Give Your Kids a Little Balance With These Bikes

They told us when we were kids that once you learn to ride a bike, you’ll never forget. They forgot to tell us there’s more than one way to learn – and the new push toward balance bikes is taking driveways everywhere by storm.

The concept is pretty simple – two wheels, no pedals, and the kids learn to balance without the fear of being high off the ground with their feet far away from safe ground. As they become more adept at keeping the two wheels steady, they’re ready to pull up their feet and start gliding. Think of it as a training wheels replacement.

In the search for the bike that will keep my kid even-keeled, I picked out three favorites that will work for your kids:

Kettler’s Sprint Princess Bike (pictured above) sports a seat suited for royalty. Relatively easy to adjust and cushy on the tushy, the seat was a big part of why my little tester dug this bike – although the crown on the fender didn’t hurt. Partially assembled, this requires no power tools – just careful study of the instructions. Kids are proud to be pedal-free as this looks the most like a “real” bike when complete. Get it from Oompa Toys for $119.99 with free shipping.

G-Bike from Kickboard USA: The word “lightweight” can only be good for Mom and Dad’s back – both when it comes to having to tote your kid’s bike and when it comes to being able to say “no honey, you can do it yourself.”Easily half the weight of its competitors, the G-Bike is also lower to the ground, offering extra security to kids who are still unsure about this learning to ride thing. The modern design doesn’t hurt either – it’s the cutest of the balance bikes we found. Get it from Amazon for $139.90 with free shipping.

Wishbone Bike from Skip Hop. It’s been mentioned on Droolicious before, back before it was officially on shelves, but the versalitity of this three-in-one bike means it has to get mentioned on a top three. Starting out with three wheels, the Wishbone is like a standard tricyle, albeit minus the pedals – allowing them both safety and security when they’re just learning to move. When they’re ready, drop it down to one wheel and they’re off and running . . . until they’ve gotten too big and you flip the whole thing over to keep them gliding ’round the neighborhood. Wish your kids wouldn’t grow up too fast? The long life of this bike will make time feel like it’s slipping by – or is it gliding? Get it from Oompa Toys for $248.99 with free shipping.