son#1 is 25 months now, and loves his toddlebike, but it is basically too small for him now and he often clips his heels on the wheels. I bought him a lovely strider at xmas but he is currently showing active resistance to it.

Even just taking it out of the garage to leave it ‘in sight’ is the start of a melt down….until it is put back on the peg.

Ideally I’d like him to have started it using it before the weather turns and outdoors is less appealing.

Ideas? Anyone have this problem? Just a matter of waiting until he suddenly changes his mind?

#impatientdad

Even just taking it out of the garage to leave it ‘in sight’ is the start of a melt down….

#impatientdad

Which part of the story are you missing out? 🙂

Luckily I’m a couple of years away from this kind of thing, but watching with interest

Try moving the bike when he’s not looking so he thinks it’s alive, that should help.
Just wait until he’s ready, chocolate bribes are being used here currently but he quite enjoys riding his bike, he do start of refusing to get on it though.

Have you got any friends with kids who already ride you could take him out with? It’s a big motivation for them having someone to copy / compete with / keep up with.

Honestly just leave it for now.

Our 2 year old loves his frog balance bike now, but about 4 months ago trying to get him to use it caused shouting and everything else from him.
We just left it, then one day he asked to go on someone else’s and when we got home he went straight on his.
This was at about 21 months.

Don’t push them as in my experience it just makes it worse

Bought a strider for our eldest when he turned two one September. He wanted to ride it kind of, but was just too small/young. We left it over the winter, he then made progress early the next spring and then one day it all clicked and he was away with full balance. Patience and all that.

On the other hand, our daughter had one or two goes on it, but then insisted she had to ride his second bike – a spesh Hardrock. Unlike the eldest making the transition from balance bike, she has to have stabilizers, but if she’s having fun that’s the main thing. With 3 kids still under 6 I’ve got other battles to fight. 😀

My son showed no massive interest in his strider till he was about 3 and suddenly that’s all he wanted to do. Personally I’d wait till he shows interest again.

You should book him on a skills course with Jedi immediately and force him to watch youtube videos to learn how to manual.

Have you got any friends with kids who already ride you could take him out with? It’s a big motivation for them having someone to copy / compete with / keep up with.

Agree with this. Go and spend some time with friends with an older boy that’s flying around on one and he’ll soon fancy giving it a go. But if he really doesn’t, just leave it till he fancies it again.

Put the seat on an inappropriatly low setting & leave it in the kitchen for him to become familliar with (hide the toddlebike). If he wants to pick it up he will do. Guiding them to do anything at that age is pretty difficult. You can try peer pressure, it probably won’t work – they can be pretty willfull.

Put a simple bell on the bars for him to “ding” as he gets in the way around the house to spark curiosity (decathlon do an awesome one with a very positive ringer for little hands). Take it off if you want him to concentrate on balancing.

Sweajnr barely used his strider last summer when he was ~2.5. He’s tall for his age so this year he’s on a 14″ wheel spawn where I took pedals etc off so he could stride on it. In less than 3 months he went from hesitant striding to me putting the pedals back on. So patience is the key. Last year I was that dad watching other dads having success and wondering what I was doing wrong.

A bell helped him want to use it.

Got one of these for my nephew. He is obsessed by Thunderbirds. Maybe try and find something similar for whatever your son is into.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Thunderbirds-Bicycle-Squeaky-Squeezy-Bike-Horn-Hooter-Fab-Fun-Toy-Thunderbird-4/1056354257

Good call on the bell idea. He is currently obsessed with tractors and diggers so will look for one of those.

No friends with older kids close to us sadly to do the mimic thing – I always point out kids in the park looking like they are enjoying their bikes.

He decided to take the toddlebike down a pretty steep bit of offroad the other day so he likes riding / is a bit fearless – I just can’t get him to use the new bike!

Show him this
[video]https://vimeo.com/14568625[/video]

don’t push it… mixing wth older kids on bikes going faster can motivate them to the possibilities but don’t stress he’ll get there when the time is right.

I have 3 boys and and they all now love it but they all ride very differently and were motivated differently too.

What is that decathlon bell? Need to get one for my strider bike!

Get him something with stabilisers and pedals. He’s done with baby bikes. Wants to pedal like daddy. Mine were both riding a 12″ bike without stabilisers by three.

This one really simple & the ringer is like a toggle switch with a very light but positive action.