how to ride it by herself. This might be the best for her. It's really hard for most chldren to understand the concept of keeping their little feet on the peddles, which is why they have the handles attached for mom's.

I wouldn't make a very expensive choice, because it may not be something she "takes to". I would pick one that's her favorite colors, though, that will help her like it before she's even on it.

What a perfect time of year to get a new bike! How fun, I remember being sooooo excited for my boys first bike's. I think WE get more excited than they do.....kind of like being Santa :o)

Have fun choosing!

:o) N.

Definately get one with a detachable handle. Radio Flyer makes one. They are nice for those times when your daughter will want to "bike" to the park or around the neighborhood. It takes toddlers a while before they can steer well. Only one of my four girls could ride a trike at 2 years old. The others were three or older before really riding it on their own. Don't get discouraged if she doesn't take to it right away, some kids just need encouragement and lots of patience and practice. And if she loses enthusiasm quickly just reindroduce the trike after a short break. Good luck. This is a great age. Oh, just a word about big wheels - they are for bigger/older kids. You'll want to check the distance from seat to peddle to make sure it's not too long.

my two cents - we were fine with the fisher-price plastic one with the handle in the back (got from a secondhand store for about $12 I think). Other folks speak highly of the Kettler ones. So I guess it depends a bit on what you like and what your budget is.

I agree w/one one the moms...the Fisher-Price plastic one. 'Santa' got that for our younger son when he was 1.5 yrs & it's been great. It comes w/a parent handle but we didn't use that very long as our son just pushed off w/his feet. He now peddles himself & has for quite some time. The seat is adjustable so it can grow w/your child. I think new it was about $30. I say don't spend much more than that cuz they outgrow them quickly. If you really want to get the Radio Flyer or the Kettler, try a used store, EBay or Craig's List. Ask any of your friends or family memember if they have one they'd be willing to hand down. Don't forget garage sales. We got our first son the same trike at a garage sale when he was 2.5 yrs & it lasted him for almost 2 yrs. Or, let family memebers know this is on the wish list & maybe they'll go in on it together. Hope this helps & good luck.

Hi D.. We bought a Kttler Trike for our sone at 18 months. It is a bit expensive, 200 smackers, but so worth it. It has real rubber wheels so you don't have to listen to the plastic rumbling on the sidewalk. The back comes with an adjustable push handle. The front wheel locks so Mom and Dad can have all the control. The center bar is adjustable to accomodate the growing child. My son used it till about 3 then moved onto a Big Wheel. My daughter, 3.5, but tall can still ride it but she has to peddle lots to keep up with her brother.

We purchased a Kettrike Air Happy. http://www.kettlerusa.com/page8.html

I need to sell mine if you are interested......

Hi D.,

I bought my daughter a trike when she was about 18 months. I found a well used red radio flyer that folds in half(although I have never used that feature). I only paid $13 for it at Once upon a child and it has easily been worth it's full price value! The only complaint I have is that it didn't have a mommy handle and my back paid for it initially. She wanted me to push her around the house constantly! I would push her knees and say "left, right, left, right, push, push, push, push" as we cruised around the house. On her own she would push it around with her feet on the floor. By her 2nd birthday in November she was peddling it slowly around the house and now she races laps around the kitchen island and she confidently rides it the 3 1/2 blocks to the park. She is good at stearing it except when she gets distracted and then she tends to steer where she is looking.

My recommendations are:
Find a used one! Don't pay full price unless you just like to do that. Kids grow out of them and you can always find them used.
Buy a sturdy metal one like a radio flyer.
A basket in the back is a major bonus for a 2 year old so that her baby can ride with her!
Get a mommy handle and save your back until she learns to peddle.
Let her practice inside the house and she will pick it up pretty quickly on her own and learn how to steer around things well.

Have Fun!!!

D. and Layla