On Saturday we ventured down to Brighton and whilst strolling along the Promenade I noticed many children zooting along on the smooth paved area. One mode of transport were the scooters, which is familiar to everyone. I feel sometimes a mild jealousy that I didn't have such models and designs when I was young! However, the scooter now has a challenger...the balance bike!
It made me wonder what was all the hype behind balance bikes? I stopped a couple of mothers to understand a little more:
"Jake had very little confidence on his cousins bike when he first tried so we bought him a balance bike. He loved it! He could keep his feet close to the ground for reassurance without the pedals getting in the way. He soon got used to the "wobble" which happens on both kinds of bike. When we bought him a proper bike - it took him 2 or 3 tries and off he went! "
- Lisa mother of 2.
"Oh Sally has had a balance bike since she was 2. When she was 4 she went straight to a bike without stabilizers and had no problems riding it. But as you can see she still loves her balance bike and rides it on lovely stretches like this."
- Natalie mother of 2.
I did not hear any negative views about the balance bike. So I did some further research. Most balance bikes are made of wood and generally bought over the internet. When you search there are quite a few to find and its difficult to decide which ones to buy.
The 4 categories to consider are: from which age, seat, weight, and design.
Age: I would suggest to go for the smaller bikes with adjustable seat height ( where the lowest setting of the seat is 30cm from the floor). In this way your child can grow with the bike and not wait to grow to the height of the bike.
Seat: Aha! I think this is what defines a good balance bike to a mediocre one. Here is where the reviews of products on the internet come in very handy. Some seats on balance bikes have a wooden base on which a padded seat is placed on. The wooden base seems to make the seat wider and makes the childs' legs stick out the sides. It might be a thought to find a seat without the wooden bit.
Weight: Wooden bikes feel great to ride but wood is not light, aim for the lightest possible bike. They are only young.
Design? Well, there are many designs to choose from and I think this is up to personal taste. Maybe to keep in mind: the bike needs to be slender for their legs to sit naturally on both sides, keep it looking fun for children and possible easy to get on and off.
There are many balance bikes out there for everyone's tastes but one thing is for sure every child reacts with the same, sheer excitement and eagerness to ride their very own bike!
I am the founder of Green Owl Toys Ltd. Green Owl Toys is a eco-friendly educational toy store. We keep to our motto "from Play to Knowledge". Children love to play and they don't mind if they learn something if they are having fun. We also want our children to be safe so we make sure that all the toys have passed quality tests in Europe.
The articles are written with these factors in mind and are written about children development and how toys can help/enhance these milestones, toy safety and green products.