OOOPS! always think before you post!

did it really sound bad? - i don't know what i have against those bikes but there is something inside me that just says fast red metal and chrome is so much better!

I did get my boy a fast red metal and chrome Raleigh, and it did have number 1 on it and he went zooming round the park racing against kids twice his size - he would ride up to them with the bravery only a three year old can have and say "I've got a racing bike - if I race you, I will win!" made me so proud - i didn't notice the kids on the lumps of wood doing that.

I guess if you want to analyse here, we sometimes live a vicarious life through our children and we should be wary of that, but also revel in it - we want the best for our children.

It's obviously a bit different when it comes to the first car - no way is it going to be a fast red and chrome metal thing with 1 on the side - in fact i do believe that there is a lovely lump of wood just waiting to be carved...

Dad

Unfortunatley cant see my 2 year old on a real bike at the moment, so a balance bike is an interim proposition. Apparently they can go from a balance bike to a a normal bike without the need for stabilisers, which has got to be a good thing.

Anyway I managed to convince the mrs to go for the plastic one, which should be turing up any day now.

Some pretty full on views there Dad, although I agree that the Shiny red bike is great, I also think there is a place for the balance bike. Admitedly it seems to be a trend at the moment, but they have been around for a while, since 1800s I belive, werent the first bikes wooden ones that you walked along