How To Choose Safe Kids Trikes

Kids Trikes are a great first step towards your child’s first bicycle, and can give your child both a great sense of freedom and independence as well as teaching them good spatial relations and the merits of getting plenty of exercise. A trike will probably be the first time you have let your child out on any moving plaything by themselves and thus, as a parent, you are bound to be concerned about your child’s safety. if you are careful in your choosing of the trike, though, you should be completely comfortable in your choice and your child should be happy to ride around without a care in the world!

When it comes to choosing your trike you really have to think about everything that could offer a risk to your child. As a parent you should be used to thinking about such things as children are remarkably gifted in finding ways to injure themselves, naturally being more inquisitive than ourselves. How fast the trike is going and whether it is stable is only one tiny element you should be thinking about - although it is important.

Try to choose a trike that isn’t going to be too far off the ground for your child, as over-reaching for the pedals may make the trike less stable and more prone to tipping over or forward. There is nothing you can do to stop your child going as fast as they can, but if you get a product with wider, sturdier wheels you should find that the trike is far more steady no matter how fast they are going. Bear in mind that trikes are not really designed for breakneck speeds anyway!

Next look at the handlebars to see if there is any way for a child to injure themselves. Small gaps in the bars, or a very deep U shape to them may prove too tempting to put hands and legs into, which could then get stuck and cause injury. You should also look at where the handlebars attach to the trike itself and if they are likely to pinch fingers should they be placed there.

Look at the nuts and bolts which hold the trike together and avoid trikes where these stick out too far or look sharp. These are apt to scratch legs when pedalling and could cause injuries to children. Look for something where the bolts are covered with smooth material or are securely within the trike for the best peace of mind.

Stick to trikes with filled in pedals, as spokes can be very dangerous to friends and younger siblings. Children do tend to put their hands into anything that fits and if a child were to do this while another pedalled it could cause a bad injury. Spokes are also too easy to get wrapped up in clothing or shoelaces.