Video:How to Buy Your Child's First Bike

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Transcript:How to Buy Your Child's First Bike

Hi, my name is Lisa Mahar, and I'm the owner of Kid O in New York City and I'm here for About.com. Today I'm here to talk about how to choose a bike for a toddler or pre-schooler.

What Age Can a Child Ride a Bike?

At about two and a half, your child is developmentally ready to begin riding a bike. There's several things you want to look for when looking for a bike for a child that age. This bike is a pedal-less bike, and what's unique is that it doesn't have pedals. For a young child that's two and a half, they haven't quite developed the motor skills yet to be able to move pedals. So what this bike does is help them learn how to balance themselves.

Good Starter Bikes for Toddlers

The first step for a child that age is to get on the bike and shuffle their feet along. The benefit of a bike like this is that once a child can master balance, it's actually quite easy to transition to a regular bike.

Many children who start on a pedal-less bike don't have to have a bike with training wheels. One of the other unique things about this type of bike is the steering. There's a control at the top that keeps the handlebars from going too far to the left or right. As young children are developing their skills with handling the bars, this is a really important safety feature. The bike also has an adjustable seat that allows for quite a wide variation of height in children.

Another benefit of this bike is it's very small and easy to carry. Young children do tend to get tired after being on it for awhile, so it's nice to be able to have a bike that's small that you can carry, or put in the back of your car.

Tricycles as First Bikes

Another option for this age group is a tricycle. Tricycles are generally introduced at the age of two to three, but one of the disadvantages of a tricycle is that it requires a child being able to pedal -- which is a skill most two and three year-olds haven't quite mastered. The tricycle may be a better choice for a three to four-year-old.

This actually is a bike for outdoors, one of the most important things to remember, though, is always wear a helmet. You can actually go incredibly fast on this bike, almost as fast as a regular bike.

Learning to ride a bike is one of the most exciting adventures that a young child embarks on, and now there are even products that allow that to happen sooner!

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at About.com.