What is the best way to start a 3-year old on skates? Are double runners good or should they just have regular skates? We aren't talking about a kid who will head for the Olympics - just one who lives in a cold place and should learn to skate - probably actually more likely to play hockey than figure skate!

I would think putting him on hockey skates from the start would be the best.

Double runners would give him a false sense of balance.

Figure skates are usually a little easier for kids to learn their balance with, but then they have to transition to hockey skates. Two kids in my learn-to-skate class tried transitioning last week. Both had problems with the hockey skates and it may be a couple of weeks before they get comfortable on them. It was a real setback for them and you could tell it in their faces and attitude.

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

one word: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

I agree about no double runners, but disagree about starting right off in hockey skates. The little ones in my Basic Skills classes have much more trouble maintaining balance and getting up after falls if they're in hockey skates. Hockey blades are shorter, have more rocker, and lack toe picks. I'd start in figure skates until the kid has developed some stability on the ice. You can always switch to hockey skates later.

My daughter had no trouble with hockey skates at 14 months (she walked very young), so that would be my vote. Back then we didn't use those balance bars either (or whatever you call them). I just put her in a little snowsuit and away she went. I might have tried figure skates, but I found a tiny pair of white hockey skates at a garage sale that actually fit her.

When my children were little I lived in St. Louis. Forest Park in St. Louis had a system of ponds and waterways that had been built for the 1904 World’s Fair that was a skater’s paradise when they froze over.

I had four children--three daughters and a son. The first winter after they started walking they went to Forest Park with us. Hubby and I took a sled to pull them around on the ice and put them in double runners so they could periodically get off the sled and move around to “warm up.” They had a blast.

By age 3 they were all using regular skates. The girls had figure skates and my son had hockey skates. My son had no more difficulty adjusting to the hockey skates than my daughters had adjusting to figure skates.

Since frozen ice is not always the smoothest ice in the world, I did take each of the little ones to an outdoor skating rink in Forest Park to learn how to skate on “real skates.” I think the experience of skating on the ice in double runners at such a young age helped them, as they already knew that ice is slippery and sometimes you fall. They had no fear of falling and skated remarkably well the first day they skated in their “real skates.”

HSF if you ever get back to St. Louis you'll be surprised at the differences in Forest Park. It is much as you remember, but totally rebuilt, dredged, and restructured.

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

Another "no" vote for the double runners. The way the blades are made, they have no edges, and hence nothing to bite into the ice. They slide sideways. Kids who are lucky can manage to "walk" on them, but they can't get a gliding sensation or anything. More often than not, kids slide sideways and end up in a heap over and over. The boots don't help. I've never seen a pair with any kind of support whatsoever. When I see new tots come into the rink for lessons with double runners, I send the parents for rentals before we even get the kids on the ice.

As for hockey vs. figure, it's a tough call. I've had tots who can skate in hockey skates pretty quickly, and I've had some who really couldn't. With new tots in hockey skates, I tend to see how it goes for one class. If they're really having trouble standing/moving alone, I suggest to the parents that they rent figure skates for a few weeks. Does your rink rent tiny hockey skates? I would tend to suggest trying hockey rentals before buying the hockey skates. That way, if your child just isn't ready for them, you could buy or rent figure skates to use until he or she is more steady and ready to try the hockey skates again. At three, I'm thinking a few months in figure skates may be in order- like I said, I've had a fair number of students who haven't been able to do the hockey skates right away, and I don't usually teach kids younger than four.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

Gary, please don't tell me they leveled Art Hill. I had some pretty scarey moments sledding on that hill when it was icy when I was a teenager. LOL

I'm glad to hear the ponds have been rebuilt. Do they still connect with "waterways" (I don't know what to call them) so you can skate for miles? Of course you had to duck under the bridges but that was a good time for resting as you would gain enough speed to get under the bridge and then just glide to the other side.

I'm getting soooo homesick for Forest Park! LOL

Thank you all for your advice.

Double runners are useless, as more than one poster has already pointed out. I teach tots three times a week, and it is the rare child who can manage on hockey skates. The least little bit of movement forward or backward at the waist will have them falling over. I also highly recommend a helmet.

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i've skated for a while and i have never heard of these double runners what do they lok like what r they supposed to do???

Not to worry, Art Hill is still a favorite sledding spot.

All of the ponds and canals have been drained, dredged, and refilled. Steinberg rink was given a complete overhaul a couple of years ago (new compressors too)!!!

It's much as you remember it, but cleaned up.

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

The ones I've seen are like the old roller skates that you strap onto your shoes/trainers except, of course, they've got two ice skate 'blades' side by side with a short distance inbetween. They're really just for kids messing about on the ice who need the balance but aren't particularly bothered about skating 'properly'.

My ex coach's son was skating on figure skates before he was 18 months old (he was skating pretty much before he could walk ) and even did a little number in the Christmas Show! The only 'problem' he had with them was that he liked to kick his leg out in front .... and would almost kick himself in the forehead

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