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Be Well-Kids-When to Ride a Bike
Jackson, left, and Owen Pezalla, both 4, appear on balance bicycles in Seattle on July 1, 2017. Experts recommend starting with those so-called balance bikes at a younger-than-expected age, possibly even less than a year old. (Annie Pezalla via AP)

When should a kid start riding a bike? If it's a balance bike, you might be surprised how young

Those miniature bikes with no pedals seem to be everywhere these days, and the kids riding them are getting younger and younger

By Albert Stumm
Published - Jul 03, 2024, 10:36 AM ET
Last Updated - Jul 03, 2024, 10:36 AM EDT

When Michael Natividad learned to ride a bike at 7 or 8 years old, he knew his training wheels were ready to come off when he leaned on them while zipping around corners.

His daughter, on the other hand, was barely 3 when she sped away from him on her tiny bicycle, he said, admitting to feeling a bit robbed of a special moment.

“I kept thinking of that opportunity holding her up, but I did it for all of maybe one minute,” said Natividad, of Rohnert Park, California. “I was looking forward to that for three years.”

A big difference was that Loralani, now 4, never used training wheels. Instead, like an increasing number of children, she had learned to ride a balance bike first, at around 2.

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