Why Balance Bikes Are Great For Learning How To Ride A Bike
Balance bikes are essentially bikes that typically don’t have pedals on them. The goal of these bikes is to help kids get a feel for being on a bike without having to deal with some of the “dangers” that you’ll face with a real bike. As a parent for example you won’t have to worry that much about your kid picking up too much speed and falling over. Unless you intentionally put them in a steep place, don't do that!
How Young Can You Get Your Kids Started On A Balance Bike?
Maybe it’s not so much the age but the size and the walking ability that your kid has. Also, you want to make sure that your child can feel comfortable and essentially strong enough to move and steer the bike. With that in mind, you want to buy a bike that is light enough for them to handle. As we mentioned, though, it’s not an age thing per se. It’s more about when your child can feel confident on their feet. To then get on one of these bikes and take full advantage of their balance bikes.
If you came here looking for a number, we’ve seen people who’ve started their kids on these bikes at around two years old. Some of them waited until they were 5 or 6 years old. It depends on how comfortable you are as a parent seeing your kid on a bike. To be fair, if you live in an area that’s full of steep inclines, you may naturally want to hold off your child’s biking career for a while. That’s something that would be understandable. It’s not just about them being ready to handle a bike. You have to be prepared as a parent to let them get on a bike as well.
Balance Bike With Pedals: Are They A Good Idea?
Should you look into getting a balance bike with pedals? Is that a moment when you should start your kid on training wheels? Well, maybe not. A14-inch balance bike with pedals can be a great step to take after you’ve got your kid on a balance bike with no pedals. For one, you’re going to keep the balance aspect of things. Suppose you go to training wheels, the balance on the bike changes. You don’t get the feeling that you will have on a regular bike in a few years.
Another one of the benefits of these balance bikes with pedals is that they typically don’t get to the speeds that regular bikes can achieve. In a sense, even though you’ve added the element of the pedals, which is obviously an important one in the process of learning how to ride a bike, they won’t be racing off as much. It can be a very seamless transition. A lot of times your kids are going to quickly outgrow that first bike and want to go to something more. The progression can certainly increase their love of bikes.