Balance bikes are just better
I learned to ride a bike with training wheels. So when it was time for our oldest son to learn, we tried training wheels. A year passed with no noticeable progress. Maybe he just wasn’t a bike rider?
Our friends suggested a balance bike instead. After two weeks of practice, he was riding a normal bike independently. It was like magic.
Not wanting to be left behind, our four-year-old wanted to learn how to ride too. So we got a balance bike, he practiced for two weeks, and then he learned to ride a bike too.
Training wheels help you practice pedaling and steering, which most kids have mastered on a tricycle or big-wheel. Training wheels don’t help with the most important skill for riding a bike: balancing. By focusing on that, balance bikes help kids learn to ride faster than with training wheels.
The are a bunch of brands that sell balance bikes, and since kids only need them for a short time there is a healthy second-hand market for them. We got ours for free from a Buy Nothing group.
But if that isn’t available, you can convert a normal bike into a balance bike by removing the pedals and lowering the seat. Once the kids has learned how to balance as they roll, add the pedals, raise the seat, and watch them go.
For learning how to ride, balance bikes are just better.