Hello,
I have a girl turning 2 in March and am looking for the best balance bike.
Preferably priced around $100-200.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Best Balance Bike for Toddler (2 Years Old)
Laidsbos on 10/01/2023 - 09:06
Comments
Thank you
I see they have sales every now and then too which is promising.
I found that the majority of balance bikes are exactly the same, and are clearly being produced in the same one or two factories overseas. For example, this popular model by Little Nation.
Unless you are willing to pay a bit more for something clearly more unique and possibly higher quality, such as this Vuly, or something at the top end like this Byk, I would suggest doing what I did; buying a good condition one from Gumtree or FB Marketplace. I paid $30. Kids outgrow them quickly anyway.
+1 on second hand.
I've picked up a few reasonable condition ones from hard rubbish too. It's definitely true that kids outgrow them quickly!
The better quality ones are much lighter,which means they're easier for kids to control and pick up themselves when they fall, and for adults to carry.
Agree with buying one second hand, silly to invest $200 in something a kid will use for 9 months to a year (unless you are going to have multiple kids and it'll get passed down).
The designs are so much better than they used to be 5+ years ago!
I really struggled to find something with a seat height lower than 12", even in brand name stuff.
These all look to have a standover height not much above the wheel height.
Just buy a pedal bike and take off the pedals.
That way you'll get more use out of it…
I've seen this advice, but in my lived experience it's just a good idea until you implement it to a 2yo kid and start to see all of the issues.
Ultimately it depends on the age, size and strength of the kid.It's impossible (in my experience) to buy a less than 12" wheel pedal bike.
And generally standover height is an inch or more higher than the wheel height. 12" is marginally above average standover height for 2yo I'd estimate.
So straight away, this idea is only going to be possible for the upper 25% or so.On top of this, the crank case adds significant weight to the frame.
My kids (of short and average heights respectively) struggled to lift and control a pure balance bike for at least the first few months.
Admittedly the low centre of gravity would assist balance, but this really isn't that much of a problem again through my lived experience. My kids were both balancing within a month of "riding".
Cheapest one you can find - they outgrow balance bikes within 6-12 months at most… and they'll be going so slowly that better quality components won't make a real difference
This looks so fun!
Ahaha that's so awesome!
To be fair, by 3 years old a pedal bike is on the cards
This.
Thanks for the advice so far
With most things we’ve done a lot of research and have bought higher quality things, whether brand new or 2nd hand. Simply as I’ve seen so many people buy cheaper products, and months later forking out more cash due to their original purchases not being up to standard.I find it very hard to justify buying a balance bike that will be used for 6 months at that price point ($100-200). My wife wanted “quality”, but I can’t see how a $30-50 balance bike wouldn’t perform the same as more expensive ones.
I will be pushing for a cheaper k-mart style I think.
I think it is worth considering the better ones, but get it second hand
Agreed, the downside of KMart type stuff is that it tends to be heavy.
Having said that, I picked up a roadside Repco that worked OK.
The most important parts are;
1) lightweight frame so it's easy for the kid to pick up and ride unassisted.
2) their legs are long enough to stand over the seat at it's lowest setting.The minimum seat height on some can be ~14" on a 12" wheel bike, due to poor frame design IMHO especially when buying for younger age kids like this. This even occurs in brand name stuff! Depending on the height of the kid, it might not be a problem for you, but I needed to find a 10" standover and there weren't many options.
Finally, the cheapest thing you can find will be fine.
As others have mentioned, they outgrow them long before quality becomes an issue, even for the second or third kid. Ours are onto their 5th kid (and third household) and my 9yo still jumps on the balance bike when we visit (knees around his ears).My 9yo still loves to jump on the balance bike when we're visiting friends with younger kids.
Great feedback
Thank you!
She’s pretty tall so hopefully won’t be an issue with height
Here's the drum, they are far more likely to outgrow it than outride it. Focus on price here. If you actually find a problem before they outgrow it, you're going to be in the small minority.
For what it's worth, I think we had a Little Nation. Two kids used it, no problems.
My wife reckons Cruzee is the way to go.