An Assortment of Ride On and Tricycle Questions

[twins r fun]

Continuing on my quest to get ready for the spring and summer! I'm trying to figure out if a bike/tricycle is something we want this year. When a child this age (17 months) is riding a tricycle, where are they supposed to put their feet? Are they supposed to be able to reach the pedals and know how to use them? Are they supposed to put their feet on the ground? Or up on some ledge? We have the Rock Roll N Ride Trike from Fisher Price. Jacob does fine on it because he is content to kick his feet up and be pushed around. Caleb wants to use his feet though and since he can't reach the pedals, he puts them on the ground and walks along. This either leads to his feet getting stuck under the trike (ouch!) or him walking along with a bike between his legs. Both boys are short and the FP trike is pretty big. If I get a properly fitting tricycle will this problem be eliminated?

Also, Beth-have you come across any sites that show the kettler trikes actually set up with the tandem insert? I've been looking and can only find a picture of the tandem piece alone. This might be an ideal solution (to my question below), but I'd like to see how it actually works on the trike.

Lastly, has anyone seen a ride on toy that holds two children. I was thinking something along the lines of the Step 2 Push Around Buggy or the Little Tykes Cozy Coupe but for 2 children. I have seen the Step 2 Fire Engine for 2, but it got some bad reviews on Amazon and also I think there would be lots of fighting about who got to drive! Any others? I guess a wagon will achieve almost the same purpose as this, but I like to know all my choices! Oh and while I'm talking about wagons, has anyone seen the Step 2 Choo Choo Wagon in action?

www.toysandhome.com/candypress/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=62

Thanks for indulging me. DH has had about enough discussion on this subject (which may be to my advantage because last time this happened he said "Just pick something, it doesn't matter anymore!" and I now have a mountain buggy!)

Nicole

[ddmarsh]

Nicole - I think your boys may be just a bit too young to get much use out of a tricycle yet. If you had one my guess is they may play around with it a bit but not really be able to get it going. I would suggest maybe going with the two person ride on toy or even one for each of them for now and wait a bit longer for the tricycle. When you do buy one (or two) however I would recommend the Kettlers, they are so sturdy and durable I really think they are worth the money. Also, when you do buy one I don't know that I would go with the two-seater simply b/c it would be harder to manipulate I would think and I don't know how much they would enjoy riding in the back. Maybe go with one single Kettler and a ride on toy of another kind. One thing my boys have all loved are the battery powered vehicles - we've had a few and they have been driven into the ground :). We used to have the Perego two seater jeep type when my oldest two were younger and they would take turns driving that around alot.

Hope you find some of this helful, although I don't have twins I do have two boys close in age who like everything the same and we've always had to find ways to negotiate that :).

Happy shopping!
Debbie

Debbie

[MinnieMouse]

We have the FP Rock, Roll and Ride as well for dd now 21mo. She hasn't tried to push it herself yet. Sometimes she tries to put her feet on the pedals...but it's not comfortable for her yet to do so for any extended period of time yet. We don't plan on getting her any other kind of trike just yet and I definitely can't see spending the $$ on a Kettler...even though they are gorgeous. I didn't spend that much $$ on MY Diamondback Mountain Bike!! :-)

When dd was learning to walk we got her the Little Tikes Push n Ride. She rides on that CONSTANTLY now. It's not that much $$...got it on sale at TRU for $20..hmmm actually they are having a sale right now on LT stuff..buy one item less than $30 get one up to $20 free! It was in the paper yesterday! We also recieved a little booklet of Little Tikes toys this weekend with some newer stuff in it. Looked like they had one of the Coupes were they could push it with their feet..maybe that could be an option. From the booklet LT looks to have some really cute stuff out right now.

HTH

Christine

[twins r fun]

Thanks guys! Sounds like I should wait on the tricycle :(. I tried the boys in the Step 2 Push Around Buggy at TRU this weekend and they love that, but it is a passive ride (like a stroller or wagon) so I'm not sure it's worth the money. I didn't see anything about that Little Tikes deal, but that's a good one so I'm going to look into it.

Nicole

[egoldber]

I know that the Kettler trikes are $$$, but we are going to get one for Sarah. At this age, they can be used as a "push toy", since you can lock the pedals and push the trike with a bar. The seats are adjustable for young kids to older kids. My neighbor has three (one for each child) and they get used nearly every day by a 20 month old, a 3 year old and a 4 1/2 year old. That is what has really sold me, is their longevity and flexibility.

If you want something for the boys to ride together, you may want to wait and get them trikes later, since you probably won't want the tandem attachment for very long. My neighbor a few doors down has twin boys and I have never seen her use a "double" toy with them. They each have their own toy.

HTH,

[egoldber]

I've been meaning to give an update here and I keep forgetting!

We got Sarah a Kettler tricycle a week or so ago. She LOVES it!!! It is now her favorite toy. We have been riding it every nice day around the neighborhood. It is now our neighborhood "stroller"! :)

We found a store that carried the Kettler Jumbo and also the Happy. The Jumbo was actually too large for her, even in it's smallest configuration, so we went with the Happy.

HTH,

[twins r fun]

Thanks for the update. Two questions: Does Sarah keep her feet out of the way as you push her? Will the Happy fit her for as long as she will want to ride a trike? We tried the boys on one of the Kettler's at Zany Brainy (the one they have the deal on) and it seemed too big for them so I kind of gave up on a trike. I still haven't gotten anything else and then it got cold again so my search seemed less urgent!

Nicole

[egoldber]

I'm not sure which one they have at Zany Brainy. Buy Buy Baby has a nice selection, but not all of them are on display. The one we have, the pedals lock, but you can still push and steer the trike with the pushbar in the back. Sarah knows to keep her feet on the pedals (and out of the way of the front wheel) and her hands on the handlebar.

The one we have, which is the one my neighbors have (although I can now tell they have a couple different models), has an adjustable frame and their 4 1/2 year old boy can still ride his. I figure by the time Sarah outgrows this one we will likely have another child that will be using it. But I anticipate years of use from it. And she LOVES it. She runs for it when she sees it!!

[allange]

Beth:

Thanks for your update. Glad to hear Sarah likes her new trike!

I am also looking at the Kettler Happy for my 16 month old but she is such a peanut, I wonder if she will be too small for it. She is only 30 inches tall. Can Sarah actually reach both pedals? How tall is Sarah?

Thanks a bunch,
Angela

[egoldber]

Her feet do reach the pedals. I don't think she could turn the pedals with her feet, but they rest on the pedals just fine. At her 18 month appt, Sarah was 31 1/2". 16 months may be just a tad young. A few months makes a big difference, at least it did with Sarah. I feel like she is a totally different child now than she was even a couple months ago. Every day. she is just so much more like a little girl instead of a baby.

HTH,