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



## Black Sheep (18 Jun 2016)

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 (18 Jun 2016)

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


----------



## steveindenmark (18 Jun 2016)

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


----------



## ianrauk (18 Jun 2016)

steveindenmark said:


> 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 (18 Jun 2016)

The saddle is as low as it goes, 



ianrauk said:


> 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 (18 Jun 2016)

Black Sheep said:


> 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 (18 Jun 2016)

Recumbent trike...

Wish my dad had forced me to ride one.


----------



## Mrs M (18 Jun 2016)

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


----------



## Black Sheep (18 Jun 2016)

Mrs M said:


> 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 (18 Jun 2016)

Black Sheep said:


> 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 (18 Jun 2016)

summerdays said:


> 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 (19 Jun 2016)

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 (30 Jun 2016)

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 (1 Jul 2016)

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 (5 Jul 2016)

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


----------



## Gasman (5 Jul 2016)

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 (21 Jul 2016)

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 (21 Jul 2016)

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 (28 Jul 2016)

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 (28 Jul 2016)

Black Sheep said:


> 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 (28 Jul 2016)

Black Sheep said:


> 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
> 
> ...


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 (28 Jul 2016)

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 (29 Jul 2016)

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 (24 Aug 2016)

cyberknight said:


> 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.



Ciar said:


> 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 (25 Aug 2016)

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 (25 Aug 2016)

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 (26 Aug 2016)

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 (26 Aug 2016)

Ciar said:


> 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 (29 Aug 2016)

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.


----------

