Sometimes the hipsters are right. buy your kid a balance bike.

So, about 2 years ago, I was standing at the playground talking to one of the Cool Moms I know. She was talking to me because none of her other Cool Mom friends were around - I'm definitely not usually hip, toned, well dressed or well travelled enough to make the cut. Anyway, a little guy zipped by on a kettler trike. "those kettler trikes are pretty neat", I mused. "I think I'll get one for Owen for his second birthday". "They are ok", said Cool Mom. "But what you really should do is get a balance bike. In Europe (side note: as far as I know she's from New Jersey and has never lived in Europe, but whatever) the children don't use trikes and they go right to riding regular 2 wheeler bikes without training wheels at age 3 or 4. They use balance bikes instead. I just bought one the other day".
Since Cool Mom's kid was, like mine, about 16 months old at the time, she didn't have the bike with her and I have to admit that I had no idea what a balance bike was. So I went home and googled it, and found the skuut website. I forwarded it to my mom. "this is what I think you should get Owen for his second birthday". I wrote. She was skeptical, and suggested she get a snazzy radio flyer trike. I persisted. "no, really. I heard that in Europe, they don't even use tricylces, they use these. And all the kids can ride a two wheeler bike at 3." She wrote back. "that is ridiculous. No 3 year old can ride a two wheeler bike. you didn't learn to ride one until you were 8." But I went ahead and got him the balance bike anyway - what can I say? I am susceptible as the next gal to Cool Moms, and a whiff of European sophistication. But I have to say, in this instance, whether Cool Mom has been to Europe or not, she was right. Behold, my barely 3 and a half year old cruising on a 2 wheeler like he's been riding all his life:

those Europeans and their balance bikes and socialized medicine. Always a couple steps ahead.