Bike/ride on ideas

[osospecial]

I am trying to find something to suit dd who is 4.5 but is tall so more like the size of 6yr old. She loves bikes, scooters but can't use any of them as she hasn't mastered pedalling or steering yet and likes scooters but just tries to sit on it. She had a balance bike last year which she has just started to get the hang of it and her balance is improved so much but she's a bit too big for it now so I need something else. The only bike with pedals that she has is her trike which she has also outgrown. I want her to learn to pedal but don't want to buy something else that goes to waste unused like the trike & scooter she has outgrown. I want something she will be able to use and have fun on during the summer, any ideas? I was wondering if a go-cart type thing would be better than a regular bike with stabilisers, if they are easier to learn to pedal on?

Thanks polter I will have a look and see if I can see any of those scooters second hand, does it have pedals? Did it take your DS long to learn to use it?

*go cart I mean not scooter sorry!

Can you take the pedals off a normal bike thereby creating a balance bike??
Have you thought about getting a parent handle which you can then attach to a bigger bike? You can use it to push them along but can't steer with it as such.

www.cycling.org.uk/wfa/intro

Wheels for all offer a chance to try out different adapted bikes plus cycle training for children with disabilities. There might be a centre near you?

DD has a tomcat trike, they are brilliant and she loves it.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will google them all now, wheels for all looks good to try some different options before buying anything

My dd who is nearly 8 has a big balance bike: www.glidebikes.co/ In principle I prefer the idea of just taking the pedals off a normal bike but dd found that too heavy and awkward and kept falling over sideways and getting hurt by the bike falling on her. This balance bike is beautifully light - a big bonus for me too as I end up carrying it around a good deal! - and has a low riding position. I think it's a reasonable price and very sturdy, and it looks cool. All her friends want a go on it. Oh, and it has solid tyres so no hassle fixing flats!!

Only con is that the brakes are crap. They are far too stiff for dd to use and the brake handle feels flimsy so if she were strong enough to use it, it feels like the handle would break. So she uses the time-honoured method of putting her feet down to stop.

They do one for over-10s also, but that one converts into a "proper" bike and therefore costs a mint.

Those balance bikes look good, the one dd has at the moment is wooden and has gone too small really but the ones for older children on that website look good thanks

Do you have a bike and would you be able to take her out with you? Something like a trail gator might help as you can fix her regular bike to the rear of yours. It holds the handlebars rigid but your dd can choose to pedal along or not. Kind of gives the riding experience without worrying about steering. Obviously this doesn't work if you want dd to be able to scoot around on a bike with her friends.