Hi! We are planning to get our daughter (20 months) a trike for Christmas. We've looked into the Kettler trikes because I've heard they are good quality and I like the pushbar option. However, some reviewers said that it is hard for kids to learn to pedal because the pedal slips due to the "freewheel" option (that lets you stop the pedals from turning when you are using the pushbar). But then I've read reviews of some other brands that people don't like the quality. Does anyone have recommendations for and/or against tricycles that would help us decide which one to get for a 20-month old?
I would highly recommend the 3-in-1 smart trike from little tikes. I got this last year for my son who is now 2 years old. He loves it! it's worth it.
http://www.littletikes.com/toys/3-in-1-smart-trike.aspx
We got our son a Trek tricycle. Its awesome but its way too big for a toddler. The cool thing is that its heavy duty enough for an adult to stand on the back bar/step and "ride" it while the child sits on the seat. Its got BIG rubber tires (they have the tube in them like bicycle tires).
we have a kettler and i like it a lot but in my opinion it is not for toddlers. it large and hard for young ones to reach the pedals and keep contact throughout a turn. we used a relatively inexpensive radio flyer and now that my daughter is older she enjoys flying around all over the place on her kettler. if you are going to try to have your kid on a two wheel bike with training wheels at three (some people do) i would not get a kettler.
btw, we did have problems with steering wheel lock but i've never heard anyone else complain so that may been just us.
Please think about a small bicycle with 8 inch wheels and good training wheels. So many kids I know never get the hang of a tricycle (many are way too big for them, even with pedal extenders). The bike has mechanical advantage with the chain and seems to be at a better angle to pedal. I got ours for $10 at Goodwill, I think the training wheels were $17 at Toys R Us. I never would have thought of it, but a friend showed me her three year old riding without training wheels! The seat can be lowered and raised as the child grows. Good luck! D.
Get a good 'ol' red trycicle with rubber wheels, they grip the ground better for traction. :) It cost me 20 or 30 bucks, that's it. That's why we didn't bother with an embellished plastic tricycle. Our son learned to pedal on it- we let him start out in the house (hardwood floors) and then once he started using it outside that's when we didn't let him bring it back in the house.
It is now on loan to a friend's son.
Have fun!!
Rock and roll trike
I had one for my daughter when she was that age. It has a handle on it to put her down the road. thick enough to lift the front end and turn if needed but she felt in control even when i pushed. It has a foot rest for the child's feet while you push. But also the handle folds under so you can take it inside and the child care rock on it in the house. When the child gets older the handle comes off easily so she can ride it independently with no trouble. I have one for my new son as well and my daughter remembers it and wishes she could still ride it. I can't remember the maker (it's packed outside in the shed since my son is still only 4mo.) but i would have to be either little tikes or Fisher price. I love it it worked until she was about 4yrs old from old enough to set up on it.
My daughter is 17 months old. When she was about 12 months old, I bought her the radio flyer tricycle with the push bar. She loves it. Although the tricycle is a little abig for her, she is growning into it. I also bought a smaller tricycle for her, which is a pink one which is also made by radio flyer, with an adjustable seat. This one fits her better right now.
My son loves the Rock N Roll Trike by Fisher Price. He was able to start pedaling at about 2 years and 3 months or so. I love the handle. He is now 2 years and 8 months and he loves that he can ride it by himself but if he needs help getting up a hill or something I can help him without bending down. The seat does adjust but my 4 yr old can ride it still without moving the seat. It does have the little bar that they can put their feet on. I found that he wasn't able to put his feet on that (it sits back too far) until about 2 months ago which kind of defeats the purpose. Mine is about 4 years old so they might have updated by now.
My son (26 mos)has the rock n roll trike right now (little tikes makes it I think...). I got in Craigslist for like $10 over the summer (when he was only 20months) and it was really too big for him even with the seat at the closest setting. He didn't like to keep is feet on the bar (I don't think it's really wide enough), and he couldn't reach the pedals, so he'd let his feet drag and they would get caught on the ground while I was pushing. I was afraid to hurt him if I moved to fast, so we set it in the rocker mode and brought it inside. He rocked on it a few times, but not much really, so I put it away.
We just took it out again this past weekend (he's now 26 months) and his feet just barely reach the pedals (oh, he was 34" at his 24 month doctor visit), but he won't leave them on there, and we still have the foot dragging problem. I figure we'll try again when he's got another inch or two in height!
I'm also keeping an eye on the Kettler trikes for next summer, but he's just not big enough yet.
You might try taking your daughter with you to try out some different bikes, that way you can see what might be a good fit for her now. then buy it later - she'll still be surprised on Christmas!
We have 3 in 1 smart trike by Little Tikes for our 18 months old that we've used for a while. He absolutely loves it and it will grow with hime for the next 2 years. We all love it since it has a push bar for a parent and can be removed if you don't want to use it. Good luck in your search.
