A couple weeks ago, we decided it was time to get Owen an early birthday present. For months now, we have been measuring Owen to check to see if he's reached the min. height requirement for a balance bike. Kris has been really looking forward to this milestone in Owen's life, so once Owen's measurements passed, we were off to a couple of local bike shops. It's pretty interesting to hear different bike “experts” discuss the pros/cons of the balance bike vs. a bike with training wheels (the opinions vary widely). Just in case you haven't heard of a balance bike- it is a training bike that kids can walk/push around until they are ready to hop on the seat and glide. There are no pedals or brakes. The theory is that kids will learn to balance first and then skip the training wheel stage. We're looking forward to testing the theory, but won't be worried if Owen needs training wheels after all.
The first bike shop had a balance bike, but it was bigger and heavier than the one Kris had researched. I didn't like it because it was much to heavy for Owen to walk and hold up. The other bikes with training wheels were much too big for Owen, so we decided to leave and check out one more bike shop. The second store had the bike Kris was hoping to find. It's made with different, lighter materials than the one from the first shop and was also ½ the price! Owen had a great time trying it out in the store and we found it fit him pretty well so we decided to go ahead and get it.
Owen helped his Daddy put it together which was pretty cute. After it was together, Owen decided to check his Dad's work and tighten a few screws! It took him a few different tries throughout the weekend to get the hang of it, but by Sunday afternoon, he was walking the bike all around the house.
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