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View Full Version : DS ignored the balance bike....



arivecchi
11-29-2009, 01:04 PM
We celebrated DS1's bday yesterday. He totally ignored his new Specialized Hotwalk bike and played with all the other toys he got instead. Will this change or should I just retun the darn bike?

jeno
11-29-2009, 01:37 PM
xxxxxxx

bubbaray
11-29-2009, 01:42 PM
I'm totally in the minority here, but I just do not "get" the balance bike concept. Personally, I would return it and get either a trike or a regular bike with pedals and training wheels.

DD#1 was around 2 when she started riding a 12" bike with training wheels (prior to that used a trike). DD#2 isn't really "riding" on the 12" bike -- she uses it, but DH mainly pushes her. She no longer likes the trike, though. Its for babies, LOL.

JMHO.

SnuggleBuggles
11-29-2009, 01:59 PM
I like the idea of them in theory but in practice I would totally get my kid something like an awesome Big Wheels instead. :) It might be a plastic trike but they are so, so much fun!

Beth

o_mom
11-29-2009, 02:16 PM
DS1 took some time to warm up to his, but once he did it was a really great thing for him. Finding a fairly open area with a gentle slope was key to him learning to glide on it. Once he did that, he rapidly learned to balance and then never needed training wheels, which I was afraid to use with him (he doesn't transition well and I had a feeling if we did training wheels it would be a very long time before he let us take them off).

If you can try it somewhere like that, see if he is more into it. It doesn't look very exciting compared to a pile of toys, so I wouldn't judge it based just on the day of the pary.

baileygirl
11-29-2009, 02:23 PM
DS (3 as of Friday) got a strider bike a year ago, and never really got into it (maybe he was still too young). My parents gave him a Trek Jet 16 inch for his birthday, and so far he really loves it. He is able to ride a lot further then he was able to on the smaller bike. That said, at the bike store he really had fun with the 12 inch Specialized Hotwalk.

ged
11-29-2009, 02:28 PM
call me mean, but *I* personally preferred the balance bike so that's what we got my DD. My DD had plenty of opportunities to ride trikes around at school, so I did not feel like I was depriving her of anything. She took to it just fine, and loved having it eventually.

But more specifically, I would not return a gift just b/c he didn't play with it right away. Many times it takes a little while before my DD would start playing regularly with something. I am *still* waiting for her to take to her dollhouse I got for her 3rd birthday....and she's now 4.5 (OK, I know that is an extreme example).

hellokitty
11-29-2009, 03:03 PM
I feel your pain. DS1 was not at all interested in our balance bike (I got the target one on clearance a few yrs ago) until after DS2 suddenly showed an interest over this summer and now it is pretty much too small of a bike for DS1. He still is not as interested in it as DS2 is. I'd return it, esp if you got an expensive one. I'd recommend that if your younger child becomes interested in one later, buy one used. I got lucky that I only spent $20 on ours. If I would have paid full retail, I would have been really irritated that we spent that much for a bike that has gotten very little use.

elektra
11-29-2009, 06:04 PM
Oh bummer. :( It's such a cool gift! I would give him a little time to warm up to it before considering returning it. But yah, if he still shows no interest after a week or so, I might return it.

brittone2
11-29-2009, 08:48 PM
Have you tried showing him a youtube clip or similar video clip of kids riding balance bikes? DS got a Puky for his 3rd bday and was obsessed with watching the kids on the gliderrider site riding their balance bikes. I think seeing it helped him figure out how to really get going on it (vs. just walking on it).

I'd give him time to see if he warms up to it. At least start w/ a video if you haven't yet and see if it sparks any interest.

WatchingThemGrow
11-29-2009, 09:28 PM
What we did is exactly what brittone2 suggested - youtube videos, then opportunities. DD loves hers now. Problem is, DS1 loves hers also. And we only have one. Not sure if we should get another or something for DD to grow into... give him a week and some time.

arivecchi
11-29-2009, 09:49 PM
Have you tried showing him a youtube clip or similar video clip of kids riding balance bikes? DS got a Puky for his 3rd bday and was obsessed with watching the kids on the gliderrider site riding their balance bikes. I think seeing it helped him figure out how to really get going on it (vs. just walking on it).

I'd give him time to see if he warms up to it. At least start w/ a video if you haven't yet and see if it sparks any interest. Awesome idea, thanks. I will definitely give this a try.

arivecchi
11-29-2009, 09:50 PM
What we did is exactly what brittone2 suggested - youtube videos, then opportunities. DD loves hers now. Problem is, DS1 loves hers also. And we only have one. Not sure if we should get another or something for DD to grow into... give him a week and some time. Perfect. I will try the videos and hope that works. I was shocked. He literally asked for a bike each and every time we went into Target, TRU, etc. I thought he'd be all over it, but apparently the Imaginext Batcave was way cooler. :6:

kloc2006
11-29-2009, 10:13 PM
Like others have said, I would give it time. My DS got his balance bike last Christmas and he loves it! Someone else mentioned trying it on a gentle incline. That might help too. Our driveway is sloped, and my son just LOVES speeding down on his balance bike! I also think it's just miraculous how they really do teach balance. When my son turned 3, he was able to go directly to a regular bike with no training wheels.

citymama
11-30-2009, 02:52 AM
He's 1! Give the kid some time. I think he'll get into it in a few months - probably age 15-18 months. Happy Birthday little guy!

o_mom
11-30-2009, 08:24 AM
He's 1! Give the kid some time. I think he'll get into it in a few months - probably age 15-18 months. Happy Birthday little guy!

I think she gave it to her older DS, who just turned 3. :)

carolinamama
11-30-2009, 12:37 PM
It took my DS a few months before he had any interest in it (he was only 2 1/4 when we got it) but it has been his favorite outdoors toy for the last 2 years. He will be getting a bike this Christmas from Santa and I am afraid that he will ignore that one for his balance bike. Give it time and just offer it when you are all outside. He probably had so many toys and gifts that it is hard to play with them all at one time. We have had such a good experience with ours. Do you and your DH ride bikes? He may not really understand the concept if he is not familiar with 2-wheel bikes.

arivecchi
11-30-2009, 12:47 PM
Yeah - the bike was for DS1 who is turning 3 on Wednesday. I will show him the videos and take him to the park. I hope that works!!! I think the bike is so cool I want him to like it. :)

niccig
11-30-2009, 05:49 PM
DS got his at 3yo and didn't show too much interest at first. I made a point of him riding it to the park - 1 block away - a few times a week and he then LOVED it and we had to ride it every afternoon. 9 months later he was riding a 12" bike WITHOUT training wheels.

In our experience, the balance bike had DS riding a regular bike much earlier than the normal bike with training wheels. DS's friends are just now taking the training wheels off and they're 5 yo. For some, it hasn't been a big deal at all, but there are a couple of boys that are having trouble without training wheels and it is very frustrating for them. I was one of those kids that had training wheels at 7 yo and had difficulty learning without them, so I really wanted DS to have an easier time of it, and that was the balance bike.

niccig
11-30-2009, 05:50 PM
Yeah - the bike was for DS1 who is turning 3 on Wednesday. I will show him the videos and take him to the park. I hope that works!!! I think the bike is so cool I want him to like it. :)

Regularly go to the park to use it. We used ours a lot, and DS caught on very quickly. A friend's DD wasn't into bike riding and she said they didn't use the balance bike much, so she hasn't mastered it.

AnnieW625
11-30-2009, 06:18 PM
I'm totally in the minority here, but I just do not "get" the balance bike concept. Personally, I would return it and get either a trike or a regular bike with pedals and training wheels.

DD#1 was around 2 when she started riding a 12" bike with training wheels (prior to that used a trike). DD#2 isn't really "riding" on the 12" bike -- she uses it, but DH mainly pushes her. She no longer likes the trike, though. Its for babies, LOL.

JMHO.

:yeahthat: Had I gotten DD a balance bike when she was 2, and before she got the idea of riding her little Fisher Price bike that has permanently attached training wheels then yes maybe it would've been a good thing. It took DD almost to her third birthday before she actually tried the regular bike. Before that she was all about her Little Tikes trike, and her Skitter (Plasma Car clone), which she loves still. She is just really used to (and really proud of herself for learning to pedal) pedaling because of all of the bikes that they have at her preschool so I would hate to try and switch her now. Maybe take DS back to the bike shop and let him look at the other bikes with the training wheels and see which one he gravitates to.

I honestly never know what DD will like and what she won't like when we get her stuff so we really do keep it pretty simple when it comes to gifts. Good luck and hopefully he will change his mind about it.

lines
12-13-2009, 11:57 PM
DD1 got a balance bike at when she was almost 5. She rode it for one season and now rides a 2-wheeler without training wheels. I loved that the transition to 2 wheels was so easy (no falls). DD2, who just turned 3 didn't really "get" the balance bike yet (2 at the time) but I'm sure she will in her time.

arivecchi
12-17-2009, 11:41 PM
You gals are a bunch of geniuses!! So I showed DS a bunch of videos today of kids riding balance bikes. We went out to the common garage in our townhome development (freezing here today) and he started riding it like a pro. Today was his first time. He loved it and was so proud of himself. Can't wait for the warm weather so he can ride more.

DrSally
12-18-2009, 12:07 AM
The videos helped my DS get excited about his strider and get an idea of what he could do with it. We gave it to him at 2.5 and it only took him about 2-3 rides and he got the hang of it. He's taller now, so he has a wee-ride. He rides about 1/2 mile to the park with us on it on a regular basis. Glad he enjoyed it! I'm sure he was just overwhelmed with the day and wasn't in a situation to try it out.