looking for a bike

What we found worked well was to get a smaller bike but with a very long seat and to use a lightweight extension prosthosis (what some call a foot-in-foot or mosely-type device or othotic-with-extension) on the shorter leg that has a flexible ankle. A bike worked much better than a trike - as she can stand on the longer leg while adjusting the shorter+prosthosis while trikes tend to have one recline more. The smaller bikes have a smaller pedal lengths and with the longer seat she didn't have to bend her knee as much. Now she pedals away so fast I have to jog to keep up (5 years old).

We bought a sit-and-pedal trike. I can't recall the name - it was pretty cheap ($25?) and the kid sits between two large wheels almost as large as they are and moves those with their hands. It wasn't very good for outdoors so I wouldn't recommend it.

This solution has worked for me: my good leg (left) has a shorter femur and I wear an above knee prosthesis on my right side)... I always buy a bike that is just a little bit smaller and put the seat low. There is a special racing hub that any bike shop can add to a regular bike. What this hub does is attach to the back wheel. Normally to ride a bike, you have to push equally with both feet, each pedal propels the other to come back round again.... you push down with your left pedal- that action propels the right pedal up, you push down with your right pedal, that propels the left pedal up, and so forth... With this special racing hub, all I have to do is push down with my left pedal.. the hub actually continues that downward momentum of the left pedal until it comes back around and up again, just in time for me to push it back down. The right pedal can either remain unused, or I can place my prosthesis on it (with a strap) and only push down as much as I can or not at all. This is a great solution for someone who has one weak lower limb, or only one lower limb at all. It eliminates the need for special hand controls (which can actually be really cool and a great upper body workout) and eliminates the need for a special bike. The only thing that you can't do with a racing hub is break by moving the pedals backwards (like most people do). There is just too much forward momentum with the hub. The user will need a bike with hand breaks. Also, I always try to mount my bike while standing on a curb, so I'm higher than the bike. It makes it easier to swing the prosthesis over. Again, everyone just figures this stuff out- nobody taught me this stuff. You child will figure it out too.

We bought a Plasma Car, a ride on toy for our daughter when she was three. It's perfect for kids that have difficulty pedaling other ride on toys. There are no pedals and no batteries. Kids propel the car forward by swiveling the steering wheel back and forth. It drives on a smooth, flat surface. Our who is now 5 years old has bilateral PFFD and wears a prosthesis on one leg. My husband made some adjustments to a tricycle to see if she could pedal it with one foot, resting the other leg on a stationary rod. However, it has been difficult for her to do by herself at this point. She loves to play outside and we had been searching for a ride on toy she could control by herself. I saw the Plasma Car in a toy catalog. I have actualy seen them in toy stores and online at Target and other places now. She rides a scooter now too but still loves the plasma car. She can get on by herself, put her legs out straight in front and start turning the wheel to make it go zooming down the driveway and around in circles. It is great to help her zoom down the driveway like the other kids. Good luck.