Balancing bikes are the latest in parenting trends that have taken the world by storm. Although a simple concept, balancing bikes have revolutionized the world of cycling, making it more accessible and much easier for very young children to master.

Balancing bikes can be used on a variety of surfaces. This is only limited by your imagination and of course, sense of safety for your child. The more confident your child becomes in riding the balance bike, the more adventurous they will get in the surfaces that they ride it on.

• Nature trails: The next time you go on a hiking or camping trip, make sure to pack your toddler’s balancing bike. Children love challenges and biking through the forest dirt trails are just the kind of challenge that they will love.
• Paths around lakes/rivers/ponds: This will be a soothing experience for your child as they enjoy the freedom of biking while soaking in the cool breeze blowing in from the lake.
• Parks: Take your child’s balancing bike along the next time you head to the park. Let your child enjoy biking along the cycling paths of the park without having to worry about safety.
• Sidewalks: Children will enjoy the straight and narrow paths offered by sidewalks, provided there are not many pedestrians that they are likely to bump into.
• Boardwalks: Boardwalks give children a rustic surface to bike on that is appealing to them. You can find boardwalks in near beaches and in parks.
• Skate parks: Skate parks are perfect for your toddler to hone or master his balance biking skills. Experienced balance bikers will enjoy biking on the smooth surface that skate parks offer. Just be sure to steer clear of the skateboarders!
• Meadows and lawns: Balance biking can be a pleasure on lawns and in meadows. Take a group of toddlers together on a biking picnic and watch them have the time of their young lives!

Pleasures of Biking

Balance bikes are the perfect way to introduce your child not just to the pleasures of biking, but also to the beauty of the outdoors. Balance bikes can motivate your child to go out more often and make new friends. It can foster more bonding between siblings and friends. Balance bikes also prod the family to come together and spend more time outdoors.

It has been shown that using a balance bike before moving onto a pedaled bike helps children start cycling sooner and faster. In the days before balance bikes were introduced, children often started out with tricycles, and then moved onto two-wheeled bikes which had training wheels attached. Learning to balance was often a challenge which the training wheels did not help much with, as anyone who has ever removed the training wheels and helped a child to cycle without them can tell you.

Balance bikes were designed out of the realization that the single most important skill that children need to learn in order to start cycling effortlessly was balance. So the idea of creating a bike without pedals was born. After all, pedaling does not require that much of skill, strength, or coordination as balancing does.

With a balance bike that does not have pedals, children can focus on one thing at a time, which is balancing. When they are given cycles with pedals, they have to focus on two things at once-pedaling and balancing. While the skill of pedaling is an easy one to develop, balancing requires more time and skill.

Balancing Skills

With balance bikes, children develop the skill of balancing without any other distractions. Even children as young as 1.5 years old can start using a balance bike. This means that they will develop a great degree of skill, control, coordination, and more importantly, confidence by the time they are at least 3 or 4 years of age. When they are finally given a two-wheeled bike without training wheels, they can easily start cycling like pros because they have already spent years perfecting the art of balancing. The coordination and control that they have developed over years of riding a balance bike always pays off in the end.

Balance bikes are available in a variety of colors that will appeal to any child. They are also priced in different price ranges to suit every budget. Most balance bikes are durable enough to last through more than one child, so you can hand over your child’s balance bike to his younger sibling, cousin, or friend once it has served its purpose. Balance bikes can be adjusted to suit the height of the child. Most balance bikes come with adjustable seat heights and handlebars that help to make riding more comfortable for the child.

Buy your child a balance bike and give him or her a headstart into the world of biking.