We were planning to buy a 12 inch bike with training wheels for my turning 3 year old's birthday this year, but I was just doing some research and found a lot of people saying you should just get a balance bike and wait until she's big enough for a 14-16 inch to get one with pedals. I hadn't really considered a balance bike and now I'm really torn!
What do you recommend? If you have both what did your 3 year old like better?
cherry / 121 posts
When I worked at a bike shop in college, we'd just take the pedals off the bike (if the parents preferred) and have them come back and reinstall the pedals when their kid was ready.
If you have a local bike shop vs a big box store they may be able to help you pick the right setup for your LO. Probably a few more dollars, but you also get the support of the trained staff and know the bike is properly assembled. They can also fit helmets.
pear / 1703 posts
My LO loved the balance bike staring at about 2.5 years and had developed such good stability that she was able to go straight to a pedal bike at 4 with no training wheels!
I say go for the pedal bike! Great resell value too 
grapefruit / 4110 posts
We had my son on a balance bike at 18 months old and at 3 he was ready for a pedal bike. No training wheels ever. Learning to balance before pedaling helps a lot.
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