(HealthDay News) — As with any exercise equipment or sporting gear, a bicycle should fit a rider properly, especially if the user is a child.
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these suggestions to make sure your child’s new bike is safe:
- Seat your child on the bike with hands placed on the handlebars. The balls of your child’s feet should touch the ground.
- Ask your child to stand over the bar located at the center of the bike. The child should stand with both feet flat, and the child’s crotch area should be about one inch above the bar.
- An older child should be able to easily grab and apply enough pressure to use the hand brakes.
- Never buy a bike that’s too big for your child, thinking that the child will “grow into it.”