How old for a tricycle??

[SarahK]

What age is good for getting a tricycle? My daughter is 21 months and my husband thinks she still is too young for a trike (I think he wants to wait until next summer)...I'm not so sure. She is VERY tall for her age (she's at least 35.5 inches at this point and probably taller.)

[brittone2]

If you get one with a pushbar and a seatbelt, it can be used as early as a year.

Kids don't start pedaling on their own until 2.5-3 years on average (give or take). Height plays a part but kids just aren't ready from a developmental standpoint before 2.5 in general. An adjustable trike like the Kettler could be good if your DC is very tall for her age...you might get more use out of it.

So...there are several schools of thought. Some people buy the trike early, and use it as a glorified stroller essentially for several years until DC is ready to pedal. Others prefer to wait until their kids are 2 or 2.5 to buy and that way DC is riding it on their own sooner.

FWIW, I've heard a pushbar is helpful either way because even if you wait to buy until they are pedaling on their own, it is helpful for slowing DC down when going down hills.

HTH.

[SarahK]

Thanks so much, Beth.

Katie will be two at the beginning of December--so it sounds like a trike is an option as a birthday or Christmas present...but it wouldn't be totally out-of-line to wait until next summer when she is 2.5.

Hmmm...I just want to make sure we get the biggest bang for our buck, so I don't want to wait too long...nor do I want her to get frustrated because she can't make it move. I know that with the plastic cars she has now (one of them is one of those "Flintstone" cars with the door and roof) she isn't coordinated enough to make it go forward--she can only make it go backward by pushing off with both feet--she doesn't "get" the walking motion needed to move it forward.

[brittone2]

My DS will be 2 in February so we're contemplating the same things :) DS has a small ride on toy (no pedals) that he's starting to get the hang of at this point so he'll use that until he's ready to pedal the Kettler on his own, and until then we'll use the Kettler to push him around on just for fun. FWIW, in my experience, most kids go backwards on all ride on toys before they propel forwards, so she's right on target there :)

HTH.

[natsmom]

My daughter got her first "real" tricycle for her 3rd birthday in April. She has done really well this summer - she rides her trike while we walk through the sub, although she does get distracted and runs off into the grass. We have the Rock and Ride trike from Fisher Price with a push bar. She used that when she was 2 years old, but she really didn't get the hang of pedaling and steering until she turned 3.

Caroline