If there’s one thing you need to know about our little guy, it’s that he’s always on the move. Always. So, it’s only fitting that he loves things that are on the move, especially things he can move himself!

Back when Lil’ CB was turning 2, my sister-in-law sent him a Fisher Price Tough Trike for his birthday. It was a very thoughtful and appropriate gift, but our little cowboy could not reach the pedals, try as he might. Because he was (and still is) on the smallish size for his age, we found that he could not reach the pedals on most tricycles and when he could, he was just barely reaching and it was difficult to pedal. Of course, he found a way around it, just scooting himself around by pushing off with his feet on the ground. While this kinda sorta worked, the pedals kept knocking into Lil’ CB’s legs and he couldn’t get much speed (which was A-OK in my book, not so much in his!).

When we started looking into other ride-on options for our almost-preschooler, balance bikes were our first choice. If you’re not familiar with balance bikes, they are toddler/preschooler-sized bicycles with 2 wheels and no pedals. The concept is that as kids learn to scoot and balance on the bikes (think Fred Flinstone — scoot, scoot, scoot and glide), they will transition more easily into riding a two-wheeler without having to first ride with training wheels. I’ve been really interested in them since I first heard about them a few years ago and last summer, when we saw a pack of preschool-aged boys cruising on their balance bikes, we were sold!

Before purchasing a balance bike, we researched and looked at a few different bikes: the Specialized Hotwalk; the Skuut; and the Strider ST-3. We loved the look of the Hotwalk, but it was the priciest and the seat didn’t go low enough for Lil’ CB to reach the ground with his feet comfortably. The Skuut has a classic, timeless look, but again, the seat didn’t adjust low enough and I wasn’t sure how a wooden bike would hold up in the elements (because I could totally picture Lil’ CB leaving it outside during a rainstorm!).

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That left us with the Strider ST-3 which we ended up purchasing without seeing in person. The rave reviews and the specs indicated that the seat could be lowered for children as little as 30″ and we loved the fact that the bike also had footrests where the pedals would be. We ordered the bike from Amazon and it showed up in a large box a few days later and required minimal assembly (which I really know nothing about, since I just watched!) .

Lil’ CB received his Strider for his third birthday and spent most of the Fall scooting around with his feet firmly planted on the ground. He’d have spurts of bravery where he’d lift his feet for a second or two, but for the most part, he scooted with his feet and learned to go really fast with what became known in our house as “jello legs”. By Winter, Lil’ CB got incredibly fast as scooting around and slowly learned to lift his feet and glide for longer stretches. By Spring, he was gliding down hills at a sometimes alarmingly fast speed!

I mean, look at him go — in each of these videos, Lil’ CB shows off his gliding and balancings skillz, starting at the top of a hill and gliding all the way down!

Though it took about 5 months for Lil’ CB to get really comfortable with gliding and balancing on his balance bike, he’s definitely got it down, and since balancing is the hardest part of learning to ride a bike, we’re hoping he’ll be on a two-wheeler in no time! In fact, this Summer, we’re planning on getting Lil’ CB a 10″ or 12″ bike, taking off the training wheels right away, and teaching him to pedal while riding a two-wheeler. And judging by how fast and fearless he’s been gliding lately, we’re hoping and thinking it’ll be a pretty seamless transition!

I can’t say enough about how much we’ve loved the balance bike. It’s been a great alternative to a tricycle and I am almost certain we will be able to completely bypass training wheels with Lil’ CB. It’s so much fun to see him gliding around and more than a few times we’ve been stopped by passersby asking about his little bike. The balance bike has also given Lil’ CB a good boost of independence and confidence because regardless of whether he was scooting or balancing, he was in full control and able to maneuver himself around without any help since the bike is so light. According to the manufacturer, kids as young as 18 months can ride the Strider balance bike, so it would make a great present for a 2 year-old, too — I almost wish we had gotten it a year earlier!

What’s your little one riding?