I'm worried. My kids (3.5 years old - 2 boys + 1 girl) have had those smaller (Fold Up) Radio Flyer tricycles since they were two (the package says it fits kids 1.5-3 years old.) They have never been interested in pedaling...only pushing with their feet. Now that the weather is a bit warmer they want to be outside and I desperately want to teach them how to entertain themselves with the tricycles. I have noticed that the boys are too big to ride the tricycles I already have so I bought two of the "Fisher Price Grow with Me" plastic bikes today. STILL...they are interested, but not willing to put forth the effort to push the pedals beyond a couple of pushes. They are very frustrated and so am I. I'm worried that they will never learn and that perhaps I have failed them in some area to prepare them for riding a bike (motor skills etc.) Otherwise they are active and have had every opportunity to climb, run and jump. Any ideas or anyone going through anything similar?

Thanks!

you may want to consider some of those balance bikes for them then. no pedals and at least they'll learn how to balance for when they're ready for a regular bike.

my kids got their 2-wheel bikes with training wheels when they were 3.5yo. they were done with trikes.

if your kids are interested, but just frustrated, are the plastic bikes maybe harder to pedal than a regular Huffy or something would be? just a thought. there is quite a difference among all the bikes out there.

Mary

born 12/12/04 33w2d

Have they seen other children/people riding bikes/pedaling? Are these your first kids? I don't think it's all that uncommon for kids who don't have older siblings to imitate.

This was a big motivator for my kids- watching other kids pedaling around, cyclists go by, even watching on stationary exercise bike.

When you see other kids riding a bike pedaling (even on TV), point it out, have the kids watch and then see if they can show you how it works on their bikes.


Good luck

Tiffany
BBG @ 31.4 weeks
on 11/27/06
3.11
3.6
2.14



baby girl born on 7/24/08

HI,

My girls are almost 3 and only one likes to pedal their tricycle. The other 2 understand but they really have no interest. They still like to use their feet.

Karen
mom to ggg trips born 4/5/07

Our girls turned 5 in January and JUST started getting the pedaling thing down. We skipped tricycles (I sold them at the last garage sale because they were hardly used) and went right to the small bikes.

I was worried, too, and went so far as to get the FP bicycle that plugs into the TV, thinking they might get the hang of it. Nope! They pedaled backwards! LOL

I'm not sure that's helpful, but you're not the only one who thought they'd failed some parenting milestone

Loren
GGG Jan.2005 @ 28wks

Sweetened Taters - http://sweetenedtaters.blogspot.com

Mine got 2 wheelers with training wheels for x-mas. By Feb, one of them could pedal, the next month another one mastered it and the 3rd one just started to. I think tricycles or big wheels are harder.

Crazy mom to:
DS 10
DS 7
& BBB 5!
9/29/06 born @ 32w2d