The other day, I took my four year old out to practice riding her bike. As she pedaled down the sidewalk with me following closely behind her, a woman coming our way smiled at Quinn and then at me. After complimenting Quinn on her helmet, she turned to me and said, “May I offer some advice?” Before I had a chance to say yes, she said, “You really ought to get your daughter a balance bike. That’s the way my three kids learned. After using the balance bike, they went straight to riding bikes with no training wheels.” I just smiled and thanked her for her advice, and my daughter and I continued on our way.

This woman was actually the second person I encountered in the past few months who suggested that I invest in a balance bike for my little girl. While I’ve seen these bikes advertised in circulars or on the Toys ‘R Us website, I’ve actually never seen a child using one outside. Also, I learned using training wheels and transitioned to using a ten speed bike by the time I was six.

My daughter loves her Disney princess bike so much, and she’s getting better and better at coming to a complete stop as we approach an intersection and is steadily improving with steering the handlebar. I’m not too sure if I want to change over to a balance bike for selfish reasons; it will slow us down. Also, I’m not sure Quinn would like it since she enjoys being able to pedal her bike to meet her daddy at the train station. Plus she has a trailer bike attached to mine which has pedals too.

Did you learn how to ride a bike using training wheels on a traditional bike or learn using a balance bike? Which type of bike did or do you prefer for your child? Even though I feel like my mind is made up, I’m willing to consider the balance bike if it will benefit Quinn in the long run. Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

All the best,

Tanya