Tag Archives: Preschooler Bike

The Balancing Act of Riding a Bike with My Little Girl

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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

Terrific Toy Tuesday: Mommy’s Little Bike Riding Co-Pilot

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“Wheeeee! That was fun! Can we do it again, Mommy?” my little girl asked. Just a few weeks ago my daughter turned four years old, and while she can still fit comfortably in her jogging stroller, for the past few months I was looking for a way where we can both get exercise, have fun and spend time together all at once. Her preschool is about a twenty minute brisk walk away from our house but is a bit too long to expect Quinn to walk the entire way. On a couple of occasions, we used her scooter and her little bike, but needless to say it took far longer than twenty minutes for her little legs to get home from school, even with my assistance.

Then I thought about a tandem (two-person) bike but was concerned about her feet reaching the pedals, storage and me just wanting to ride the bike solo yet navigating with an empty seat in the back (This would be my only bike) Then, on Amazon’s website I came across the perfect alternative: the WeeRide Co-Pilot Bike Trailer. It comes in three different color options: pink, green and white. Interestingly, the price does vary depending on the color ranging from about $70 to $80. It is for ages four to nine and a child up to 75 pounds, so we should be able to use it for the next few years with no problem.  I even purchased a Minnie Mouse basket, handlebar streamers and a bell from Target to make it special for Quinn.

Assembly was easier than I anticipated, and hitching her bike onto my newly purchased bike took just a matter of minutes. Now, when I want to ride by myself, I can simply disconnect her bike, but I can reconnect hers back to mine with no problem. Now, instead of the twenty minute brisk walk with the jogging stroller, it takes us about eight minutes. There’s a few hills along the way, which certainly are a challenge, but my four year old pedaled with all her mite to help out and said, “I was pedaling too. We make a good team don’t we, Mommy!” We even have more time to stop by the nearby park with the bikes. This week, there’s a chance of rain almost everyday, and Quinn informed me, “I don’t want it to rain so that we can ride our bikes together.”

We’ve just been riding our bikes for the past couple of weeks since her birthday, but we are already the excited for more outings bike rides through the neighborhood together. I just love having Mommy/daughter time together and hope this will be a memorable moment not just for me but for my daughter too.

All the best,

Tanya

Terrific Toy Tuesday: A Bike for a Princess

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I don’t recall having a two-wheeler bike with training wheels until I was around five years old, but now they’re available for children as young as three or at least 36 inches tall. For my daughter, it was a toss-up between the Paw Patrol and Disney Princess bike we saw at Target, but once she saw the basket on the princess bike to put her best friend Grover in, the decision was easy for her. Though we’ve had many rainy days, there’s been a few occasions when we’ve been able take the bike outside for my daughter to practice. We even went to a neighborhood track once. I did, however, find that the pavement works much better when learning how to ride a two-wheeler bike than the gravel on the track which makes it much tougher to pedal.

Though she still needs help steering while pedaling and may for a while longer, my three year old looks like a big girl when she’s on her bike with the cute little streamers on the handle bars blowing in the wind as she has her father or me helping her along the way. I love that this bike will grow with Quinn and that she will be able to ride it for the next few years. I’m confident that next year around this time she’ll be a pro and not need the training wheels. or mommy and daddy holding on to the bike with her. This is just another way to add to our outdoor fun, and anyone who loves Disney Princesses will love this bike. We sure do!

All the best,

Tanya