STOP and put some brakes on the balancing. 

Many parents may disagree with our choice but, it was ours to make.  You see for me it was more important for my son to learn how to stop his bicycle, than it was for him to ride one without training wheels.  So, I purchased a bike with training wheels and not a balance bike.  

Jake had global developmental delays, thus just pedaling took maybe more work than others however, between three and a half and four and a half, he became quite talented at leaving skid or what he referred to as "squish" marks.  I was thrilled because he knew that if things became dicey, all he needed to do was slow down if not outright stop.  

Fast-forward another five plus years and, we now own a toy store that carries balance bikes and much more.  Balance bikes, Strider in particular, have been fantastic teaching tools for balance and shown to be helpful with kiddos, both with and without special needs.

Many of you are already aware of our BERG Track and pedal karts.  BERG Pedal karts are another ideal toy for targeted developmental needs and just like many a bike or balance bike, plain old fun. 

After having the track setup, pictured above, at almost a dozen events with audiences from 1,500 to 60,000, we can't help but notice that kiddos are consistently putting their feet down to stop when they get into difficult situations.  This even after instructions about the kart, not to put your feet down, safety, blah, blah, blah. 

Resulting from informal polling of the parents nearby, I believe I have found a reason to be suspect of kiddos learning on balance bikes that have no breaks. I am wondering about learning balance without addressing control, specifically how to stop.  Could it possibly be reinforcing kiddos to put their feet down to stop in other areas too.   This could/will become problematic later in life, I promise.  Do you recall or did you ever experience first hand one of the more common/non life threatening injuries associated with the now banned motorized three wheelers?  This was long before balance bikes too. During our polling we also found parents claiming their child knew how to or, "could stop their own bike back at home without putting their feet down", yet the kiddos would continue to put their feet down to stop.   

My father's criteria for my obtaining a driver's license was making a skydive, as he was heavily involved with the sport.  His rational was to have me experience intense fear, keep my wits' about me and thus be able to pull my own ripcord.  Now, I don't expect anyone to follow that logic or teaching methodology however, it did help me to understand that when the proverbial poo poo goes down, you can react, you can overcome fear and react in the moment.  Something as simple as hitting the breaks, steering to avoid the head on collision, pulling a ripcord, even hitting the accelerator, can all be viable solutions to escape a serious injury. 

What's the review in all this or where is he going?  Don't stop short in teaching your kiddos not just balance, but almost more importantly, how to be in control of their ride.  How to stop.  I believe it will help in facilitating a self awareness for them, which in turn can be key in reacting effectively in a dicey/split second situation.  Strider bikes, along with others can be ordered with simple brake systems or purchased directly from JAKE's.         

Our neighbor has three boys with the eldest just under four.  They have a couple ride on's and a balance bike.  After explaining my theory to his parents, and leaving a buddy for them to play with, Levi (oldest) was quickly able to operate the brakes on the Buddy.  "He was so excited that after very little instruction, he figured it out and wanted to tell you" expressed Brian his enthused father. 

Be it a balance bike, trike, regular bike, Berg kart or whatever, teach your kiddos to be in control of their ride because, not all of us want to be strapped into a Flitz?"  Imagine trying to walk that up a hill when it's 32 Celsius outside.   

  My 5 year old was born with developmental dyspraxia and struggles with balance and coordination. Even though he can ride a "big wheels" like bike and use the pedals, he could not use the pedals on a bike with training wheels and make it go. Since the STRIDER 16 is made for a bigger child, he can still have practice with handling a big boy bike without the hassle of the pedals and not lose heart that he can't ride and make his bike go--so now we can put the focus on balance and coordination where he really needs the most important practice. It is motivating for him to have this big boy bike compared to a 3 wheeled bike because it resembles a big bike like his mother (myself) has and because he can maneuver it and make it go, when he could not do that with the bike with training wheels. It may take him a while to "get" the coordination and balance due to developmental reasons, but the beautiful thing is that he is motivated to do so with this bike.      - Proud Strider Mom

 Quote courtesy of Strider Bikes website 07 14 15  http://www.striderbikes.com/special-needs-testimonials