Graduating from a balance bike to a 2-wheeler?

[jess]

My four-year old daughter is still getting the hang of her balance bike, and I was hoping for feeback from those of you whose children have used balance bikes--I know each kid is different, but about how long until they got used to the balance bike? How was the transition to a regular bike? I'd love to hear about your experiences! Thanks!

[LittlePrince_Mom]

It took my DS a while to get used to his like-a-bike, but.... He got it at the age of 2 and we didn't really take him out to practice much. We live in a city and the sidewalks with traversing driveways just didn't cut it. We finally found a good place to practice when he was about 3 and then he just took off. It took a few practice sessions (maybe 4) until he started to balance a bit and enjoy himself. Now (at 3.5) he rides so quickly and zooms around all over the place. He can balance for MINUTES at a time and loves riding down steep inclines, balancing the entire time. I'm not sure whether to have him graduate to a real bike at his 4th bday. I enjoy the like a bike and would rather just keep that (it's so much easier to carry around/transport) than a real bike. I'm not sure. Looking forward to seeing other peoples answers.
-E
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[chrissyhowie]

Similar to what the PP said, it took Chloe about 3 or 4 times of actively trying out her balance bike to get the hang of it. We alternated bringing her out with the balance bike and then sometimes the two wheeler with training wheels (so she could get the coordination for pedaling down).

About a week ago, DH took the training wheels off. I thought he was crazy at first, but Chloe is starting to actually ride for short distances. She will get maybe 10 pedals in before she realizes no one is holding her when she turns her head to see. That pretty much abruptly ends the ride LOL.

Probably the biggest challenge we have had in this whole bike riding experience was getting her to even try the balance bike at first! I actually think it was the pretty pink set of knee and elbow pads we got her that finally made her want to ride LOL. But once she got the hang of it, she became really enthusiastic about using the bikes.

Best of luck! You'll be amazed at how quickly your DD will pick it up once she sets her mind to it.