Recreational & Family - Coaster v. hand brakes for 3 year old?

My soon to be 3 year old currently rides a Radio Flyer tricycle and a Strider push bike...for fun we took a look at some 12in. training wheel bikes and little guy impressed me w/ his handling & speed. So, here's the question, saw two types of rigs, one w/ standard coaster brake & the other w/ no coaster, and actual hand brakes (side pull calipers). Looks like his hands may be too small to reach the brake levers, but would teaching him about hand braking, even if he can't do it right now, and skipping the coaster brake entirely be a good idea? What do you guys w/ kids think, or how did you deal with it?

I'd check out this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=472923) a little further down the page. Right up your alley.

Ah, thanks!

Yep, as I posted - cheap set of brakes from the Husky site. Bend the springs so that a few ounces of pull on the levers work the calipers, and adjust the screw so that the finger reach is minimal. Kids learn in no time!

due to leverage, coaster brakes work much better with smaller wheels than they do with larger wheels.....but it's still better to have a front brake

All I remember about coaster brakes is seeing who out of my friends could ride down the hill the fastest and leave the longest skid mark. I went through so many tires.....

I thought "Hot Wheels" were the appropriate transportation for three year olds. No? bk