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Hi @sidbose1987,
Building a toddler bike track sounds like a fun and rewarding experience, but it’s important to remember that safety is always our number one priority. With any D.I.Y. project, particularly those involving children, there are inherent risks. It's important to ensure that all elements of the track are built securely, with smooth edges and no sharp corners. Additionally, keep the track free from debris, and consider using soft materials like soft fall mats where possible to prevent injury. Always supervise children while using the track, and ensure it is age-appropriate for their developmental stage.
Given the varying elements of the track—such as obstacles, curves, and materials—it’s a bit tricky to give very specific advice without a clear design in mind. It might be best to start by sketching out a design for the track and each individual component or obstacle you want to include. This will give you a clearer vision and allow us to provide more precise and helpful guidance. You could share that design with the community, along with any questions you have about building each part of the track, and we can assist you from there.
To get started, it might be a good idea to make your course modular. Begin with one entertaining obstacle or element, and as your skills grow or your child’s abilities improve, you can add more components to the track. This way, you can expand the track in phases rather than trying to build everything at once.
Regarding your specific question about the materials, wooden boards can be a great option for creating various elements of the track, like ramps or rollers. For strength, you'd want something sturdy but not too heavy—typically, pine or treated timber is a good option. If you plan to create a roller or other features, make sure the wood is thick enough to withstand toddler use but light enough for easy adjustment. Something like 17mm plywood, should be sufficient, but will need to be painted to resist the weather.
This sounds like an awesome project, and I’d be excited to help you along the way. Let me know what the first element is you'd like to create, and we can get you started.
Mitchell
I can’t thank enough @MitchellMc for the post. And I completely agree the utmost priority would be safety. Now my son for 22 months old is slightly ahead of his age in motor skills (isn’t that what every parent thinks 😅) so providing him with a platform to improve and enjoy would be good. Now my backyard has decent space (9.6m x 9.6m) but currently it has rough grass so that’s another think I need to think on as it would cause friction for the ride, but working on it modular is a great place to start. I have attached a picture of my backyard, now the only thing I can think of to start with is the ramp from alfresco to backyard, I can’t be too steep as a safety measure. Also I will try to create an image of my design in my mind (any tool in mind I can use? Simple is to use pen and paper)
thanks
sid
Pen and paper will take you a long way @sidbose1987.
Here are some renderings I've put together for you. If you can provide details on the height and length of the ramp I can help you design a frame for it.
Mitchell
Hi @sidbose1987,
It's a program called Tinkercad, but there are other design programs out there like Sketch-up.
Here's a design for the ramp. I suggest bolting a ledger board to the side of the alfresco for a solid mounting point. The ramp should be around 2000mm long for a decent angle. I recommend using 90 x 45mm H3-treated Pine for the frame and a 19mm plywood panel for the surface.
Mowing the grass short would be a good start.
Mitchell
