Road Safety and Children

The last few days I have been walking, with Aaron cycling, to the shops with Aaron and it is a 30 minute walk each way.  Tuesday we went to Siobhan's and it's even further.  He was on his balance bike every time.  It's great as I get to walk as fast or faster than I did with the buggy but without the hassle of pushing it.  If you have a toddler who slows you down, get a scooter or balance bike.  We've had the former and now we've progressed to the latter.  I can honestly say the bike is better, as in his scooter days he used to keep stopping and slow me down; on the balance bike it is the reverse and I struggle to keep up with him.

Anyway, I don't drive, so Aaron's always on pavements and roads out and about with me.  I thanked God for that many times this week, as he speeds off on the balance bike and it is impossible to keep up. Because he has been off reins for a LONG time he is sensible enough to stop at every curb and wait for me. Plus the fact that his feet are constantly in touch with the ground (well nearly always) means he is in good control. He only free wheels when going down a slope, which he did a lot yesterday and today, but in controlled spaces when he is doing "stunts" (on grass slopes not road/pavements).  We BOTH learned our lesson from a couple of weeks ago when he went down a hill in Hampstead Heath and ended up with a cut knee - he is still sporting the plaster.

Anyway here are some pics from the last few days.

Monday was mainly on paths next to grass but when we were on roads he knew to keep on the pavement and wait at EVERY curb!

Above, he stopped a few times to look at flowers or pick me flowers - I photographed the daisy but he also picked me some lavender which we spent ages smelling.  Look at the pic where he decided to lie on a rock. He said he was tired from doing stunts.  Where you see those trees in the pic, he cycles down a kind of valley bit, again and again.

He zooms off, but bless him, he waits at every curb.  I thank God he's spent the last 3 years being a pedestrian with me, and is therefore very road and pavement savvy.  He also knows unexpected things happen.

As below he knows all about red and green men at pedestrian crossings.

A word of warning, do NOT 100% trust the green man and don't allow your child to either; Aaron knows not to go simply just because of a green man.  He knows to get a verbal "yeah okay" from me.  We had an incident a few months ago where a cop car went through a red light (green man to us) and did NOT have its sirens on.  Worse still, it had stopped at the preceding junction (which is when we looked up).  We then walked to the island, and it was when we were on the second half of the road that it decided to zoom through.  Aaron was one step ahead of me (this was pre-balance bike) and I grabbed his hood, only just in time.  Yes that cop got a tongue lashing from me.

Tuesday on the way to Siobhan's

I know Aaron's going to need a bike with pedals in the not too distant future - he's REALLY good on the balance bike.  Then it will no longer be an option as to whether we go out without the helmet.  I am useless a at strapping it on and the moment, so we've been opting to leave home without it.

I am right by his side the majority of the time, but what I would really love is if we were BOTH on bikes.  In a previous post I explained how we got my bike out of the garage, after it not being used for 4 years.  The local cycle repair man gave it a full service for only a fiver.  I went out on it that day, but it was because the husband was with us, so if I sped off he could take up the rear and mind Aaron.

I haven't had the courage yet to go out just me and Aaron on our bikes.

When I was little my favourite Aunt used to cycle everywhere, including from Paddington, where she was a nurse at the time, all the way to Tottenham to see us.  She used to take me out cycling but she would insist we cycled in the road, and not on the pavement.  I used to stick like glue behind her, and as close to the curb as I could get.  Boris seems determined to make cycling a big part of London life, what with the new Ride London event, which I think they are hoping will be as big as the London Marathon in years to come.  At least when they are participating in that, they don't have to worry about traffic and car accidents, as lots of roads where cleared for them, much to the disdain of a lot of drivers.  I heard many complaints on LBC 97.3 as the roads were closed way longer than they are for the marathon!

In the red man green man photos above, we are on the way to Siobhan's and I have taken his bike off him for a second, so that he can press the button and cross the road.  Normally I let him cross with the bike, but very slowly, and right by my side.

Aaron's only 3 but I would instil road safety from a very young age, as you can't account for everything, so to have them confident and as trust worthy as possible is important.  When we are out and about I don't want him running in front of a car because his ball has gone in the road, or because he's seen a friend.  I want him to know better.  I want to keep my son safe.

We've seen the ambulances that arrive after a road traffic accident and Aaron is, bless him, very cautious. We've never had locks on our cupboards or drawers either, as for the same reason I believe teaching lessons is better than simply, you can't touch.  I think they learn more, when they know the reasons for things.  It is much more empowering.  I spoke to him in full sentences since he was born, and now his vocabulary and speech is testament to that.

What road and pedestrian safety do you teach your child? Have you had any near misses you could tell us about so we don't make the same mistake?  I think I will be telling my cop car story till the end of my days, as I truly never saw that coming.  It shows, like we were told when we were little, it's not just look left, look right, but also LOOK AGAIN.

In terms of actually being on the road, in the car, I sit in the back with Aaron and he has a very good Britax car seat and I always have my seat belt on.  We're often saying "slow down Daddy".  The main thing, with being a pedestrian and being in a car, is watching for what other people are doing.  It's all about being with it, and having the correct time to respond and react SAFELY.

Bye for now, Liska

First Day on the Balance My First Bike - Chicco Red Bullet - at 3 years old

So, as I blogged yesterday, we bought Aaron a bargain first bike in Kiddicare yesterday...

While Aaron and Daddy were at Grandma's I read the reviews and was a tad worried as it sounded more suited to a 2 rather than a 3 year old.

So here is my feedback after day 1.

When they came home last night, the saddle was so far extended (they'd built it whilst visiting Grandma after they dropped me home) that it was rocking forward and back but Aaron rode round the flat, on carpet, last night, with it no problem.

This morning however, we were outside for mere minutes and the saddle fell off.

I knew it needed to go deeper, but was shocked to see an ingraving on it, saying "minimum insertion".  This meant that MOST of the saddle neck was IN the frame of the bike.

I didn't have a ruler, but what was left, did not leave a lot for adjusting. I wouldn't even call it 10 cm, or just!

So for safety's sake I inserted more, and it meant that Aaron was sat lower, with his legs more bent.  This saddened me, and reinforced the point that maybe we ought to have got it when he was two.  I think it would do a regular 3 year old but Aaron is VERY tall!

I reminded myself, as I chatted to my neighbour who was also outside with her 3 year old + bike, that I did buy him a wooden balance bike from Argos a year ago, and refunded it the next day as he could not balance on it AT ALL. What a difference a year makes.  Yes his legs may be a little too bent but there was no stopping here.  He was off and going on day 1.

Here are some pics:

1st pic to show you the height and the helmet which I still can't quite master, in terms of getting it secure.
2nd pic, that's my bike and Aaron's - poignant shot the size differential!
3rd pic, I was amazed that he is free-wheeling ALREADY on day 1.  It means it will definitely get him to a proper bike WITHOUT the need for stabilizers.
4th pic I am just including because it is cute!
5th pic, Daddy accompanied us, but at this point he is on MY bike with Aaron.  He did not bring his.

I am very grateful to Daddy today, as he suggested that we get my bike out of the garage, when I haven't used it in FOUR LONG YEARS... Unsurprisingly, both tyres were flat.

We took it to a cycle repair man who gave it a FULL SERVICE for 5 wee English pounds :-)
He checked the gears, the brakes, oiled the chain, tightened every screw and pumped both tyres.  When I got on it, it felt like a new bike rather than something dug out of the garage.

Aaron was tickled pink watching me cycle ahead of him. He's only ever seen his Dad on a bike.

Everytime I looked over at him he was studying me pedalling, whenever we were alongside each other.  It's like he knows a pedal bike will come next and wants to revise and be ready.  When he was on his tricycle he never did that.  It's like he knows he is going up in the world.

Whenever anyone asked why it did not have pedals he said "because it is a balance bike!" (the tone he said it in, had a silent stupid on  the end - oooops).

A tip if you are getting one.  Yes he may have been too young at 2 but don't leave it till 3.

Get them to watch You Tube videos of balance bikes.  THIS is what made Aaron love  it AND is what made him want to wear a helmet.

The best videos are the American ones as they call them Striders over there and there's loads of superb videos.

Makes me want to get Aaron a taller proper one now, but the 27 pounds this one cost is what our budget can manage at present.

If a balance bike manufacturer is reading this, we'll happily road test one for you.  You won't get a better road tester than Aaron, he is a right active bubbly little boy.  He made me so so proud today how fearless he was on his new bike :-)

Liska xx

Buying the first bike for a 3 Year Old Boy at Kiddicare

Today we went shopping for a "blue car" - suffice to say we did not get one.  Watching the journey to not get one was HILARIOUS.

We reached the conclusion I could have started off at LOL.

We went to my favourite shop Kiddicare - the Enfield branch - and I chose this my first [balance] bike for Aaron.

The husband then insisted on going to Toys R Us, which long time readers will know is a shop I don't particularly like.  Anyhow they we spent a LONG time trying everything in there.

At one point Aaron even said "I don't want any of these cars"... I whooped and said "right let's go!"

Aaron tried on a funny helmet, well that gave me the idea to get him one, so we did actually make a purchase in Toys R Us before we left.  We got a lovely Jake and the Neverland Pirates one, given that that is Aaron's favourite TV show.

We went back to Kiddicare and got the "my first bike" which was reduced to a very reasonable 27 pounds.

Once we'd bought it we stayed in the store to have lunch as lunch there is super, and CHEAP.

Aaron got the kiddi box which contains a Capri Sun + 3 other things + a sandwich OR what we got = spag bol (which comes with garlic bread).  The 3 things we chose were Organix crisps (carrot sticks) AND a yoghurt AND a Cadbury Freddie chocolate.  The box even contains crayons, and you get the contents of that box + the sandwich or spag bol for 3 pounds.  I would pay that just for the box, so to get a hot meal AS WELL is the reason that we go there :-)

I got a pot of tea which I must easily have got 3 cups out of and it was only 1.5 pounds.  My jacket potato with cheese, coleslaw AND side salad was only 3.5 pounds.  Basically the whole lot was 8 pounds when normally (pre being broke, I would pay 10 pounds just for lunch for myself).  The ones I used to have whilst Aaron napped in the buggy when he was younger and I had PND.

Anyway after the shopping my two boys went to Grandma's house and they were assembling the bike there, so I have no idea what it's like.  We bought it in a box and I could not see a display model so I hope it is perfect.

Reading the reviews on kiddicare.com it seems a lot of people bought it for a 2 year old so I hope we have done the right thing buying it for a 3 year old, considering that Aaron is VERY tall too!!!

I will get you great photos and video shots hopefully if it turns out we made the right buy.

Aaron spent a lot of times climbing on the toddler beds.  Given that he is still in our room, and his room is yet to be decorated he was fascinated with the beds.  He liked the Fireman Sam bed linen, and when he was climbing on that bed, I said "would you like it?" he said "yes" so I said "you don't want to sleep with Mummy and Daddy anymore" and he said "I want to wake up here" referring to the bed.

Looks like project decorate bedroom needs to urgently get underway!

Liska xx