For parents to feel safe allowing their children riding a wooden balance bike, they need to feel that the manufacturers have met certain standards. Steering: You want to be sure that the handlebar is responsive and unlikely to need a great shove to get turning. To help with this, look for ball bearings in the hubs of the balance bike’s wheels.

After much deliberation, we've chosen the Vitus Nippy as our best overall balance bike for 2023. The lightest of the bikes on our list, the Nippy is great quality where it matters, with tyres that can take any surface in their stride, a robust frame and lightweight construction for the times you'll inevitably need to carry it.Before recommending the best balance bikes for toddlers we spent time searching through our Mumsnet forums to find the balance bikes that come most highly recommended by the parents in our community. Expert guidance If you're looking to invest in a bike you can sell on, the Islabikes Rothan is hard to beat. How we choose our recommendations Parent testers

Age range: 18 months - 4 years | Weight: Not stated | Wheel size: 12 inch | Tyres: Airless What we love But which balance bike is best? There are lots of different options out there from cheap and cheerful to high-spec and built-to-last. If you only have one child and know that you’ll only need a balance bike for a short time then a cheaper option might be best, but if you have more than one child it can be worth investing in something pricier that can be passed from child to child. A lot of balance bikes also have great resale value so that’s worth keeping in mind too. Enjoy your toddler's first bike ride inside or out, with the Giraffe Balance Bike. Sturdy and stable, this three-wheel bicycle ensures fun and safety at the same time. Age range: Two to four years old (85 to 110cm tall with an inside leg of 40cm minimum) | Weight: 3.8kg | Wheel size: 12 inch | Tyres: Pneumatic What we love

The transition from crawling to standing and walking is one that takes time and confidence building. A balance bike allows toddlers to explore their bodies and abilities to move themselves around unaided, in a safe and exciting new way. These awards involve over 500 child and parent judges home-testing shortlisted toys for over 8 weeks. Then each nominee goes through several judging days involving industry experts and influencer family judges with a combined YouTube following of over 600,000! Specialized say the Hotwalk is designed for "less crashes and more smiles" to help kids get on two wheels with confidence. The bike has a low standover and 12" wheels, so it's a great size for a 3 or 4 year old to get their bearings. Warnings: Adult supervision required at all times. To avoid danger of tipping forward, do not let children stand up and lean on the handlebars. Children must remain seated at all times. At Beehive Toy Factory safety is our number one priority which is why all of our toys exceed the minimum safety requirements as set out in the Toy (Safety) Regulations 2011.

The unique design of the Ladybird Balance Bike can help teach babies and toddlers balance at their own pace Weight: Lightweight is key. Even a kilogram of difference between bikes could represent a significant proportion of your child’s body weight, which could make the bike difficult to ride and negatively impact their first impression of cycling. Because of the 3 wheel design, the Ladybird Balance Bike can help encourage walking, coordination, balance and motor skills Enjoy your toddler's first bike ride with the Ladybird Balance Bike. Sturdy and stable, this three-wheel bicycle ensures fun and safety at the same time. Although all manufacturers recommend that you supervise children using the bikes, we can’t watch them every second, so the peace of mind knowing risk has been minimized upfront is invaluable.

Balance bikes are small bicycles without pedals. They allow children as young as 18 months to learn to balance and steer by propelling the bike forward and lifting their feet up to glide when ready. Whether you’re looking for a garden toy, a nursery-run solution or something hard-wearing for off-road family trails, the choosing the best balance bike for your toddler will hugely impact their first experience of cycling. The unique design of the Giraffe Balance Bike can help teach babies and toddlers balance at their own pace. Vitus Nippy weighs just under a Strider and is a third of the price. We had a heavy balance bike and made no progress, swapped it for a Vitus Nippy and my son was doing huge ramps in the skate park the same day, and road a bike with pedals without needing any practice once he'd outgrown the Nippy. He absolutely loved that thing, even more than his pedal bike tbh." (Recommended by Mumsnetter user33323) Our verdict

Age range: Suitable for two and three year olds (average inside leg 31cm) | Weight: 4.17kg | Wheel size: 12 inch | Tyres: Pneumatic What we love The tyres are extra wide for a soft ride, great suspension and the bike also features rear splash guards so is easier on play clothes. They have thought of just about everything! Bought for Grandsons 1st birthday, he absolutely loves it, great design, solidly built, would highly recommend to buy." You want to make sure your bike doesn’t weigh more than 30 percent of your child’s bodyweight so that they're not forced to work too hard or forced to become frustrated. 3kg tends to be a good marker for most toddlers.Designed with small children in mind, the comfortable saddle will fit any small child and the cushioned handlebars ensure easy grasping. The wide grab rail allows adults to easily hold on if they want to guide a toddler just getting to grips with balance bike life. It’s also a useful feature when you inevitably end up carrying the thing. Speaking of, it’s relatively lightweight so not too difficult to carry round the park but still incredibly sturdy which is reassuring for parents of fearless toddlers. There are no brakes on this balance bike but there is a stopper in the handlebars so the bike can’t be oversteered which is really useful for new riders. Brakes or no brakes? The higher-spec balance bikes tend to have brakes, scaled down to child size, either on both wheels or just on the rear wheel. Budget bikes tend not to have them. Opinion is divided on what's best: balance bikes can be stopped perfectly well with feet but some argue that it's good to learn about braking before you venture on to a bike with pedals – and better for your shoe leather. We'd say that, roughly speaking, a child probably doesn't have the hand/eye coordination for using brakes until about 2.5 to 3.5 years. The Frog Bikes Tadpole combines a sturdy frame with chunky wheels and a long wheelbase – all while boasting a relatively light design, which is no mean feat. These attributes make the Tadpole ideal as a trail bike but light enough for older toddlers, especially as its tyres are well-cushioned for bumpy surfaces. The reflectors and bell are also great features to teach little ones about safety and being seen and heard while out riding a bike. Brake: A handbrake is an optional choice on a balance bike as a child will instinctively use their feet to stop, at least at first.