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View Full Version : Scooters for the Under-4 Set?



lizzywednesday
01-25-2012, 04:13 PM
My DD has a grow-with-me trike (generously handed down from our next-door neighbors' younger son) that she loves, but she's always trying to stand up on it.

Several of the neighborhood kids have scooters and she is VERY interested in them.

She's even tried to use her walker-wagon as a scooter.

DD is currently in the neighborhood of 33" tall and both DH and I are tall, so, ideally, I'd like something that could be height-adjusted for her for a couple of years or so, assuming such a thing exists.

We have a toddler bike helmet, which I assume would also be OK for scooter use, but I'd like to get her a scooter for her "big gift" for her 2nd birthday. (I'm also open to suggestions on where to get/find other safety gear, like elbow & knee pads, which I figure she'll fight me about but tough noogies. I am the Mama and I insist on safety equipment!)

Am I insane? If you have experience with scooters, please let me know what I should be looking at/for in a scooter for a 2 year old.

boolady
01-25-2012, 05:28 PM
We have bought this as a 3 year old birthday gift twice, but our next door neighbor was riding it when he was 2 years old-- that's where we got the idea. I think the design, with two wheels in the front and one in the back, makes it much more stable than DD's first scooter, which had one in front and two in back. And the bonus is, the thing comes completely assembled.

http://www.target.com/p/Radio-Flyer-My-1st-Scooter/-/A-10556376#?lnk=sc_qi_detailbutton

katydid1971
01-25-2012, 08:22 PM
I think the best hands down are the mini kick scooters. They are more expensive but they will get played with so much more that they are worth the money. If you sign up for their emails they will send you coupons for deals on the scooter. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have a deal on the red or pink scooters in the next couple weeks for valentine's day.
http://www.kickboardusa.com/mini

elbenn
01-25-2012, 08:55 PM
I think the best hands down are the mini kick scooters. They are more expensive but they will get played with so much more that they are worth the money. If you sign up for their emails they will send you coupons for deals on the scooter. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have a deal on the red or pink scooters in the next couple weeks for valentine's day.
http://www.kickboardusa.com/mini

Yes, I agree that mini kick or maxi kick scooters are great.

acmom
01-25-2012, 09:27 PM
We have bought this as a 3 year old birthday gift twice, but our next door neighbor was riding it when he was 2 years old-- that's where we got the idea. I think the design, with two wheels in the front and one in the back, makes it much more stable than DD's first scooter, which had one in front and two in back. And the bonus is, the thing comes completely assembled.

http://www.target.com/p/Radio-Flyer-My-1st-Scooter/-/A-10556376#?lnk=sc_qi_detailbutton

:yeahthat: We have had good luck with that one too if you are looking for something inexpensive. Got it when my daughter was 2 and still using it at 3.5

Roleysmom
01-25-2012, 09:34 PM
We wondered if we were crazy for considering a scooter for DD2's second birthday in September, but we aren't sorry we did. We got the mini kick that others have linked to and she's getting the hang of it more and more.

mommytoC
01-25-2012, 11:26 PM
DD#2 got a mini kick last February, just before her second birthday...so she would leave her sister's Razor alone :). She loves it, and has absolutely no trouble keeping up with DD#1.

ETA: DD#1 had a HMD princess scooter with 1 wheel in the front/2 wheels in the back, which we found to be tippy; also, the back wheels seemed to get in her way. The 2 wheels in the front/1 wheel in the back configuration of the mini kick works much better, IME, for LOs!

mnosky1
01-26-2012, 08:43 AM
My DD3 has a mini kick and she/we really like it too. FWIW I've never seen a child use elbow or knee pads with a scooter but that's up to you of course. The mini kick is very low to the ground which is supposed to make falls less likely, you just step off a bit. I really can't imagine taking a big fall on these but then again my girls don't go flying down hills or anything, they just go on flat trails and a "fall" consists of standing off the scooter with the scooter falling over. Now my older DD who rides a bike has had spills on her bike but again I couldn't imagine knee pads on a bike either. So, I can't help you on that. There are "better" helmets, like giro and others, I can't remember names (giro is our ski helmet) but I caved and got a princess helmet at KMart to cut help DD want to wear her helmet. My older DD has a "good" helmet from a bike store and they didn't carry toddler ones so online was the best bet for good ones last I looked.

KHF
01-26-2012, 09:11 AM
DS uses DD's mini-kick scooter and loves it. I do usually have a helmet on him because he's prone to head injuries. He's been riding it since he turned 2.

roseyloxs
01-26-2012, 11:05 AM
Another vote for mini-kick. Love it. My son got a radio flyer first and it was great but he outgrew it quickly. We plan to upgrade to the maxikick soon.

Melaine
01-26-2012, 11:16 AM
I really regret not getting the mini-kicks. My kids still love them when we try them at the toy store.

lizzywednesday
01-26-2012, 11:19 AM
Thanks everybody for your input & advice!

I was looking at the Radio Flyer one, which would be convenient as it's got a "find in store" button on the purchase page (why pay shipping AND sales tax, right?) but it's nice to know there are other options.

We just got a real bike store nearby, too, so if DD's helmet doesn't fit anymore once the weather warms up, I'll head there for one. (Overall, I'm not impressed with the absolutely miniscule selection at Target and would have gone to a bike shop for her helmet to begin with, but I wanted the doggone thing ASAP, so, Target it was!)

Kindra178
01-26-2012, 12:22 PM
I think the best hands down are the mini kick scooters. They are more expensive but they will get played with so much more that they are worth the money. If you sign up for their emails they will send you coupons for deals on the scooter. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have a deal on the red or pink scooters in the next couple weeks for valentine's day.
http://www.kickboardusa.com/mini

These are the best.

Roleysmom
01-26-2012, 08:22 PM
DD#2 got a mini kick last February, just before her second birthday...so she would leave her sister's Razor alone :).

That made me laugh because we had to do the exact opposite in our house. Nine-year-old DD1 wouldn't leave her little sister's mini kick alone so we had to get her a Razor for Chanukah, LOL!

mimosa
01-26-2012, 10:37 PM
We have a Mini Kick for DS2 last summer and he loves it. It is really smooth and the leaning steering is great. It's so smooth that sometimes we'll go for a "walk" where he stands on the scooter and holds with one hand while holding my hand with his other, and I can easily keep him going along beside me.

DS1 loved it too, and kept "borrowing" it, although it was a bit small. So he got a Kick Flex for Christmas. ;)

lizzywednesday
02-10-2012, 09:35 AM
Have any of you had any issues with ordering from the KickboardUSA website?

On my personal laptop, I get a "security certificate expired" warning and it won't let me browse much less order from the company directly, and with free shipping and a discount code, it's the better deal than Amazon but my laptop's firewall wigs out.

Should I contact the company?

hillview
02-10-2012, 09:53 AM
I think the best hands down are the mini kick scooters. They are more expensive but they will get played with so much more that they are worth the money. If you sign up for their emails they will send you coupons for deals on the scooter. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have a deal on the red or pink scooters in the next couple weeks for valentine's day.
http://www.kickboardusa.com/mini

I got DS2 a regular size one since he is so tall just with the handle bars. They are great

katydid1971
02-10-2012, 12:14 PM
Have any of you had any issues with ordering from the KickboardUSA website?

On my personal laptop, I get a "security certificate expired" warning and it won't let me browse much less order from the company directly, and with free shipping and a discount code, it's the better deal than Amazon but my laptop's firewall wigs out.

Should I contact the company?
Yes, give them a call, they have very good CS.
(888) 236-5657