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Balance Bikes

Discover the joy of teaching your little one to ride a bike on two wheels effortlessly, with My Happy Helpers' range of Balance Bikes. Our balance bikes stand out as the ultimate training tool, eliminating the need for training wheels.

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Why buy balance bikes for kids?

Balance bikes for kids are a great way to introduce your child to the world of cycling from an early age. Before trainer wheels, balance bikes are often said to be the best way to teach your child how to feel their own body weight as it shifts on the bike, which will help them down the track when they come to ride more confidently on their own. Whether you’re looking for scooters, balance boards or try bikes, there’s something for you at My Happy Helpers

What are balance bikes?

Simply put, a balance bike is a bicycle without pedals or training wheels.

It simply has the frame, fork, handlebar and wheels. As its name suggests, the purpose of a kids balance bike is to teach boys and girls how to balance while they are sitting and in motion.

What is the right age for kids to start using a balance bike?

So how young is too young for a balance bike? Australian guidelines indicate that they are appropriate for kids from 18 months to 7 years old.

In fact, if your child can walk, then they can use a balance bike! Compared to traditional bikes with training wheels, which are aimed at older kids of 3-4 years, this means your child can start riding much earlier.

How does a kids balance bike work?

Riding a balance bike is simple! Because it’s low to the ground, kids move forward by pushing off the ground and walking with the bike.

As they progress, they move onto running, striding and eventually gliding. Once your little one is gliding along and has mastered their balance, they’re ready to begin pedalling!

What are the advantages of balance bikes?

Balance bikes are a fantastic investment for your child for a number of reasons. In addition to being easy to use and store away, their simple design lets kids start, stop, steer and turn with safety and confidence because their feet are on the ground. Once they have developed these skills, they’ll be riding a bicycle without training wheels in no time! It’s not just about balance. In addition to being fun, the design of balance bikes encourages children to use their arms and lift their legs in order to move forward, which helps them build their strength as well as fine-tune their posture, motor skills, agility and coordination. 

How much should a balance bike weigh?

Ideally, you want your child’s balance bike to be as light as possible so that they can push it easily. Normally, balance bikes are made from a variety of materials, including steel, wood, plastic, or aluminium alloy. The materials that you choose will depend mostly on your child. For example, wooden balance bikes are incredibly lightweight and are less expensive than metal ones. However, they are more prone to wear and tear, and can be easy to damage. Metal balance bikes, on the other hand, are better suited to bigger children as they have a higher weight tolerance, but can also be heavier and more difficult for smaller children to push. Generally speaking, your child’s balance bike should be no more than 30% of their weight. The average two-year-old weighs around 12.7kg, which means that their balance bike should weigh no more than 3.8kg.

When to move from balance bike to pedal bike

A good way to make the transition is to remove the pedals on their pedal bike. This will allow your child to get started just like they did on their balance bike and create that sense of familiarity. Once they’re used to the extra weight and height, you can screw the pedals back on and watch them go - all without training wheels! In the meantime, we suggest having both the balance bike and pedal bike available to your child while they are making the transition. This overlap of bikes can last for up to a year, but it will ensure that your child is stronger, more confident, and more skilled when they finally make the switch.

How do you choose a wooden bike? 

Balance bikes are a fantastic way for your little one to start learning to ride a bicycle - but how do you know which one to choose? Essentially, any bike can teach you to balance, but there are vast differences in quality, performance, durability, stability and safety. This is why we stock only the very best wooden kid bikes from Kinderfeets, Trybike and Globber! Our toddler bikes come with adjustable seat heights and EVA airless biodegradable tires, which will not go flat fast. Some of our balance bikes are also designed with comfortable footpegs to help children position their feet properly for cruising and to prepare for pedals.