Nearly 4yo can't do pedals yet?

[Ollypop98]

Is this normal? Ds is 4 mid Dec. There has been certain times of raised concern about gross motor. He has overcome these but what weve noticed is a bit later than what majority would hit the milestone

And even at 18months us and nursery noticed top half balance was off he was very weak top half and he fell over loads we even went to physio for an assessment had his hips xrayed etc. All clear just was gross motor stuff

He cant really do his balance bike. He can scoot but is slow and cautious. Hes also like cant do it Ill stop

Luckily he is an incredible walker. Been out of his pram since 18 months and walks for miles. One day we had a trip and had done 20,000 steps on our watches and hed been with us all day so he must've. And never asked for a pickup or anything! So he is great at walking

But on DHs side his sibling has a boy 3 months younger than him and hes doing a pedal bike and DHs dad does my nut in. Amongst all the grandkids he always compares and asks. I get its from a nice place but respectfully stop fucking asking them. Like in a sense of "oh can you do this yet"

But I thought its normal to not be doing it now as long as we keep trying to practice? I am doing pedals practice where I have the bike still so he can practice the pedals without going anywhere he does just keep going backwards so any tips to help please let me know
And ive told his key worker who said she'll now in the garden make a conscious effort when hes on a bike to encourage him to pedal not just pull it along

But it is normal. That right now he cant isnt it

Can he do pedals on a trike or tractor? If not I'd be concerned. If he can then it's just transitioning that skill and he needs more practice.

Not got one of those but he can like move his feet but the pedals go backwards?

He can't pedal forward basically! Probably should've made that the title

He can push them down but backwards hes went forward the odd time but only briefly not consistently

My daughter couldn’t do pedals and then I realised we had never had a trike or anything for her to learn on. Got her stabilisers for her bike and she eventually nailed the pedals. After that we actually took the stabilisers AND the pedals off so she could learn to balance and then after a couple of months we put the pedals back on and she immediately rode her bike without any help. I couldn’t believe it

Ah really

DS got a bike with pedals and stabilisers for his 3rd birthday but never thought of taking them off and having him use it as a balance first ? X

I’m 36 and struggle with pedals- I can do them but if I think about it too much I get confused and tangled (I can’t ride a bike, can’t balance in it) - I’m dyspraxic. Hasn’t held me back much except for in sports and I darent try skiing where both legs could go in a different direction!
not saying it is that but possibly something to consider.

My eldest was very, very similar. He has dyspraxia along with ASD. Can hike for miles but never mastered cycling. Took ages with learning to use scooter. Very weak core and definitely top half is weak compared to bottom half.

My other two could pedal their trikes by 2.5. Day one on scooter was slow and then turned into speed demons. My recently turned 4 year old got a bike 6 months ago and could pedal it day one. My. Younger two love being outside so maybe that helps.

Both of mine would try to do it backwards first, but in one session got the hang of going forward. But we did a lot of pedal tractors. As the balance bike itself is also an issue I'd be thinking that there might be more going on and it's worth trying to get some extra support given his medical history.

I think it sounds like there's definitely something going on if you say he's always been slightly behind on gross motor. And sympathies with the comments, my DS is 3.2 and still non verbal and every single time we see family, first thing asked " can he talk yet?" It's annoying and heartbreaking all in one. I'm sure your little one will get there eventually and if not, then so what, It doesn't make him less in any way 😊

Thanks all. Didn't think about dyspraxia but it js quite fitting as he is also speech delayed struggles following instructions directions etc (just some stuff I seen when j looked it up) so could be a part?

Will keep doing pedals practice and hope for him

We have spoke to the HV again i feel like get fobbed off sometimes:( I was so worried as he couldn't jump until he was 3.5 and his sister is nearly 2 and jumped before 18 months. So I can see a difference. But as his xray etc come back clear they just encourage tasks for gross motornwhich we do and there's been some improvements. He can do. Climbing stuff at Parks etc now :)

I’ve got a nearly four year old who can’t pedal, as far as I know. Nursery think he can but aren’t 100%! He’s brilliant on his balance bike but just can’t seem to grasp forward momentum with pedals.

We have no other concerns - he’s very sporty and athletic, loves to walk, jumps fine, loves to climb, does gymnastics and football etc… and we’ve been told it’s normal to not be able to pedal yet, but I’m not totally sure, he’s my first!

He does seem sporty as i say a fantastic walker. Swimming is the only current extracurricular he has outside 3 days nursery as with clubs its more his attention span and listening thats the issue

Looking at football or martial arts to enrol as a 2nd

Gently @Ollypop98 he might be dyspraxic, he might be poorly co-ordinated. I am dyspraxic - crap at sport but ok at fine motor - I never learnt to ride a bike. DD is 27 and very dyspraxic, diagnosed. It didn't stop her taking a first from Cambridge, singing in front of 100s of people and doing very well professionally.

Perhaps focus on the lad's strengrhs rather than his weaknesses, it will do wonders for his self esteem.

So your child is still 3? Lots of kids can't pedal at that age, I wouldn't worry. My friend's 5 year old still can't pedal and she's otherwise very coordinated (excellent at gymnastics/dancing). My son couldn't pedal properly until he was about 4.5 years. He was cycling for a few miles at a time before he was 5, so it was a rapid improvement once he got the hang of it.

Only 3? That’s young. Learning to ride a bike is more a 5 year old skill. Balance bikes help with balance but not pedalling

Mine is 4.5 (in reception) and she still can't pedal! When we walk to school her little pals whizz past us on their bikes but she just isn't interested in learning/practicing.

I'm not worried though- all kids are different and focus their energies on different things.

Keep practising with the balance bike. Stabilisers don't help. Once he's confident with that then he will conquer the pedals.Meantime tell FIL to STFU!

3 and can't peddle, no worries. 5 and can't peddle, dyspraxia.

I’d say there are more stable things to learn to pedal on. A wide trike, a go cart, a tractor. Have you tried lying with legs in the air cycling them around? DS didn’t learn to ride a bike until he was 7 but I knew he could pedal as I’d seen him using those other things. Also, perhaps a daft question, but is it just the one bike he’s been trying and, if so, is it set up correctly? Is there any resistance if he tries to pedal forward but none if he tries to pedal backwards? Is it just easier to pedal forwards.

My daughter is 4 in December. While she can ride her pedal bike, a few weeks ago we went to a farm with those tractors with pedals. Whilst she could use the pedals her 2 friends, one born near Christmas and the other born in February could not use the pedals.

So basically 2 out of 3 could not.

My friend's son who is 4.5 also can't use pedals.

My daughter couldn’t jump until around 3.5 and also couldn’t pedal her bike for a long time - probably until she was 4. She is 6 now and is fine. Hope all is well with your son.

My 5 year old and 9 year olds can’t peddle. 12 year old didn’t learn til about 8/9. We’re not a bikey family so it’s taken a bit longer. Who cares?!

He's very young yet - even if it is a sign of dyspraxia, not grasping pedals and pedalling is completely normal at not yet 4.

If you need him to go places, have you tried the ubiquitous mini micro scooter? The branded one, not a knock-off. I think they're very good at helping the understanding of balance. You might find the same thing though, that he's wary of it going too fast. But worth a try. I've seen secondhand ones for about £15. Maybe as a Christmas present? It'd be funny all wrapped up.

For my kids, I used to have two bikes on the go at about this age - variously pedal bike, pedal bike with stabilisers, balance bike. Only one was a decent one at any one time eg one of the kids had a homemade balance bike which was a little bike out of a skip with the pedals etc removed. I found it improved their confidence enormously, if they were able to choose which bike they were using. Sounds like your little chap is not at all sure about the whole thing, so that might be a trick which helps him. But he is only young, there's plenty of time yet. He'll get there when he's ready!