His mum Louise added, “You can tell it is from a good brand as it is sturdy, and it looks expensive too. Gabrielle Nathan has been a journalist for 20 years, writing lifestyle features for publications including Red, Women’s Health, Wildflower and Condé Nast Traveller. Outside of offering an option for a little extra color pop, we were a little unsure of the reasoning for it. It’s built to last, so a great model to pass down through siblings or to friends, and the resale market for Woom is huge, if you decide to sell it once it’s been outgrown. The Squish Balance Bike is a colourful and lightweight first bike that helps to build confidence and also makes parents' lives easier.

The neoprene neck cover is a nice little touch to cover up some sharp corners with a bit of protection. From the first phases of walking the bike to confidently gliding, the AIRO delivered a fun, smooth, and impressive ride. For stage one, there is a detachable two-wheeled back stabiliser, to help small children master balance quickly and easily. The bike comes in a choice of five colours, and it’s fair to say it was love at first sight for our three-year-old tester when they laid eyes on their bike in the sparkle pink colourway.From adjustability, comfort, weight, and, of course, the height of your ride – all of which we’ve laid out in more detail later on. But where do you start when you’re not yet two years old and you’ve never had your own set of wheels before?

The SPARK is a midweight balance bike with a height-adjustable sponge saddle, height-adjustable handlebars with grips, steering limiter and large solid rubber tyres. A balance bike simplifies the most crucial part of learning to ride, which is balancing on two wheels. The AIRO’s small build fits perfectly beneath their smaller frames, helping them build confidence to ride faster and further. Well it might not last that long, as I hope to live a long life, but this thing is built well and has style for miles. With its classic, timeless design and chic matte paintwork, this Little Dutch balance bike won us over with its good looks.Our youngest tester wasn’t quite tall enough to ride this very well, and we’d suggest it’s probably more suited to ages closer to three and up. Solid tyres – either plastic or rubber, often filled with foam – are a bit bumpier but are cheaper and don’t puncture. Our child tester, Jenson, 4 (pictured above), found it fun to ride, and his dad, Andrew, said, "It's easy and comfortable to ride, especially in balance bike mode, and fitting the pedal kit was straightforward. When cruising and gliding around the house, our 3-year-old thought they were pretty much the coolest thing ever. When it's time to move to a pedal bike, the riders' time on a balance bike has allowed them to feel confident balancing on two wheels, so the next effort is focusing on learning how to pedal.

Its super-lightweight frame means it's easy for parents and even children to lift or carry the bike where necessary. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. They also offer a lifetime warranty, which is good for peace of mind, especially if you're planning to pass it on down through multiple children.Newly 2-year-old and quite petite in size (36″ tall), the AIRO was a great fit for our youngest tester in size 18-months pants. Most balance bikes are pretty lightweight, which is handy for a toddler trying to pick it up and a grown-up having to lug it home. Most other similarly-specced competition seems to be closer to 4kg and above, and that extra 1kg makes quite the difference for a toddler when it comes to handling the bike and slinging it around in the back garden. and seat height (adjustable from 40-46cm) clearly marks this out as a model more suited to pre-schoolers and early years children, rather than toddlers – so, if you’re coming around to the idea of a balance bike a little later on, it’s a brilliant stepping stone to a pedal bike, without heading down the bike-with-stabilisers route. Balance bikes, designed to look like ordinary kids' bikes but without pedals, allow your toddler to master steering and balancing at speed, increasing their confidence in the saddle before the transition to pedalling.