balance bike

I've been on the hunt for a new and bigger bike for Ben for a few months.  Knowing he might only use it for a year or two, I'd been glued to Craigslist to find something used and was being continually beaten to the punch on any that were more than $10 less than brand new.
I'd also been hearing more and more about "balance bikes," and "Striders," for the last year and was totally convinced that was the route to take.

Here is the info directly from the Strider site:

If your toddler can walk, a STRIDER will get your toddler cruising over dirt, grass, and pavement with ease. Designed to be steady, stable, and safe, the STRIDER ST-4 bike is perfect for children from 18 months to 5 years old.

Weighing only 6.7 pounds, the STRIDER™ No-Pedal Balance Bike is designed to be super light for ease of handling by young riders.  The bike includes patented frame-integrated footrests for advanced rider development, and the handlebar and saddle height are adjustable for growing children.

Healthy kids develop essential motor skills early in life.  Pediatricians agree that learning balance, coordination with exercise jump-starts a child’s growth and development.

The ST-4 teaches your child balance, coordination and develops glittering confidence.  Trikes and bikes with training wheels don’t.  Traditional bicycles place too much of the focus on learning to pedal -- skimping on developing your child’s motor skills.

So, basically the point of Striders and balance bikes is to eliminate the need for training wheels by having the kid already able to balance without pedals and later the pedals replace the "running" as the locomotion. For me the proof has been in the many 3 and 4 year olds riding pedal bikes around like pros.  All the parents I've inquired with claim it's all because of the balance bike.  One family I met recently said their youngest of 3 could ride 4 years younger than his oldest brother was able to, all thanks to a Strider.

Well, thanks to MeeMee and an early birthday present, (I'm sure she was sick of hearing me talk about my constant search for one,) Ben is Striding!!!

He is just getting the hang of sitting and striding vs. standing but he LOVES it and is very motivated to ride it much further than Ryan or I ever think he can make it. We take it out 2 or 3 times a day and he's had it less than a week.  It's also been a fantastic replacement for some energy burning as the nearby church school that had long allowed the community to use their playground has locked it down. :(  There are still plenty of parks around but a great playground only a block away was such a treat.  Striding is also becoming a wonderful post-dinner, father-son tradition and all day when I take Ben out with his bike he asks for his DaDa to come home and take him. :)