Balance bike and training wheels both have their pros and cons for children who are first learning to ride. Parents understand that the basic skills in riding a bike for the first time consist of pedaling, balancing, and steering. Confidence is instilled in children when they learn how to ride. Therefore, which method is best for your child?

What is a Balance Bicycle?

The technology involved in balance bicycles is that they don’t have training wheels or pedals. The learning curve in bikes without stabilizers is placed in a child's legs and feet as they push themselves along. The psychology in giving a toddler a balance bike is that the skill of balancing will become a fundamental challenge.

The idea is that they start walking faster and faster, especially if they want to keep up with other kids on their bikes. A child will walk or nearly run faster eventually lifting their feet off the ground to glide or coast. This action will lead to a child learning how to balance.

Teaching Your Toddler to Become a Balance Rider

Bikes designed for toddlers without training wheels are to help them learn how to ride. There are no instructions needed for kids to ride this bike. Just remember a few tips:

* First, provide them with a helmet, just in case they do fall.

* As your child begins, make sure you are in an area free from obstacles whether in the yard or on the neighborhood sidewalks.

* Adjust the seat height so that your toddler’s feet touch the ground.

* Encourage them with a gentle push if needed. With some kids, you may need to walk alongside them until their confidence kicks in.

Construction of Balance Bicycles

Bikes that are designed without training wheels are designed differently than their competitive style bikes with two wheels in the rear on either side. No pedal bikes are extremely light in their overall construction.

There are no gears, pedals, or brakes. They are lower to the ground which makes them easier to maneuver because they are designed not to tip over, especially when kids need to make wide turns.

Balance Features

Additional features of a no-pedal bicycle for your kids depend on the brand. The key features offered by manufacturers to parents for their toddlers include the following:

* Suitable for all indoor and outdoor use. Can be ridden across many outdoor landscapes

* Maintenance-free

* Seat and handle adjustments

* Puncture-proof tires

There will be parents who feel more secure if the bikes were equipped with brakes. However, a non-pedal bike is safe because your child’s legs and arms will guide them along.

In hilly areas, going up the hill on a balance bicycle helps develop leg muscles. Coming back down the hill will be a lesson that parents should be a guide to their toddler on how fast to descend.

Also, note that many toddlers, like age 2 are not coordinated in using brakes quickly enough to stop safely. With balance bicycles, your child’s feet are the brakes. Balance bicycles are an easier transition to pedal bikes because your child will already be experienced in balance and pedaling.

Training Wheels for Young Children

Parents grew up learning to ride a bike with training wheels. It is only natural that this is the choice they make for their toddlers. Training wheels were invented in 1949.

Training wheels are also known as “stabilizers.” They have been used to keep kids confident in learning to ride for the first time. Stabilizers support your child’s upright position on their bike.

Their balance design gives toddlers the confidence of pedaling and learning when and how to break. Training wheel bikes are the healthy transition to a “big kids” pedal bike experience.

Training wheels help parents to teach their toddlers how to pedal, how to ride with confidence, and how to steer. It is just when children outgrow training wheel bicycles, then parental training begins.

Training Wheels vs Balance Bicycles

Not everything in life is one-size-fits-all. Parents understand their toddlers. They can judge which is a better option in teaching their child a growing milestone of riding a bike. There is no shame in transitioning between both models. The whole idea is to give your baby additional confidence in their growth.