Can a child ride on a two-wheel bike without having the right balance? Absolutely not! Balance bikes are the perfect tools for kids, regardless of age, to learn the skill of balance and be confident on two wheels.
If you’re looking to introduce your child to cycling at a very young age, investing in the best wooden balance bike is your best bet. With so many products on the market, choosing the right bike can become tricky. Hence, we’ve engaged young testers to test the most reliable options on the market.
Thanks to our testers, we’ve identified the best wooden balance bikes, using parameters such as wood quality, size & weight capacity, wheel, comfort, brakes, and more. In this article, we will dissect the top bikes and help you identify the right option for your child. Let’s go!
More features: 6 months warranty, rubberized wheels, 8.9-9.4 in floor to seat height
The Hape Scoot Around Ride On Wood Bike is arguably the best product on our list of wooden training bikes, thanks to its many excellent features. Talking of excellent features, this bike’s rubber-rimmed wheels are perfect for indoor play because they won’t leave marks on your floors. Plus, we can’t forget to mention that this rider is made of high-quality wood sourced from environmentally sustainable forests. And it’s finished with non-toxic details, making it safe for kids. Additionally, we could tell from testing the wooden scoot bike that it’s super durable.
Besides, picking the Hape Scoot Around Ride On Wood Bike as our editor’s choice was nowhere near complicated as the bike’s performance justifies its hype and fee admirably. We chose this wood balance bike because it’s not only suitable for 1-year-old kids, but it’s also ideal for older children. With the 4-wheel foot-powered bike, your youngster stands to achieve improved balance and increased muscle strength. Additionally, this bike’s 4-wheel design makes it the perfect choice to develop your kid’s active motor skills, thus instilling great confidence in them.
More features: 7-in tires, color variation
When it comes to wooden balance bikes, there aren’t many better options than the Small Foot Wooden Toys Training Balance Bike. During the testing process, the bike’s compact design easily caught our attention as it delivers a cool look that every child wants to be associated with. Furthermore, the bike boasts an adjustable three-level height-adjustable and three-level seat spacing that provide your child the luxury of multiple riding settings. With these settings, you can choose the perfect seat height and spacing for your youngster. Also worthy of mention is the Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) indestructible tire finishing that won’t impede your kid’s fun time.
If you’re on the lookout for the best wooden balance bike for 1-year-old kids, it’s hard to look past the Small Foot Wooden Toys Training Balance Bike. Thanks to the bike’s 3-wheel design, your 1-year-old can learn balance easily and safely. Talking of safety, this wooden push bike’s handlebar sports a steering damper that helps to prevent uncontrollable movements. Interestingly, this wooden baby bike is 2-in-1; it can be a training trike and it can also work as a balance bike. This unique design makes the pink wooden balance bike a great option for your 1-year-old to transition from training motor skills to learning balance.
More features: adjustable seat, convertible to 2-wheel model, rubber grip handles
Among our elite group of wooden balance bikes, is the Lil’ Rider 2-in-1 Wooden Balance Bike. In terms of longevity, you can’t bet against this rider as it’s carefully crafted with a sturdy birchwood frame. This frame also features a fine finish that is easily recognizable. Furthermore, this bike boasts a grow-with-me design that’s perfect for child development; from practicing pushing, building the muscles to developing balance. Plus, our young testers did not only enjoy the thrill of learning to ride a bicycle but they also developed gross motor skills such as steering, coordinating, and balancing during rides.
If you’re on a budget and you still want a reliable balance bike for your child, the Lil’ Rider 2-in-1 Wooden Balance Bike offers the best value for money. Despite its modest price, this bike delivers as if it is a premium product. Firstly, it sports a 2-in-1, convertible design that starts as a trike for one-year-old kids and transforms into a 2-wheel balance bike for active toddlers, so it grows with them. Since this product is durable, you can trust it to be there all through the early stages of your child’s development. What else makes this 2-in-1 bike valuable? Its padded adjustable seat, sturdy rubber wheels, and easy-grip handles.
More features: 12 in wheels, 1-year warranty, 11 in seat height
Another product of our thorough testing process is the Wishbone Wooden Balance Bike which sports some interesting features. It is made from birch and eucalyptus woods that boast high quality. Thanks to these woods, this bike is ideal for indoor, outdoor, and off-road use. To ensure optimum safety, the bike’s construction features non-toxic glues and finishes. In fact, this product exceeds US, Australian, and European toy safety standards. So, if you bought the bike for your child, you could trust that they are in safe hands.
Are you looking for the ideal balance bike for your toddler? If you are, you can stop looking because we identified the Wishbone Bike to be the best balance bike for toddlers. This bike’s 3-in-1 design is a major determinant of our decision. This product acts as a trike and baby walker for your child to learn to walk from a year old. It’s convertible to a low-rider or balance bike that aids balancing. The bike doesn’t stop there; it’s convertible to a hi-rider or taller balance bike. All you need to do is flip the bike’s frame up to age 5. Essentially, this bike grows with toddlers, making it the best choice for their development.
More features: handmade, height adjustable seat, bamboo wood
The Kinderfeets Balance Bike is another product on our list, thanks to its numerous helpful features. First of all, it is handmade with wood from birch trees. When testing the product, we found the wood to be quite reliable. The EVA airless tires are another eye-catcher because they stay working without interruption for a pretty long time. Additionally, the bike features non-toxic handlebar grips that provide optimum safety during rides.
Moreover, the Kinderfeets Balance Bike has all the makings of the best wooden balance bike for 2-year-old kids. The bike’s adjustable seat ensures comfortable rides for your child. Specifically, the seat adjusts from 30 to 38cm (12 to 15 inches), thus allowing your youngster to find the most comfortable fit. On top of that, the wooden bike without pedals can accommodate children up to 65 pounds (30 kilograms). So, you can trust it to be fit for your 2-year-old regardless of their weight. Lastly, this bike construction is well placed to help your kid transition to a pedal-powered bike in no time.
More features: 12 in tires, foam saddle, lifetime warranty
The Anlen Vespa Wooden Running/Balance Bike is one of the best products on the market, thanks to its unique features. It boasts a low-sitting wooden frame that allows your child to place their feet on the ground and walk comfortably while they learn to balance. Also, this bike is ultra-lightweight at around 6 pounds. With this lightweight design, there’s increased safety and you can easily transport the product. Apart from that, the bike comes with air-filled tires and durable mag wheels. Plus, there’s a height adjustability function.
Besides, the Anlen Vespa Wooden Running/Balance Bike is also known as a running bike. Its lightweight design and two-wheel construction make it the ideal candidate for the best wooden glider bike. To make gliding safe for you, this kids’ wooden bike features a soft foam saddle and safety grips. On top of that, it boasts steering angle limitation to prevent wild turns. With this wooden bike, your youngster is always safe while gliding.
More features: convertible to 3-wheel bike, 9 in ground to seat height, 12 months warranty
Last but not least, the Nicko Bike boasts immense quality as much as the best wooden bikes on the market. It features a painted birch plywood frame that promises to last long as our tests showed us. Furthermore, this bike comes with puncture-resistant EVA foam tires (not air-filled) that offer incredible durability. With these tires, your child can practice for many years without any need to replace them. And there’s a dampened steering that enables handlebars to realign to forward-facing. On top of that, the bike has a built-in carry handle that makes transport easy.
With 16 colorful designs, the Nicko Bike has a great shout for the best kids’ wooden bike. Not many things make kids happier than having colorful toys around them. This bike’s many designs provide your child with exciting colors to be happy while learning balance. Knowing that kids typically have different heights, the manufacturer makes the saddle adjustable. You can either adjust it to 13.78 inches or 14.96 inches from the ground. While this wooden glider bike is ideal for most 2-5 year-olds, we advise that you check your kid’s inside leg measurement and see if it fits.
Due to the numerous wooden balance bikes on the market, there’s a big possibility of you choosing the wrong product for your youngster. That does you no good, does it? To help you avoid throwing your money away, we’ve developed a detailed guide that contains the most important information you need to make the right choice. Read on to learn all about this buying guide.
Balance bikes, also known as running bikes, are designed to help children develop the confidence and skills Trusted Source Balance Bike Training in Down Syndrome Children with Down syndrome (DS) present with hypotonia, impaired balance and poor gross motor proficiency which lead to difficulty learning new motor skills, decreased engagement in physical activity, and limited participation in home, school, and community activities. clinicaltrials.gov required to ride normal bicycles. These bikes’ uniqueness comes from their lack of pedals. Instead of using pedals to move through bikes, children push themselves with their feet.
According to NBC News, balance bikes have even overtaken training wheels Trusted Source Balance Bikes Overtake Training Wheels for Teaching Young Riders Advocates of no-pedal balance bikes say they may terminate a traumatic rite of passage: young kids learning to ride on bicycles with training wheels. www.nbcnews.com for teaching young riders.
There are four major steps involved in learning how to use balance bikes. We’ll highlight them below in their order of succession:
Wooden balance bikes are unique, thanks to their distinct frames. Before investing in one of them, you should know what to look for, so that you can make the right choice. Below, we’ll discuss the important factors you must consider to help you pick the best wooden balance bike:
The most defining feature of a wooden balance bike is the quality of the wood used in constructing it. The last thing you want to do is buy a wooden bike that falls apart fairly quickly before your child gets their balance.
Moreover, birchwood, used in top bikes like the Wishbone Wooden Balance Bike and the Rider 2-in-1 Wooden Balance Bike, is the most popular choice amongst manufacturers, thanks to its reliability and durability. Bikes made with birch are light, yet durable. Eucalyptus wood is another popular material of great quality.
When shopping for the best wooden balance bike, you can’t discount the importance of size. While you don’t want the bike to take too much space, height is the most important consideration. Here, the height includes the overall height and seat height. Since a balance bike requires your child’s feet to move, it must fit their height.
Generally, your choice should be based on the height of your child. For example, you can choose the 21.5-inch Kinderfeets Balance Bike if you have a taller child. However, if they’re shorter, the 13-inch Nicko Bike could be the ideal choice. Also, you should opt for bikes that offer adjustable seats and read reviews to be sure that their holes are properly drilled.
Another important consideration is weight capacity. Like heights, the weights of different children vary. If you want your child to be comfortable on the bike and you want it to last long, you should opt for a product that can accommodate their weight.
Before you decide on a balance bike to buy, you must answer this question; should I buy a 2-wheel balance bike or opt for a 3-wheel bike or 4-wheel bike? 3-wheel and 4-wheel bikes help to improve children’s mobility and develop their motor skills. Although they also help kids to learn balance, they’re not as effective as a 2-wheel bike.
Ultimately, your child’s age or development stage should determine your choice. For example, a one-year-old will find the 3-wheel bike helpful while the 2-wheel variant will usually fit a 3-year-old who’s not new to riding.
If you’re planning long-term development, we advise 2-1 bikes such as the Lil’ Rider 2-in-1 Wooden Balance Bike and the Small Foot Wooden Toys Training Balance Bike that can follow your child’s development for a few years.
As a rule of thumb, a balance bike should not weigh more than 30% of your child’s weight. You might have noticed that most products on our list are under 9 lbs because that’s what we recommend, ideally. The 5.6-lb Hape Scoot Around Ride On Wood Bike and the 6-lb Anlen Vespa Wooden Running/Balance Bike are good examples of the ideal wooden balance bike weight.
Comfort is another important consideration that we can’t disregard.
You want your child to be comfortable while riding. To ensure that, you’ll have to choose a bike that has the right height for them.
Another comfort factor is the handlebar. We bet your child will find the non-slip grip handle on the Nicko Bike, for example, comfortable.
When it comes to wooden balance bikes, durability is a major concern because these variants are susceptible to wear and tear. Wood can crack or even snap in two. Therefore, you should opt for a bike made from a high-quality wood such as birch, eucalyptus, etc., as we advised before.
The Wishbone Wooden Balance Bike and the Hape Scoot Around Ride On Wood Bike are some of the most durable products we tested.
Usually, a balance bike doesn’t need brakes because the rider’s feet hold the stopping power. Moreover, some children, especially one-year-olds, lack enough hand/eye coordination to use a brake, rendering it needless. However, if you have an older toddler and you want to prepare them to ride a pedal bike, you can opt for a bike with a hand brake.
Realizing the challenge that comes with choosing a product out of the many options on the market, we decided to make life easier for you. We’ve tested and reviewed the best wooden balance bikes on the market. Our editor’s choice is the Hape Scoot Around Ride On Wood Bike, mostly thanks to the 4-wheel design’s ease of use. The bike also helps to improve balance.
Right behind this bike is the Small Foot Wooden Toys Training Balance Bike, which sports a 3-wheel design that makes learning balance easy and safe for kids. Plus, the bike’s steering damper enhances safety. The product with the best value on the market is the Lil’ Rider 2-in-1 Wooden Balance Bike. Despite its versatility, this bike comes at a modest price.
Overall, this article boasts the best products on the market and our comprehensive buying guide has everything to help you choose the best wooden balance bike.
