Apr. 30, 2024
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What are the best toddler bikes?
As a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, I have walked so many parents through choosing the right bike for their toddler as well as spent hours testing out different bikes in the preschool schoolyard.
When it came to choosing the best toddler bikes for my own kids I also learned how children’s temperaments influence the type of bike that is going to work best for each child.
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The Strider balance bike is one of my top recommendations because it is lightweight and height adjustable. It also comes with training wheels that you can use for the first day of learning to ride a balance bike.
I can’t remember a family bike ride that didn’t leave me carrying the bike at some point. Toddler bike riding is an on-again-off-again event. Much like toddler-led walks.
This bike was one of our most used because it clips up and can be carried in a tote or under a stroller.
If you are wanting your child to develop a love for bike riding, look no further. In all my years working in preschools, this was every child’s first choice of push bike. The bike is low to the ground giving hesitant kids much more confidence.
It also goes much faster than most push-bikes and even some balance bikes. This gives kids a “quick win” of excitement when they are learning to ride. I will say to be aware that it may ruin your kid’s shoes though. So test it out while wearing an old pair.
Learning to transition from standing to sitting on a bike is great for balance. It is also one of the first skills one year olds learn when it comes to bike skills. This push bike has a wide seat, and push walker bar and is stable making it a great bike for a 1 year old.
The radio flyer balance bike is a great option for preschoolers. It is lightweight and height adjustable just like the strider. However, the dimensions of this one make it, in my mind a great option for kids that are closer to 3 years old. This is because it can go a little faster.
Kids will also love the sleek look and bell on this one.
Learning to ride a bike is both the “means and the ends” when it comes to early childhood development.
Today, being able to watch my now 6-year-old race with his friends on their bikes is a clear picture of the “ends”. Bikes open up opportunities for:
At the same time, as an OT I have so often used learning to ride a bike as the “means” or strategy for supporting many critical developmental skills in the toddler years. Namely:
Research also shows the benefits of bike riding programs for social, sensory, and motor skills.
When choosing a bike for your toddler we want to look at two important things
I find that if kids are having to stand on the tips of their toes while learning how to ride (before age 5), they will avoid riding. Meaning, the balance challenge is too great for most kids. It is important to look at the height of the bike according to your specific child. You can see some points on that here
When working with children I like to choose bikes according to their experience in riding and their balance skills first instead of age. This means that for a child who struggles with balance or has never ridden a bike before, we will start with a push bike.
It’s important to think about your child’s response to the bike when choosing a bicycle. Learning to ride is a developmental skill meaning, it’s hard work. We want to make sure that the motivation to ride matches the effort required.
In practical terms as a therapist, this has always meant
With the risk of repeating myself, the type of bike you choose needs to be age and skill-level appropriate.
Generally, these are the types of bikes that I recommend according to age:
Both of our kids received balance bikes on their second birthdays. Both have ridden their balance bikes up until age five.
This means balance bikes get good use across the toddler and preschool years.
You might want to start thinking about getting a balance bike when you notice that your toddler is frustrated that the push bike isn’t going fast enough.
The point of a balance bike is to introduce bike riding and develop critical balance skills.
In this study of over 2000 children, it was seen that riding a balance bike was associated with children learning to ride a pedal bike at a significantly lower age.
In previous generations, tricycles were promoted instead of balance bikes. While the skill of pedaling is fantastic for brain-body connection, these don’t develop balance skills as well as a balance bike.
While riding a balance bike your child is
Each of these skills is not only important for future bike riding but also for academic learning.
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I always say balance bike first. This is also supported by the research (as noted above).
Many of the parents that reach out to me regarding bike riding have started with a pedal bike (like a BMX) with training wheels and now can’t progress with taking off the training wheels.
The reason for this is often because the actual balance skills (that are developed through using a balance bike in the toddler years ) aren’t developed enough for the traditional pedal bike.
Many balance bikes (like this) also come with detachable training wheels. This can be a great place to start when learning to ride a balance bike.
Unlike pushbikes, a balance bike is ridden with alternating strides. In other words, instead of stepping forward with both legs at the same time, kids need to step with one leg at a time when riding a balance bike.
This does have a learning curve. I recommend either starting (for only the first couple of days) with the training wheels on the balance bike or being right next to your child for support.
I like to make sure the seat is at its lowest setting when starting and instruct my child to “glue” themselves to the seat.
Often when kids are first learning, they will try to stand and walk with the bike. This is a very awkward movement and can quickly dissuade them from continuing to try to ride.
The simple act of pretending to bring out the magic glue stick and instructing them to sit while riding can be very helpful.
Once your child is very comfortable with the balance bike (this could be anywhere between 4 to 6 years of age) you will want to move on to a traditional pedal bike.
A traditional pedal bike will need a transitional time with the training wheels. However, you can be confident that the skills that your child has learned through riding a balance bike will speed the process along.
It is also good to know, that you don’t need to throw out the balance bike just because your child is now riding a pedal bike. Balance bikes can still be used in parallel with pedal bikes.
Choosing the right bike for your child is important for their development. From push bikes, to balance bikes there are a lot of options to choose from.
I encourage you to enjoy the process of learning and know that this skill will serve your child well.
We spent over 24 hours evaluating 11 pedal bikes on pavement, on grass, and at an indoor BMX track in late 2023 and early 2024 (when snow and ice forced our young testers to move inside), and we’re confident that the Guardian Ethos 16 Inch Bike is the best first bike for most kids.
Everybody learns at their own pace, but most kids are ready to start pedaling on their own between the ages of 4 and 6, so we focused on bikes with 16-inch wheels. Whether your kid will be tearing up the local pump track or cruising city sidewalks, a great first “big kid” bike will keep them safe, build their confidence, and bring lots of joy to the learning process.
One of the most exciting milestones for a child is the moment they learn to ride a bike. It’s a skill they’ll have for life, after all, and you can set them up for success by providing them with a comfortable, easy-to-ride first pedal bike.
Compared with other less-expensive bikes, this model is simple to put together, sturdy, and unfussy—but its steel frame makes it much heavier than our other picks.
This high-end bike is super light, super zippy, and chock-full of kid-friendly features. But it doesn’t accommodate training wheels (which is by design).
This solidly built aluminum-frame bike works well for riders of varying sizes and skill levels—on pavement, dirt, and pump tracks—but is slightly less maneuverable than our top pick.
The bike should have smooth welding and no exposed nuts or bolts, and it should be built to last.
Ideally, a bike is no more than 30% to 40% of the kid’s body weight, for ease of maneuvering.
Kids should be able to safely control their speed without the risk of flipping over their handlebars.
The 18-pound Guardian Ethos 16 Inch Bike has a lightweight steel frame, lots of size adjustability in the seatpost and handlebars, and an innovative braking system that activates both the front and rear brakes with the rider’s press of a single hand lever, distributing the braking power evenly so that it’s impossible to lock up the front brakes and flip over the handlebars. This feature allows kids to gain more speed and ride more adventurously, knowing that they can easily stop if they need to. Plus, the bike’s kid-friendly geometry puts the rider in an upright position leaning slightly forward, keeping them comfortable while allowing for plenty of power going up hills.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe REI Co-op Cycles REV 16 Kids’ Bike weighs 18 pounds, just like our top pick, and has geometry that worked well for our testers, but it isn’t as compact and maneuverable as our other picks. And while the coaster brake is simple to use and low-fuss, we prefer hand brakes for their control and superior braking power. This bike comes with easily removable training wheels (though they’ve been the focus of some buyer complaints recently), and because its seatpost and handlebars are highly adjustable, it can continue to fit kids as they grow, just as our top pick can.
The Woom 3 16-inch pedal bike is a beautiful bike, beloved by kids and parents alike. Its aluminum frame has ideal geometry for kids, with a lower stand-over height than on any of our other picks and standard BMX-style raised handlebars. At 13 pounds, it’s by far the lightest of our picks and highly maneuverable. Our testers zipped around on it, easily gaining speed while also feeling confident with the dual hand brakes, which feature color-coded levers that help teach riders to brake with both hands but to favor the rear brake.
The Joystar Totem Kids Bike is the best of the sub-$200 bikes we tested. Its coaster brake keeps things simple and easy to maintain, and its sturdy steel frame should last through several kids. While its geometry was comfortable enough for our younger testers, it also allowed our experienced 7-year-old tester to accelerate quickly and charge up hills. But at 20.5 pounds—the heaviest of our picks—this model is likely to be more difficult for smaller children to maneuver.
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