Balance Bikes- Your Kids Will Love These No-Pedal Wonders!
We realize it's tempting to start your youngster on the Harley Davidson right away, but your little tyke just isn't ready, and riding a bicycle right off the bat won't go over any better. Sure, you could get them a trike until they're big enough, but starting early on learning to ride a bike is possible with kids' balance bikes.
What Is A Kid's Balance Bike?
We're glad you asked. Kid's balance bikes are pint-sized two-wheelers that are just like normal bicycles, but they don't have any pedals. Your child pushes the bike forward and backward by using their feet. Imagine Fred Flintstone in that car of his, and you'll get the idea. By the time your child grows up big enough for a regular bicycle, he'll already have most of his technique down pat – just add pedals!
Safe Learning
The smallest balance bikes sit just a foot off of the ground. Your child can easily sit down while pushing himself around with his feet and legs, which will help them get a feel for what it's like to ride with just two wheels. This is a much safer approach to learning than training wheels because you decide whether you tip over or not. Training wheels can be wobbly, and they don't do much to stop your child from falling if they turn too sharply. With feet firmly on the ground, your toddler is in full control.
Money Saved
Kids outgrow stuff fast, especially height-dependent recreational toys like bicycles. Balance bikes are a great way to save money by getting rid of the tricycle and training bicycle that you would quickly have to switch out anyway. Balance bikes let your kids go straight to a 16” or 20” bike right away after they outgrow theirs, and you can always get a good resale price for the balance bike if you don't have any other little ones.
Faster Learning
Tricycles and training wheels don't really teach you how to balance on two wheels. They're more like a crutch, and the only way to really learn how to ride a bike is to just go for it – unless you have a balance bike. Balance bikes help you, well, balance. Rather, they help you learn to balance and stay upright on two wheels, something trikes and training wheels can't do. Why go from three wheels to four wheels to two wheels? Doesn't that seem a little backwards?
Pint-Sized Workout
How much exercise is your kid really getting by riding a trike? They sit down and roll the pedals around, but their legs are the only part of them that's moving. Bikes with training wheels are even worse. The movement of the pedals is directly underneath; at least trikes make you stretch your legs forward and work for it. Balance bikes require the child to use their whole body to steady themselves, even when they've got their feet flat on the ground. You won't watch your kids grow up to be couch potatoes, that's for sure.
Check out Upzy's extensive collection of balance bikes HERE!