Peak Spinning: Fisher-Price Releases High-Tech Bike for Toddlers

No matter your age, you probably have fond memories of pedaling your tricycle, then graduating to — and falling off — your first bike. But children in 2017 may be making different memories. Fisher-Price released a stationary exercise bicycle for 3- to 6-year-olds, and people have mixed feelings about it.

The bike connects to a tablet (not included), and buyers can purchase a range of educational games designed to prepare kids for school. And while the bike is not intended to be a replacement for outdoor activity, Fisher-Price insists that it is a productive way for kids to expend excess energy and learn to pedal before their motor skills are developed enough for a real tricycle or bike.

“Fisher-Price Smart Cycle is for preschoolers, so kids who don’t necessarily know how to ride a bike just yet,” Julia Maher, senior marketing manager at Fisher-Price, told BBC. “Imagine if you’d never ridden a bike before — it’s a really incredible experience to actually be pedaling. What we’ve found is that kids actually just like sitting on the bike and pedaling. … It’s very aspirational. So kids are seeing their parents on bikes, and they want to participate in that too. So it’s a great way to get them active.”

Still, critics don’t appreciate the extra screen time for kids. “Kids are inside too much already!” one parent commented on Instagram. “Let’s get them outside and active with their friends while cutting down on the electronics.” Another suggested, “You should make a balancing bike. Gets the kid off the iPad and active!”

Other parents appreciate the safety and ease of the bike. “The high today was 18 degrees, so for us it’s too cold to play outside,” one parent wrote. “I would totally bust this out for my kids during the winter months. Another parent added, “Not all kids have the privilege [of playing outside]. Think about the kids that are autistic. Some wouldn’t feel safe outside with people staring or because of the noise.” One parent said the toy could help to fight childhood obesity: “I know that it’s better to play outside, but this is a good weapon to start the combat against childhood obesity. We need more options to exercise our kids inside.”

Indeed, outdoor activity is crucial for children. Research shows that children who play outdoors regularly are fitter, leaner, less stressed, more creative, and even have stronger immune systems, more active imaginations, and greater respect for themselves and others. But the National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommends that preschoolers get an hour of structured activity and an hour of free play each day, which may seem unattainable for many. And any activity, indoors or outdoors, is better than none.

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