Everything You Need to Know About Children's First Bikes

Mellissa McNaughton
Apr 14, 2021
3 min read

Updated: May 10, 2021

If you are thinking about getting your toddler or preschooler their first bike then I'm sure you've had a lot of questions about it. Look no further as this page should guide you in the right direction with what kind of bike to get them, a few picks of the best ones I've found, why bikes are so important for development and answer all your questions on what you should be looking for when buying one.

Why bikes are important

A young child starting off on a balance bike will strengthen their gross motor skills in a way that they wouldn't otherwise with just walking. As they grow cycling gives many other benefits as well, it is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise and helps build lean muscle mass, it strengthens the heart and a healthy heart when we are you will stand your child in good stead for a lifetime. Cycling can boost confidence in children, they get a good sense of independence and become more aware of their body and surroundings when cycling. children are also getting outside and getting fresh air when on their bikes not to mention the social aspect when they become school age.

Different types of bikes

Balance Bikes - This a bike with no pedals, no gears and no chain, children push the bike forward with their feet on the ground and they learn to balance without the use of stabilisers.

Tricycles - This is a cycle with two back wheels and one front wheel, children learn to pedal on this with a bit more stability than a standard bike due to the back wheels.

Pedal bikes - This is a two-wheeled pedal-powered vehicle. It can have stabilisers or not depending on the child's age and skill level.

What type of bike should I get?

As soon as your child is a confident walker (usually around 18 months or later) you should think about getting them a balance bike this will stand them in good stead for the next step. At between two and three they may be ready to start learning to pedal. At this point, I would recommend a good quality tricycle (see picks below). Then once they have got the hang of cycling you can move them on to a bike with or without stabilisers depending on how confident they are feeling.

Bike Sizes explained

it can be difficult to know what size of bike to get your child but as long as you know how tall your child is it couldn't be easier.

Age Height Bike size

2-3 years 2'10" - 3'4" 12 inch wheel

3-4 years 3'1" - 3'7" 14 inch wheel

4-5 years 3'7" - 4'0" 16 inch wheel

5-8 years 4'0" - 4'5" 20 inch wheel

7-11 years 4'5" - 4'9" 24 inch wheel

As you can see there is a bit of an overlap with a lot of the sizes this is due to the seats being able to be moved up and down but you will know when it is time to move up to the next size just by watching your child on their bike, it will look too small.

I will now include a list of a few of the bikes that I think are great, for both the balance bikes and tricycles, there will be a budget version and a higher-end version, but I do not recommend going for a budget pedal bike unless you think your child won't get much use out of it. There is nothing wrong with buying a second-hand child's bike however so if you cannot stretch to the price tag of a good pedal bike definitely go second hand.