Transitioning to a big bike, with motivation from My Little Pony (sponsored)

Thanks to our contributor Sally Mason from Little Hiccups for this post and to Dynacraft for sponsoring it in celebration of the My Little Pony movie.

Has your little one ever wished they could ride a My Little Pony? It sounds like fun, right? Well, I’ve found a way you can make their dreams come true. Sort of!

photo: sally mason/little hiccups

If your preschooler is a fan of My Little Pony, like mine is, and is ready to ride their first big-kid bike, this cute 12” bike from Dynacraft is perfect. Read on for my tips on how we are making the transition to this pedal bike.

First of all, the bike is delightful. From the cute brushable ponytail tassels on the handlebars all the way down to the My Little Pony illustrations on the wheels the whole bike is bright and colorful. Three different colors are available: pink; blue and silver; and, purple and silver, and each one features different My Little Pony designs.

photo: sally mason/little hiccups

Bonus: This model comes with a cute removable handlebar bag that doubles as a backpack, perfect for carrying all those adventure essentials like snacks, a water bottle and maybe a few My Little Pony toys. My preschooler was especially excited about the handlebar bag as she could carry it on her back down to the beach after parking her bike.

Newfound freedom on a big kid bike by dynacraft

photo: sally mason/little hiccups

The removable training wheels help new riders gain balance while learning to pedal, and can easily be taken off once they’re ready to zoom on their own. For preschoolers who are used to riding a balance bike, the training wheels can be skipped altogether.

To training wheel or not to training wheel? Options for a big kid bike

photo: sally mason/little hiccups

You can even remove the pedals entirely, to make the experience more like a balance bike. Then, when your child is ready, put them back on.

One of my favorite features is that, unlike many other 12” bikes, the pedals move independently of the wheels. This makes coasting a breeze and prevents little legs from tiring out from non-stop pedaling.

My preschooler has been riding a balance bike for over a year now so she is pretty good with her balance, however, her balance bike is much smaller than this bike so she was a little unsure about the taller height at first. I simply removed the pedals and the training wheels and she hopped on and took off just like she would on her balance bike. As the pedals don’t spin the wheels there was no worry about the cranks spinning and crashing into her legs. Once she feels more comfortable with the height I’ll pop the pedals back on and she can work on her pedaling skills and use the back pedal brake to stop instead of her feet.

The sturdy BMX frame means that this bike will last through even the toughest of adventures – and if I know my preschooler, I know she’s going to be tough on it! Both the handlebars and seat are height adjustable which means that she will get many years of bike riding adventures out of it.

Thanks again to Dynacraft for sponsoring this post. To see everything My Little Pony on Amazon, follow this link >

Author
Recent Posts

Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.