Wednesday, October 03, 2007

A Parent's Dilemma - Tricycle or Push Bike?

by Alison Donlan, Category Manager



It all started about a month ago when my husband, my 2 year old son and I went to my brother-in-law's for a cookout. (I should mention my brother-in-law has 3 children 3 1/2, 5 and 7.) My son, whom I will lovingly refer to as "my short friend", got out of the car and his eyes popped out of his head when he saw all of the bikes and tricycles in the driveway. He made a b-line for the largest bike (the tire about his height) and attempted to get on. While I encourage my short friend to do challenging things, I was not up for a trip to the hospital so I re-directed him to a tricycle that looked a little more his speed.

He was enjoying himself on said tricycle when his cousins appeared with bicycle helmets on, jumped on their bikes and stared riding. Crisis. "Bike hat! Bike hat," my short friend exclaimed pointing furiously to his head. Thank goodness for sister-in-laws because mine came out of the house with an extra "bike hat" for my short friend. For the remainder of the day my short friend pushed himself around on the tricycle, proudly donning his new bike hat, pink flowers and all. It was very amusing and heart warming to watch.

On the way home that night (short friend asleep with newly acquired bike hat in hand) my husband and I decided it was time to procure a tricycle - or a push bike. Dilemma. Do we buy a push bike or a tricycle? It seems like the push bike is very logical for many reasons. However, are we going to deny our short friend the childhood joy of a tricycle if we buy a push bike? Will he turn 18 and revolt against us because he didn't have a tricycle? I suppose only time will tell...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is what he needs. When he's a bit bigger, he'll be totally ready for a pedal bike. These are so cool.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=32773

Anonymous said...

Look this : Learning to Go on Two Wheels

Bugabike, the latest trend in bicycles, has just arrived in the USA and Canada. I was reading this week - studies show that 100% of children who have used a Bugabike, can ride a bike immediately without stabilizers and enjoy the experience.

As we know, learning to ride a bicycle is one of life’s milestones, the first step to gaining true independence. For parents, there is no prouder moment than the sight of their own child pedaling away in the distance having mastered its art :)

Learner bikes, such as Bugabike, are the perfect introduction to the world of cycling for youngsters and help to develop this early learning skill. They have been produced for children who are too young to ride a traditional bike. The simple, pedal-less design of learner bikes means children have to power them by pushing their feet against the ground, and use their feet to restore balance. By separating the steering and balance function from the pedaling, children can learn to balance without any other distractions.

Children are natural learners and constantly absorb new experiences. They love to make independent progress and by having a Bugabike, cycling is something they can learn how to master on their own. They will discover how it works, how to keep in equilibrium and how to make it move faster. Within a short time they will have more confidence about staying upright and will soon be coasting with their feet away from the ground.

http://stylishmoms.blogspot.com/2007/10/bugabike-learning-to-go-on-two-wheels.html