Push Bike

During a trip to our local bike shop I noticed these funny little bikes without pedals.  I thought they were stunt bikes or something.  I asked the salesperson and he said they were push bikes for little kids.  I remember thinking "What? Why would you ever buy that for your child."  A few months later I saw a good friend out for a walk with her children.  Her little boy (about 3 at the time) was riding one of these bikes and had amazing balance.  He was so fast you couldn't even tell he was pushing himself.  After seeing him ride the bike and talking to my friend, we decided to get Nathan this bike for Christmas.  Until spring, we let Nathan (and Katie) ride the bike up and down our halls.  This summer we have enjoyed watching Nathan zoom around on his bike.  I think it is a brilliant idea to take the pedals out of the mix.  When I take him on a walk, I run to keep up.  We love this bike and are a little sad that we only figured it out for our last child!

Another benefit was that Katie (and several neighborhood children) all learned to ride bikes quickly after riding this bike for a few weeks.  When I went out to teach Katie to ride a bike I was all set with my running shoes to do the grueling run up and down the street.  I put her on the bike, said "balance," gave her a push and she was off riding.  It was amazing!