Many kids’ roller skates are now available, from Junior UK size 6 upwards. However, our start-up roller blades at Skates are only available from size 8. This alone shows you how important it is not to put your kids into roller blades until they’re ready.

US ice skating champion Tara Lipinski was just 3 years old when she got her first roller skates. However, it’s important to realise she had natural balance from a very young age, and grew up in an area where the winter weather meant ice skating was the norm. Even so, she started out on kids quad skates. If you intend to start your child off this early, you should do the same. They should be walking and running proficiently, and be able to tell you if the skates are hurting at all.

With older children, while it isn’t essential that their first rollers should be quads rather than inline skates, it’s often a good idea. Quads allow them to get their balance, in the same way stabilisers on a bike do.

Whichever you decide, you should ensure your child is fitted out with a full set of skate elbow and knee pads and a helmet. You should hold on to very young children to begin with, but if they’re at that “Get off, Mum” stage, you can get round this by using a “roller chair.” This is simply a standard wheeled office chair, which they hold on to with both hands while they skate. As they get their balance, they can learn to skate unaided - though you should still be there to catch them if they start to fall.