Have you though about getting your toddler a riding toy? Wondering what the best toddler or preschool bike is? Well I want to share what I think the best toddler bike out there is, why you should consider it and how it has worked for my family.

The Best Toddler Bike

When my oldest was a toddler, I knew that I wanted her to play and develop her gross motor skills. Of course, I believed some sort of riding toy would be awesome— so we purchased a tricycle for her. You know– none of my seven children have ever liked using a tricycle! It was too difficult to peddle and if they did use it— either another child was pushing them or they used their feet to move the bike.

When it came time to teach her to ride a bike– she fought us tooth and nail. We added training wheels to her bike. We tried to gently teach her how to ride. She would cry. I would cry. I thought she’d never learn how to ride a bike. She was around 8 years old when she finally learned and I vowed I would never go through that again! Learning how to ride a bike should be a good memory!

So I began to research balance bikes and we purchased our first balance bike over five years ago. I will admit that I was a bit skeptical but I was willing to try to make bike-riding a good experience for the rest of my children!

Strider Balance Bikes

We purchased two Strider Classic No-Pedal Balance Bikes (afflink) for my then 5 year old and 2 year old. I liked that the bikes were sturdily made, had adjustable heights, had no pedals and was light-weight.

My two little girls loved them! After first they would just shuffle the bike forward with their feet. But once they got confident, they would zoom with their feet up and even make turns! But would this help them learn how to ride a bike?

YES! When they were finally big enough to fit on a regular bike, both girls learned how to ride a regular bike without training wheels in one day! No tears! No fits!

How does a balance bike work?

Now my 2 year old son has his own Strider bike! He LOVES it! He already is able to balance.

The balance bike allows children to learn how to balance without the use of pedals. I noticed that once my child figured out to balance, the next thing they would do would be to propel themselves fast and start coasting. After they mastered that, they would start coasting and turning. My fifth child and seventh child were so good at riding their Strider bikes that they looked like little bees dodging in and out, zooming here and there!

We have now owned three Strider bikes and they have been fantastic investments! The bikes are able to handle toddler/preschool man-handling and my young children loved having their own “real” bike just like the big kids. 🙂 The only caution I would make would be to make sure you walk behind your car after the kids have been riding and check to see that a child did not leave a bike behind your vehicle. Even a Strider bike can’t stand up to the weight of a car. 🙂

So far three of my children have used the Strider bike and easily transitioned to a regular bike. My youngest now has his own and I have no doubt that he will be able to move to a big bike when he is ready. Strider bikes have been the best toddler and preschool bike for my family.

Don’t Forget to Add a Good Helmet

Our favorite toddler and preschool helmets are made by Giro. They have fun designs and colors and have a nice fit.