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

[Gasman]

Get a cheap and cheerful bike about 2 sizes too small for you, put the saddle fully down, take off the pedals and ride it like a balance bike yourself. She'll want to copy you.

 

[BrumJim]

How does she learn? How is she inspired?

After yelling instructions at my son and getting nowhere, my much cleverer wife showed him youtube clips of boys cycling, and he was off and practicing until he got it right.

Slightly different, though. I know my sister had problems getting her little one potty trained. Peer pressure failed. Got there in the end, though.

 

[Ciar]

I have a four year old who i bought a balance bike for at 2, used it for a bit but like your daughter took a tumble, avoided it ever since, come 4th birthday she wanted a bike! so this time it was a proper bike with pedals brakes and callipers, been out a few times and she loves it.

best thing i did was not push here, your never going to win so i had to just leave be and let her decide she want to try again.

luckily for me i have another daughter 7 months old, she will hopefully get the benefit of the balance bike ;-)

 

[Black Sheep]

She loves being on the back of my bike, but we don't get to very often, no real progress made since I initially posted.

 

[ianrauk]

She loves being on the back of my bike, but we don't get to very often, no real progress made since I initially posted.

Really don't worry about it. Either it will happen or it won't. If she's not into cycling then there's not much you can do that will make her change her mind. Some kids are into cycling, some kids arent. There's plenty other things you can do together.

 

[Mollydoo]

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.

Just sat reading this, my daughter is now 7 but started her cycling on a balance bike at 2.5 years. I just asked her for advice, she said don't give up and wear knee protection. Its the best thing we did but it took lots of effort.

 

[cyberknight]

I have tried to get my daughter to use a trailgator but she hates it , considering selling it for a trailer for family outings, shes 4 and a half.

 

[Ciar]

From personal experience, i want to be able to visit the forest on my bike with my daughter with me, but i appreciate at four she is too young and i have to be patient, best part she has asked to ride her bike this weekend, so after i do my 6am mtb ride tom, i think i will make sure to get her out and about

 

[Black Sheep]

I have tried to get my daughter to use a trailgator but she hates it , considering selling it for a trailer for family outings, shes 4 and a half.

We have a trailer, we've never got it out of the box as we never went that far afield or cycled that much while she was younger.

She keeps pointing at our bikes today as we slogged it round Grizedale saying "that's your balance bike mummy" etc so it's only a matter of time.

Unfortunately the garden is a bit on the small side for her to use it safely so we need to get out and about a bit more such as a national trust.

I'm sure we'll get there before she's big enough for a tagalong.

From personal experience, i want to be able to visit the forest on my bike with my daughter with me, but i appreciate at four she is too young and i have to be patient, best part she has asked to ride her bike this weekend, so after i do my 6am mtb ride tom, i think i will make sure to get her out and about

Have you considered a tag-along or the tow bar that converts a child's bike to a tag along allowing you to tow her some of the time but she's able to ride along on her own when it's safe to do so?

 

[keithmac]

My lad was 5 1/2 before he cycled properly on two wheels, had a 2 wheel scooter and stabilisers on his bike before that.

My 4 1/2 year old daughter loves her "Frozen" bike with stabilisers, took them off a couple of times but she's not interested yet so I'll just wait till she asks!. She wants a 2 wheel scooter for Chrismas so that should get her balance right.

Neither had much intereste in balance bikes..

 

[fossyant]

Let them decide. My son was a bit slower than my daughter at going two wheeled, but she won't ride now (13 - and not cool). He is a loonie like me.

 

[Ciar]

Quick update we took the daughter for a ride on Monday and after 5 minutes of getting us to tow her with a very short lead, she took control and i have noticed a difference she now uses her brakes like i taught her and is working out on the dips on the path to pedal harder so all in all it's definitely progressing forward, after that she rode for a solid 20 minutes without any real issue or panic.

 

[Sharky]

Quick update .......she now uses her brakes like i taught her and is working out on the dips .

Had to read that twice. First time I thought it said working out on the clips, that's progress!

 

[Black Sheep]

A bit of progress for us too, mummy got a new 'balance bike' yesterday and Eliza saw a pink bike with stabilisers in the shop and would like it.
She's been told she can have a pink bike when she's learnt to ride her 'Frozen balance bike'

We went to the park near us this morning and went on the swings etc but took the balance bike, as the basketball / football / cricket court was free she was coerced onto it with promise of a chocolate bar from the shop on the way home.

she climbed on herself with me holding the bars and then waddled astride it to daddy, turned it round herself (on the spot) and went back to mummy (about 4 meters) while I stepped back a couple of paces.

this repeated for a few runs with a mix of standing and sitting and getting a little quicker until a slight wobble had her decide she'd had enough for the day.

back home now wiping chocolate off my clothes and hopefully out on our bikes later with her in the child seat.

hopefully get chance later in the week to go to the park again after work with her if I can get home in a reasonable time.