2.5 year old scared of balance bike - advice please :)

[Black Sheep]

Hello,

my daughter has a 3 wheel scuttle bug that she's happy on but her legs are getting too long (she's tall for her age) and she's finding it hard work so we bought a balance bike

I ended up paying £15 extra just because it was 'frozen' and she's had a go once or twice but the last time she did the exact opposite of what I'd told her to do and had a small fall (can't remember if I actually caught her or not) but was shocked more than hurt.

Now she doesn't like going on 'her bike' because she might fall again - any advice on getting her having a go again, it's been months since she went on it.

 

[cyberknight]

Try setting the saddle really low and let her waddle along till she gets the hang of it ?

 

[steveindenmark]

Do not force her. You will make the situation far worse.

 

[ianrauk]

Do not force her. You will make the situation far worse.

This ^^
Just leave it lying about. She'll want to ride it in her own time. Every now and again a very mild suggestion to see if she want's to try it again.

 

[Black Sheep]

The saddle is as low as it goes,

This ^^
Just leave it lying about. She'll want to ride it in her own time. Every now and again a very mild suggestion to see if she want's to try it again.

It is sat in the dining room, unfortunately there isn't enough room really in the house or our garden for her to have a go - we've taken it with us when we've gone to visit my parent's and just had it in the garden there, she kept showing grandad her bike but had no intent of picking it up or getting on it!

 

[ianrauk]

The saddle is as low as it goes,



It is sat in the dining room, unfortunately there isn't enough room really in the house or our garden for her to have a go - we've taken it with us when we've gone to visit my parent's and just had it in the garden there, she kept showing grandad her bike but had no intent of picking it up or getting on it!

Don't worry. Patience. She will want to ride it. But in her own time not yours.
Little H wouldn't ride his first 'proper' bike as he was intimidated by it. So just left it and he took to it in his own time. I never pushed it.

 

[Pikey]

Recumbent trike...

Wish my dad had forced me to ride one.

 

[Mrs M]

Get one of her Wee pals to have a go on it.
She'll see them and want a go herself (hopefully)

 

[Black Sheep]

Get one of her Wee pals to have a go on it.
She'll see them and want a go herself (hopefully)

That could work,

At uni my wife shared a house with two people from the town we now live in, and got on with one of them really well - their daughter is a year or two older than my daughter and the two are ''best friends" in that cute small child kind of way, so if we take both to the local park along with the scuttle bug that she's happy on she'll hopefully have a go on both.

thanks for the idea

 

[summerdays]

That could work,

At uni my wife shared a house with two people from the town we now live in, and got on with one of them really well - their daughter is a year or two older than my daughter and the two are ''best friends" in that cute small child kind of way, so if we take both to the local park along with the scuttle bug that she's happy on she'll hopefully have a go on both.

thanks for the idea

That idea certainly worked for potty training one of mine... In our house just not interested, but in a friends house they were eager to copy their friend!

 

[Black Sheep]

That idea certainly worked for potty training one of mine... In our house just not interested, but in a friends house they were eager to copy their friend!

yeh, that's one we need to work on, but we successfully got rid of the dummies at the start of this week so happy to give it a bit of time so it's not all at once.


parenting - making it up as we go and hoping we're doing it for the best

 

[amasidlover]

As above, patience... My eldest had a balance bike from 2 but never really took to it very well, I bought him a pedal bike age 5 once he was able to scoot for 10+ meters; in hindsight that was a mistake and I should have left it until he was more confident (and bought a lighter pedal bike) - and it spend a year languishing in the shed with occasional attempts with me holding on to him at all times... However, at age 6.5 his Beaver colony did a cycling evening and suddenly he found his cycling mojo; 2 months after that he was confidently cycling 2-3km at a time and I upgraded him to a Frog bike. Since then he's been cycling to school 2-3 times a week (a 7km round trip) and at the end of April persuaded me to take him cycle-touring with a tent in the peaks and did 57km in 2 days with overnight in a snow covered tent!

His younger brother on the other hand instantly took to the scoot bike and is desperate for pedals age 3.5... I strongly suspect mainly motivated by wanting to keep up with his elder brother!

 

[atbman]

We teach one or two kids to ride nearly every week, using balance bikes or pedals off their own and all I can say is it will happen in its own good time. 2.5 may be a little young, so be patient

 

[Arjimlad]

Ideas which worked with my kids :

Buy her a new horn or bell for it,
take it somewhere soft with other kids riding about,

 

[h1udd]

It took mine 6 months of looking at the balance bike before she plucked up the courage to use it

Now she is 5 (well in 2 weeks) and for her 4th birthday I bought her a proper bike .... She has been staring at that scared for 11months 2 weeks now

Hopefully she will use it soon, although I now need to try and replace the hello kitty decals with my little pony ones as hello kitty is no longer liked

Basicslly children are a pain ... Especially mine, I have no tips for you other than don't let it bother you