Balance Bikes: The Perfect First Bike

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It's time for your child's first bike, and it feels like a menacing task. You will need to decide which kind of bike to buy, pick one out, and then teach your child to safely ride it. This is all easier said than done!

The first bike is the most important one your child will ride, as it will set his expectations for bicycling. If the first bike is difficult to use and they take a number of painful spills, their confidence will diminish. If their first bike is a tricycle, then they won't be learning to balance at all and their perception of what riding a bicycle will be like is skewed, leading to more frustration when it comes time for a two-wheeler.

What's the solution? Must they either learn how to balance on a two wheeler right away or ride a tricycle and put off learning how to balance at all? Not if your child's first bike is a balance bike.

Balance bikes have been a phenomenon in Europe for decades, and have recently started to catch on in the United States as well. Balance bikes allow children to learn how to balance at their own pace. On a balance bike there are no pedals so a rider's feet are free to drop to the ground to help with balance. Riders scoot the bike forward by walking or running. When they are comfortable they lift their feet off of the ground and can rest them on a platform in the middle of the bike as they glide along. If they start to lose balance, they can easily stick a leg out and catch themselves. It is a perfect first bike.

A high-quality balance bike is a fantastic toddler bike because it grows with your child. Many parents purchase training bikes for three year old children, yet some children may not be developmentally ready to ride a pedaled bike until they are five or six years old. Some balance bike brands have adjustable handlebars and adjustable seats that enable children to use them for many years until they are ready to graduate to a pedaled bike.

With a balance bike you can start teaching children how to ride when they are as young as two. As soon as they start asking about bikes (or maybe even before!) you can hand them their own first bike and start the learning process. Once they are comfortable on a balance bike, their transition to using a traditional pedaled bicycle will be much easier. Since they will have already attained balance skills, their only real challenge will be learning how to press the pedals and brakes.

Balance bikes come in many different colors and styles, they stand at different heights, and many can be easily adjusted to fit your individual child's physical needs. A balance bike is the perfect first bike for the young, adventurous and actively developing child.

About the Author:
When her son asked for his first bike, Deborah Lillian purchased a KaZAM Balance Bike instead of a kids bike with training wheels. The KaZAM is an award-winning balance bike for children ages 3 to 6. KaZAM makes learning to bike safe, easy and fun.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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