I’ve been thinking about this whole bike situation for awhile.
Do we get her something this summer (when she’s 1.5) and would barely be old enough to use it?
Do we wait and give her a bike for her birthday (in November), or Christmas (even though it’s winter and she wouldn’t get much use out of it)?
Do we get her a tricycle?
Do we get her a tricycle with the handle for us to use so we don’t break our backs?
Do we go straight for a 12 inch bike with training wheels?
So many questions. I’d literally read so many reviews and articles about what to get. Then Amazon prime day happened. There was a 4 in 1 trike for sale and it seemed perfect! It would grow with her, give my back a break, and seemed to be the right idea! And we’d just give it to her now while the weather is nice and she can enjoy it!
The trike came in a million pieces, and I got to the task of putting it together right away. The
assembly wasn’t that bad (but then again, I enjoy building things like this). We took her for a ride in it that evening when Daddy got home. It seemed pretty wobbly and light weight. When turning I almost tipped her over once! I wasn’t impressed. Plus- she wasn’t even coming CLOSE to reaching the pedals. I was super bummed about this part. I probably would have kept this purchase had she been able to reach the pedals, just out of convenience. I as so disappointed, however, that I immediately got on amazon to return it. We then spent the evening disassembling and trying to pack the pieces back into the box (this was MUCH harder than putting it together)!
Caroline had a blast on the 4 in 1 trike, however. So, I decided to go to Toys R Us and look for something better. They had some good tricycles that were nice and sturdy. They were super low to the ground, obviously, so I wasn’t a huge fan of not having a handle. My back wasn’t going to be able to handle it for long, and Caroline looked like she was going to outgrow it by this summer.
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| Convincing her to give the helmet a try! |
We then decided to check out the real bikes just in case. I figured we’d find the smallest one and put her on it. We’d just get a feel for how long before she could reach the pedals. Well, guess what!?!? She could already reach the pedals! Done! Why spend money on a tricycle that she is going to outgrow in a few months, when we could get a real bike with training wheels that she’ll use for a few years!?
She picked out the one she wanted (blue), and we found the tiny infant helmets! I am so glad we went this route instead!
As soon as we got home, we unwrapped it and took it for a spin. She had her helmet on (after some convincing), her feet on the pedals, and her hands on the handle bar! The pedals don’t move unless she pushes them, so they aren’t hitting her or in the way. For now, she is just resting her feet on them while I push her around. I did show her a few times and push her feet with my hands. She just loved it, and I know she’ll be pedaling in no time! Mama will be running after her! haha
I am really glad that we decided on this bike. I am also glad we just decided to give it to her now, while the weather is nice. It is the perfect present for later, but she’ll get the most use out of it now. She looks so grown up on this bike! She doesn’t even need me to help keep her on. She is a natural! We got the My Little Pony 12 inch bike that’s shown below, and had we gone with a tricycle, all of my research points to the Schwinn bike that is shown below as well. I would not recommend going with the 4 in 1 trike style that we originally tried.