From knowing when your child is ready to learn how to ride a bike, to safety tips on picking out just the right bike, here's the full scoop to set your child's bike gears in motion.

Getting your child her first two-wheeler is a rite of passage that any parent can appreciate. And if you are a parent gearing up for a summer of holding onto a bike seat and shouting, "You can do it, you can do it!" you may be wondering how to pick a bike among the vast selection at your superstore, how to get your uncoordinated preschooler to balance on that "thing" and how to get him to understand that he's got to wear a helmet every time he rides, whether his friend down the block does or not.

Safety First

"Wearing a helmet is non-negotiable," says Angie Stevens, a Seattle mother and cycling enthusiast whose preschooler daughter hasn't yet made the transition to two wheels. "This is the case when she's a passenger in the trailer or when she's riding her trike. She protested a bit initially, but we laid down the rule and stuck with it and treated it just like any other rule, like brushing before bed every night.

"We've also modeled that behavior for her, since we wear helmets every time we ride. If we happen to see someone else riding without a helmet, we always comment on it. 'I wish that man were wearing a helmet! It's not safe to ride without one!'"

Angela Mickalide, Ph.D., Program Director, National SAFE KIDS Campaign, notes that you should tell your child to wear the helmet correctly. "It should be comfortable and snug, but not too tight."

Keep in mind that helmets should also be worn while skateboarding, skiing and scootering.

Debby Chaisson, of Canton, MA, who taught her 14-year-old son to ride more than ten years ago, says that enforcing helmet rules doesn't necessarily get easier as they get older.

"With the helmet, he objects mightily, thinks it looks stupid, none of his friends wear them yada yada. We keep at least a couple of helmets around the house so if he "loses" one there is a spare. We enforce it by grounding him or taking his bike away when we catch him riding without it."

Often, the easiest part of getting your kid geared up for riding is purchasing the helmet, especially when the array of bicycles at your local superstore is daunting.