What is a balance bike? What do they do? Who even buys them? These are all valid questions and ones that will be answered in due course.
The balance bike is becoming a lot more popular today simply because they are better than standard bikes with training wheel/stabilisers.
The concept behind them is totally different and we will give a little background info on the advantages of buying your child one of these bikes.
What makes a balance bike different from a normal bicycle? The simple fact of the matter is that a balance bike is a normal bicycle that has no pedals.
Yes, that's right...
no pedals.
No extra clutter.
All it has are two large wheels and footrests (at least the good ones do, you'll find people selling ones without footrests and that is a big no-no).
This has the effect of teaching a child to balance much better and much faster than with a traditional bicycle.
What are the advantages of a balance bike? The advantages you ask? Well that's simply that the child learns to control a bike, balance on a bike before they ever have to think about pedals.
This makes their first normal bike ride a pleasure, as they already have an instinctive understanding of how to balance and control a bike.
It also helps long term by working on their co-ordination.
Yet another advantage is that it helps boost self-confidence.
A child who has problems using a normal stablisers bike will have very little difficulty with this type of bike and this can help raise their self-esteem...
and you can;t really put a price on that.
What type of balance bike should I look for? There are many types of balance bike on the market at this point in time.
Wooden ones, steel ones, those with footrests and those without (bad idea).
Most people generally recommend a a bike made from steel as they last longer and can be reused to help all your children have fun on a bike earlier than they could with a stabilisers bike.
The ones without footrests are both uncomfortable for the children and pose a hazard when they are riding.
They need to tuck in their legs and without footrests, there is a chance that their feet will catch the ground and make them slip and fall.
While there is some choice in materials - never buy one of these types of bikes without ensuring that it has footrests.
The fact is that these bikes are the way of the future and are quickly becoming ever more common on playgrounds around the world.
Let your child join the fun and buy them a balance bike.