2yo scared of bike seat

[k2togm1]

How do I re-introduce the bike seat after the winter break? Ds hasn't been
cycling with me since last autumn and today we were going to a party but didn't make it out of the house because he plain refused to get on it. It's a copilot Taxy.
How do I gently persuade him back on it? We don't have a car so cycling is my means of transport.

Did something happen in the autumn that scared him? It might help to ask him why he is afraid, and maybe to watch videos of children hapilly riding with their parents?

When I first got a bike seat for dd1 she took one look and shrieked. The chap in the shop (I had no other way of getting home) let her play with his very expensive phone which distracted her enough to get her in. Then the shop staff all came out and waved her off with great cheers, and by the time we were half way down the road and the excitement of that had gone, she was enjoying being in the seat.

If you can disctract him enough to get him in, he may then realise that it's actually quite fun.

Dd2 used to have her job in the bike seat (she hated being strapped in for anything)-she had to push me up the hills. I'd tell her I needed her in the seat or I'd never get up the hills.

Maybe start by putting teddy strapped into the seat, take for a stroll around the garden to show that teddy is safe & won't fall out. Talk up how much fun teddy is having in there.

Really good ideas, thanks. I don't know what happened, we got him a balance bike recently and he fell off it, was put off it for a few days but is now enjoying it and takes teddy on it, hopefully he is making friends with bikes again...