A balance bike makes learning to ride a bike for the first time fun and easy because it lets children focus on balance and steering without having to learn to pedal. Most balance bikes are made for kids 2 to 5 years in age and is billed as an ideal learner or first bike. Balance bikes do not have pedals and are designed so that a well-fitting bike allows the rider to put his/her feet down to both move the bike as well as stop the bike. Essentially, the child runs the bike to move it instead of having to pedal.

Balance bikes provide the excitement of riding a bike that kids just love and increases the control that a child has while riding a bike for the first time (this reduces the fear).

On traditional bikes with pedals and training wheels, children have to learn 3 brand new skills at the same time: Steering, Pedaling and Balancing. This can be very challenging and lead to a scary first biking experience. Designers of the balance bikes determined that learning to pedal distracts from steering and balancing. The core idea behind a balance bike is to teach these two skills first; once mastering steering and pedaling on a balance bike, children are ready to learn to pedal on a real bike without training wheels.

On traditional bicycles with training wheels, the rider learns to pedal first and learns to steer and balance last. Learning on a balance bike reverses this process focusing on teaching balance, steering and coordination. Balance bikes have the same steering and balancing challenges of traditional bicycles but provides the comforting ability of being able to stop and steady yourself very easily; your feet are always ready to plant on the ground if something goes wrong.

By removing a lot of the fear of crashing and being out-of-control, balance bikes provide children with the independence of riding a bike on their own. The transition to a regular two-wheeled bike without training wheels is smooth once the child masters the balance bike.

• Interested in a Skuut Balance Bike? - Read the Review

There are a TON of balance bikes available with a broad range of prices. Target has one for under $50, while the higher-end balance bikes are $250+. I wrote a review of the Skuut which along with the pedoBike and the LikeABike, is a good wooden balance bike that has a familiar look and feel of wooden toys (but kid sized!). There are other balance bikes types like the Kettler bike which is fashioned from metal and plastic; these types of bikes tend to be more durable, and some think the overall quality to price ratio is better with metal-framed balance bikes.

Here's a list of some of the more popular balance bikes

Wooden Balance Bikes

PLIM Swiss Roadie Runner - $69.99

Norco Runbike - $95.99

Likeabike - $299.99

SmartGear Training Bike - $99.99

Skuut Balance Bike - $89.99

Metal & Plastic Balance Bikes

Strider Sports Running Bike - $89.99

Kettler Sprint - $129.99

LikeAbike Jumper - $269.99

Italtrike Walk & Bike - $129.99

TootScoot - $79.99

PV Glider - $129.99