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Gavin, who is now 19 months, has learned a new word in our house over the last few days. From the moment his feet hit the floor in the morning or when we come home after daycare, he immediately runs over to the YBike Pewi, yelling, “Bike, bike!” He immediately hops aboard and starts racing all around our living room.

The YBike Pewi, which my husband assembled easily in about 30 minutes, has been the answer to our prayers. It is a small, stable, very lightweight (4 lbs), aluminum frame. Since Gavin has perfected the use of a ride-on toy, it has provided him with a totally new experience that provides speed and with multi-direction castor wheels, he is able to turn the bike quickly, smoothly, and in circles! Initially on the Pewi, until he gained his balance, he has slipped off the sides a few times and one time went forward over the front. No fear on this kid, he couldn’t wait to get back on and keep riding. So for those of you with daredevil toddlers like myself, a shiny new bicycle helmet might also be a good idea for safety. This bike is recommended for children ages 12-26 months and for those kids who weight less than 44 lbs.

We own several multi-use ride-on toys that were great push-toys for Gavin in his early walking stages, when he was learning to gain stability on his feet. Now that Gavin has transitioned into the toddler phase, we still allow him to zoom all around the hardwood floor with ride-on toys in our living area. He is an active little guy where moving, pushing and pulling things are right in his line of interest these days. However, as he has grown taller and heavier, it makes riding some other plastic ride-on toys a bit more challenging. Many ride-on toys are low to the ground, which as he has grown taller, puts his body in an awkward position when he propels his feet to move it forward. This also makes for a challenge when navigating indoors between carpet and hardwood, but he has quickly learned to lift the toy up when riding to gain clearance. Plastic ride-ons seem to move great, as long as you ride them straight. None of these things seem to bother Gavin, but the main drawback I have found with other ride-on toys is that though he is quite happy, the large plastic wheels can be really loud on the hardwood floor with the rest of us in the room.

I have not yet used this bike with a toddler learning to walk, but the instructions state that it can also be used as a push-toy. I would definitely suggest, due to the smoothness of the wheels, that you find a way to weigh this toy down, because it is FAST! Either wrist or ankle weights might be wrapped around the legs of the toy to slow the wheels down until your child has the control to maneuver it on their own. Or, you might consider using it on carpet first, before letting a new walker push it on a smooth surface like a hardwood floor, tile or linoleum.

The YBike Pewi was provided free to facilitate this review. The product image is courtesy of Derek Wilmot Photography.