Tuesday, September 18, 2012

TykesBykes Balance Bike Review

When my daughter was 4, we bought her a bike with training wheels for Christmas. She loved it and actually started riding it in the house that day. We were so excited to teach her how to ride a "big girl" bike, but after we took the training wheels off....Things progressed very slowly. Why?..... Because she could not balance, and never thought to catch herself by putting her feet down when she started to fall. The training wheels actually made it harder for us to teach her to ride!


With our son, we are using a TykesBykes Balance Bike. The difference has been astonishing! 


Balance Bike Blue 2011 14" Wheels
Photo Credit- TykesBykes' website
A TykesBykes Balance Bike a small 2 wheel bike... nearly identical to a regular bicycle but it doesn't have any pedals!!! 

Have a good idea what you are thinking... "What?! No pedals?!!!".... Honestly, that was my first thought too, but after just one afternoon outside with his new Balance Bike my son was "riding".

I was sent the Balance Bike Blue 2011 with 14" Wheels, and it is the perfect height for preschoolers. TykesBykes also has a smaller version with 12" wheels that would work great for even smaller children.



One of the best features, and the first thing I noticed, about the Balance Bike when we opened the box was that it had a handbrake. Not only is my son learning to stay steady on 2 wheels, but he is also learning to stop himself using a handbrake with a standard caliper design on the rear wheel. This will certainly help him transition well when he is ready to go on to a larger bicycle. 

Here's a short clip of my son riding his TykesBykes Balance Bike in our driveway.  =)



I will say that the Balance Bike requires some assembly. Luckily, not only are the instructions included in the box, but TykesBykes has an excellent video on their website that talks you through the process. This made attaching the hand brake and other parts much easier.

TykesBykes also offers accessories for the Balance Bikes on their website... including noise makers, bike parts and tools, water bottles, helmets and more.

 
My overall opinion of the TykesBykes Balance Bike is... I love it! Not only does my son get himself going and balance, but I love the fact he isn't learning to rely on training wheels to keep him from falling. It is truly amazing to watch him balance so well after such a short time, especially since I was so skeptical this little bike without pedals could actually work! 

Our neighbor's son has even started coming over to ride my son's Balance Bike because he can balance and "ride" better on it than on his own bike with training wheels! I have to watch those boys like a hawk because they have become so comfortable with the TykesBykes Balance Bike that I have actually caught them trying to ramp it! Now is a good time to mention this Balance Bike has had a rough road with those two boys, but is still no worse for the wear!

If you are thinking about getting your kiddo a 2 wheel bicycle, I highly recommend a TykesBykes Balance Bike over a bicycle with training wheels. Your child will learn to balance naturally, and have a blast at the same time! =)

Be sure to check out and follow TykesBykes on Facebook HERE

Who would like a Giveaway?!!! 
Image and video hosting by TinyPic


~That's right TykesBykes has generously offered to sponsor a giveaway of 1 Balance Bike!!!! To enter simply go HERE! =)

*Giveaway will run from September 20 through October 3, 2012. =)


*Coupons and Lesson Plans is not responsible for prize or prize shipment. As that is the responsibility of the sponsor. Though I received this product free for reviewing purposes, I was not required to write a positive review. As always, all opinions {good or bad} are my own. See Disclosure.

117 comments:

  1. I think this is a great idea! Never heard of this bike before. How cool!

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  2. This would be awesome for my niece!!! Great review!!

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  3. I love the innovation of this design! How amazing that a small change can make such a huge difference. I would love to get one of these for my son! I have so many happy memories of riding my bike, and I want him to be the same.

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  4. Great Review and adorable little rider. Love the video. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. What a great idea! my 4 yr old could use something like this =]

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  6. My daughter could definately use this! What a great idea!

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  7. My son would love this bike... Thanks for the chance...

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  8. this bike would be just right for my grandson, thanks so much for the chance to win one

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  9. My Father in Law is an avid cyclist and told us about these. I cannot wait for my little guy to be big enough for one. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!!

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  10. This Is A Great Review Of This Bike I Love How You Explain It So Well My Nephew- Son I Raise My Nephew So He Is Like My Son He Really Would Love This And It Really Would Help Him So Much Like You Said With The Balance Instead Of Training Wheels Thank You For This Great Review And Thank You For The Chance Of Winning One He Would So Love This

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  11. I'm really impressed with this bike from your review. My son is having a really rough time learning to ride a bike and I think this may be just what he needs to help him learn!

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  12. this looks like a great product, not only will it help them balance on a bike but help in other activities that use balance ty

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  13. I would love to have this for my son! This is such a great idea for children learning to ride a bike. Awesome!

    tiffoverton77@yahoo.com

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  14. Hi this is a great review. I have never heard of this bike before but you are right it has to be easier to ride than training wheels. I have raised my children but now i have great grands that could use this. this alot for the idea. joannie

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  15. My nephew would love this hes at that bike learning age

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  16. I love that they have a video to watch to help you with assembly. Very helpful! The blue color is so vibrant!

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  17. What a great idea. My son might need this VERY soon. He isconstantly falling down just walking and readu to take off training to a big boy bike.

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  18. What a great bike. My granddaughter would love it
    Kims2312@verizon.net

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  19. This bikes sounds awesome! My boys would LOVE it!!

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  20. My son has a bike with training wheels now and has alot of trouble with it so this would be great

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  21. I was curious how this bike worked without pedals. Thanks for posting the video!

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  22. My husband was trying to get my son to ride his tricycle, but that didn't fly. We hope a balance bike is more his speed.

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  23. I think one of these bikes would be perfect for my nephew.

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  24. I would love to have one of these for my son looks great for teaching them how to balance.

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  25. This seems like a high quality and safe product.
    chacha6581(@) yahoo dot com

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  26. What an awesome way to start learning to ride a bike-- this would be a great gift for any very young child to learn on--thanks for a great idea and review

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  27. what a great idea! I need one for a 4 and 7 year old!!!

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  28. I am going to get one of these for my son!

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  29. We've been thinking about getting one of these for our son, and probably will after reading your review!

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  30. My sons would love this. We made the mistake of buying a bike with training wheels for our older son and it does not give great balance. This would be better!
    seyma_bennett@hotmail.com

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  31. This is an awesome bike, my grandson would love this...

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  32. This would be a great gift for my niece!

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  33. I Enjoyed this review! Made me feel an honest opinion had been given.
    Personal and real!! As a review should be!!

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  34. this would be perfect for my 4 year old grandson

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  35. This one is much better than the other one I saw similar to this. I'm glad I saw this one.
    I couldn't get my Google account to let me publish my comment, so I used anonymous.
    Mary Dailey
    marika200@hotmail.com

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  36. I'd love to have one of these for my 4 yr old neice.These bikes are awesome!Thanks for a great review and your son did a great review too. :)

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  37. I would love to have this for my grandson who will start to ride this soon. It would be nice to have this at my house when he visits.

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  38. My son would love this!

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  39. This is so neat and it would be perfect for my little niece. I am really surprised that it can help your child learn to balance and ride so fast and even better than a bike with training wheels. Thank you for the great review!

    Jennifer Hedden
    jenrenh@hotmail.com

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  40. very different can you add wheels I understand thats its to help learn but after they learn if you cant add wheels what will you use the bike for unlike the others where after you learn you get to ride it. I just seems like alot of money

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    Replies
    1. Sara the bike has wheels.... just not training wheels. They can ride on it by pushing off with their feet and then just balance as it rolls. The best part is since it's so small they can start "riding" a Balance Bike very young, and use it for quite awhile before you move up to a larger bike with pedals. =)

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  41. Thanks so much for this chance!! :)

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  42. Thanks, great innovative bike! The kids would love it!
    Amie Olson
    alolson1@charter.net

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  43. This bike is such a great idea! My son is 3 1/2 and would love this! We've considered a bike with training wheels but you're right, it can't teach them how to balance!

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  44. I would LOVE to get one of these for my 2 year old nephew. It seems like such a great idea!

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  45. It took forever for my son to learn how to balance. This would have really helped him.

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  46. My son would love the bike- never heard of one with out peddles before

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  47. Oh we were actually thinking about getting Carter his first bike with training wheels for Christmas, but this might be a better choice! I love how easy its for them to push around and learn how to balance! Looks really fun! I think this would benefit Carter much more!

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  48. Great I will have to look into it for my Grandson,.

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  49. Would like this for our grand-daughter

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  50. I would absolutely LOVE to have this for my son to give as a Christmas present. Would help us finacially so much and thank you for giving us the opportunities to win wonderful things.

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  51. Would love to win this for my Granddaughter. thank you

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  52. I would love to get one for my son:)

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  53. These are so cute...I would love to get one for my daughter!

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  54. Heard nothing but great things about these bikes!

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  55. I think my nephew would really love this bike, great for transitioning to a big bike!
    petchk79@gmail.com

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  56. This is a great looking bike. If you love it, I bet I will too.

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  57. My son is starting to learn how to ride a bike so i think this would be abetter option for him since he falls off a lot from the bigger ones.

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  58. This looks like such a great idea for my nieces and nephews

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  59. These bikes really seem like it'd make the transition to "big kid bikes" SOOO much easier than going the training wheel route! Would love to try this out with my daughter :)

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  60. This would be awesome for my daughters who are always wanting to ride with the big kids!

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  61. Awesome review. I love the whole balance first idea. I never learned how to ride a bike and now I can not do it. It is a must learn for my little ones.

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  62. my son would love this bike... thanks for the chance :-)

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  63. Great review and thanks for all the information. I think this would be ideal for my four year old who thinks he is big enough to have the training wheels taken off.


    myangelboys@msn.com

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  64. I love this design... would make a great bike for the little ones

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  65. Awesome idea. I saw bikes like this a few years back. I wanted to buy won but didn't want to spend the money... instead we had a really small 10" bike that we took the training wheels and pedals off of. We gave it to our 3 year old son in June and buy mid-July he was ready to have the pedals put back on. There was about a 2-hour time frame that we felt we had to stay near him in case he lost his balance, but after that he was on his own and doing awesome. He just turned 3 1/2 and no one can believe that he rides a 2-wheel bike so well!

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  66. this looks like it will help my grand to learn to rjde a bike,hope to win this ty love from Carolyn Taylor ty love

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  67. i love the blue one,ty Carolyn taylor

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  68. This would be great for my 3 and 4 year old grandchildren who are wanting to ride big bikes not baby bikes as they call them. Really great review, thank you.

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  69. This would be great for grandson,first time to see this bike.


    etude37@gmail.com

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  70. thsi would be great for my kids when they were younger and then i would like them for the kid i sit

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  71. I would love to win this a give it to my son!!

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  72. Great product. My 6 year old is afraid of riding his bike after falling over when his training wheels fell off. This sounds like just what he needs to get back on the road to riding bike again.
    Kimberlie

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  73. Such a great bike! Any one of my grandchildren would love it!

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  74. my daughter would love to try one of these : ) kelly f.

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  75. My son would love this. We are just starting to teach him with training wheela. He is 3 and a half. PERFECT!

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  76. I love this bike, wish they had them when my son was younger but my nephew would love it, Makes a great gift. I really like the Balance Bike Orange 2011 14" Wheels, I think the brighter the better and bigger wheels because we know kids grow like weeds.

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  77. What a great bike! My son would love this :)

    Thanks!

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  78. This would make a great Christmas present!

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  79. This is a fun idea. I never would have known kids could balance on a bike without pedals. There are no pedals to get caught on their clothes and the brake is a nice feature.

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  80. This is the way babies learn to balance too, makes perfect sense that it would work! The video you provided really helps to see it in action! I think my littlest Granddaughters would like this. Not a lot of bike riders in our family, not sure why! Thanks for the great review! :)

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  81. I would love to try this with my two youngest!!

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  82. i love the color! simply gorgeous!

    vanitizebaby at yahoo dot com

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  83. Great review. this is a neat bike! I wish they would have had this when my oldest was smaller.

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  84. I love the concept of balance bikes! I saw the boy I babysit learn so much quicker on a bike with the pedals taken off before there were actual balance bikes and never realized how much better of a concept these were than training wheels. Your review is great and I like that this bike has hand brakes! Great product!

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  85. We started my older daughter out on a balance bike, its so much nicer than training wheels!!! I'm definitely getting one for my younger daughter!

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  86. This is such a great idea!! I didn't notice at first that it had no wheels its just something that's always on a bike! Kids of today are certainly more privileged with what people and companies have created to help them with their learning processes!

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  87. Great job on keeping things fresh! In a time when the economy is still rather stagnant...thank you for giving us a chance!

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  88. I don't have kids, but this would be awesome for a needy family!!! Blessings!!!

    myamurphy@mail.com

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  89. This bike is so much safer and easier to handle for the new learners - this is so perfect for my little grandson.
    Thank you for the great review and video.

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  90. I wish these were around when I was younger! :( Unlike me, my daughter has great balance. I'm sure she will master this in no time and will graduate to a 2-wheeler. I'm not sure how hubby and I will handle her increased independence :|

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  91. Great review! A good bike for any child to learn on.
    kat_emerick@yahoo.com

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  92. I am so interested in these types of bikes for my son. I've heard they are great with teaching kids to balance. What a great opportunity to win.

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  93. this looks like a great bike for getting kids started.I remember when I was a kid I didnt think I was ever gonna get it down but I finally did after so many bumps and bruises

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  94. Thank you for the Wonderful Contest.............This looks like great fun!!!
    californiapoppys@yahoo.com

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  95. I think this is interesting. I never thought of not having pedals on a bike or that it would affect anything!
    fb; rab pom

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  96. Great review. Wish I had one when my oldest was 3 but this looks perfect for my younger one.

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  97. My son is turning to 4 and he always ask me to buy a bike for him. When he was looking at this bike, he jumped and said "I love it!!!". If I won this, I will give it to my son for Christmas and New Year gift :)

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  98. My son is turning to 4 and he always ask me to buy a bike for him. When he was looking at this bike, he jumped and said "I love it!!!". If I won this, I will give it to my son for Christmas and New Year gift :)

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  99. What a fabulous bike to learn how to ride on. Love the look of it. Wish I had one as a kid!

    ardy22 at earthlink dot net

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  100. My Grandson will be turning three soon and I think this would be perfect for him by the time spring rolls around. Great idea because balance is always the biggest problem for kids.

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  101. Would love to gift this to my precious nephew.

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  102. My daughter will be turning 4 soon. She has a bike with training wheels that she got for her 3rd birthday, but I'm interested in getting her balance bike! With that, she'll beat her cousins in riding without training wheels!

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  103. I can see how helpful the balance bike is. I started learning how to ride a bike with training wheels and I couldn't balance properly when they were taken off.

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  104. The balance bike is a great learning tool for those just learning to ride a bike.

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  105. My daughter would love a balance bike! I've heard so many great things.

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  106. My son has a Prince Lionheart balance bike, and it's been a hit! Glad you found one you like, too!

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  107. A balance bike would be perfect for where my son is in therapy now.

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