What are balance bikes? Are they good for 3 1/2 year olds? Do they need training wheels?

My daughter has outgrown her barbie, plastic tricycle from Walmart. I'm trying to find her a new bike-we like one at Walmart (Princess), but I just saw balance bikes at toysrus.com and was wondering what they are.





Are hand brakes better then foot brakes for her age?





Would a balance bike be better for a girl her age (3 1/2)?





Do balance bikes need training wheels?





Are there any bikes you personally loved for your kids that you could reccomend within my price range-I'm willing to spend $80 just on the bike because I also have to get a helmet, pads, and I promised her a horn and basket (if the bike doesn't come with one). She loves pink but theme isn't a big deal and other colors are fine if she doesn't mind. Its her bike so I'm trying to make her very happy with it-she loves the one at Walmart, but I'm trying to shop around and be smart about this. It has a foot brake, training wheels, and is adorable and perfect for her size (she's tall for a 3 year old). But any advice would be greatly appreciated.





Thanks so much-this is my first time buying her a real bike and I'm afraid to pick the wrong one:(





Oh, is this the wrong category for this question?|||Balance bikes have no pedals at all--they teach your child to build up speed with their legs and then lift them to balance. The thought behind them is to balance so that your children never learn to rely on training wheels at all.


http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/186鈥?/a>





At 3 1/2, she is WAY too small for hand brakes--she does not have the coordination to understand how to use them and would end up crashing into things. She needs foot brakes if you get a bike with pedals. I don't think they even make bikes with hand brakes for her sized child.


http://www.target.com/Girls-Mongoose-Bub鈥?/a>





EDIT: I missed the part where you said she's tall. The Mongoose bike is a 12 inch. The Toys R Us website has 16 inch bikes. I'd bring her to the store and have her sit on a 12 inch bike and a 16 inch bike and see which one fits her better. I'd be inclined to say that the 12 inch would work, but you don't want to get it home and have it only work for 6 mos. You want it to last a little while. You also want to have them assemble the bike for you-- assembling bikes is a huge pain in the butt--trust me...|||My first kid I start with training wheels - but for my second child I got him a balance bike from a really early age - and the difference in confidence and ability was amazing. Check out reviews and more info on balance bikes at http://www.balancebikesforkids.org

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