Knowing what age to start teaching your child how to cycle can be a difficult thing to do, and many parents are hesitant to start teaching their child too early out of fear of them getting hurt. However, there are options to safely teach your children how to ride from a young age, and the main option is a balance bike. Some parents may say “are balance bikes good for 2-year-olds?”, and the answer, according to the experts, is a unanimous “yes”!
Frequently Asked Questions About Balance Bikes For Younger Children
One question parents often present when considering purchasing a balance bike is “can a bicycle without brakes really be safe for 2-year-olds?” – Yes, they are! Children as young as that often don’t have the hand-eye coordination and reflexes needed to use brakes. As well as this, because the main source of acceleration is from the child as they push and stop themselves using their feet, it gives them greater control than if using brakes.
Another question parents frequently ask is “wouldn’t a balance bike be too heavy for my 2-year-old?” – No, in fact, balance bikes are often made from aluminium, wood, and plastic. These materials, compared to the heavy steel used in traditional pedal bikes. Because of the lightweight design of balance bikes, they are perfect for toddlers.
“Are 2-year-olds big enough to ride balance bikes?” Absolutely, balance bikes have no pedals, and, therefore, are lower to the ground, making it easier for 2-year-olds to start learning to ride. As well as this, balance bikes are often extendable, so as your child ages and grows taller, their balance bike grows with them. This is a great feature as it means parents can cut future costs on new, bigger bikes.
Balance Bikes Are Scientifically Proven To Be Useful For 2-Year-Olds
In a study by Mercê et al. (2021), they compared the impact on learning age between traditional pedal bikes, a pedal bike with training wheels, and balance bikes. Considering the fact that this is the first large-scale study on the influence of balance bikes, the results are very meaningful. The results show that children who use a balance bikes before graduating to traditional bikes are likely to become proficient at bike riding much quicker than children using bikes with training wheels. They also say that “based on the data, it is suggested to start learning to cycle at about 2 and a half years of age”.
Another study, conducted by the University of South Dakota, states that toddlers using balance bikes, Strider Bikes specifically, increase balance in preschool age children, as well as reducing potential future injuries during their daily routines!
So, there you have it, we highly recommend you teach your child the fundamentals of bike riding using balance bikes.
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