Sooo Ben got her this little bike with training wheels early last spring. I immediately could tell why a balance bike is so.much.better!!! I had thought we would look for one on craigslist or maybe find a discount one somewhere, but if she had to use training wheels - no big deal. I mean most of us learned that way right? But watching how easily some of her little friends transitioned to pedals, and seeing all the horrible habits that training wheels introduced, I really regretted not finding the balance bike for her. I'm not concerned that she be an early achiever [though I admit a wee bit of jealousy seeing her little friends, wishing we'd gone that route] - but why start something that will only make it harder to learn in the long run? So last week we borrowed Sam's and she rode it briefly twice and then all the way to the park this morning. That was enough to help her understand how to get started on her real bike and this afternoon she practiced and practiced. I was so proud of her!! Anyway, if you have the opportunity to get your kid one of these, I highly recommend it - it's so cool how they teach balance and stopping yourself and needing a little speed to get going. They're not just for the urban/whole foods/REI crowd :)
I LOVE her smile here at the end!
I also brought out this little toy I found at a garage sale when I was pregnant with Edie - she kind of scooted around a bit and loved it:
2 comments:
We love the balance bike! Chad's sister gave it to us when her boys were done with it and they were all riding without training wheels so young. Grant flies around on it everywhere. Go Vera!!!
All the little ones in Switzerland ride the cutest wooden balance bikes and make the transition to a "regular" bike so much earlier than in the US.
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