It’s funny how trends come and go. When I was young, we all went about on bikes, with at least half a dozen marbles rattling around in our pockets. There was a brief period when the pogo ball was the only way to travel. Remember those? That nifty toy made up of a ball with a disc round the centre to stand on – once in position, you could bounce about all over the place, round the playground, all the way home and, if you were really skilled, up a flight of stairs.
Today, it’s the scooter. I should imagine, if you happened to be eight years old and without ownership of a scooter, your popularity would take a serious hit.
Having just turned two, I thought my son might be a little young for this craze, then I spotted the Mini® Micro 3in1 Scooter. This clever little invention is aimed at one to five year olds and combines three toys – the traditional ride-on, the tiny first scooter and the classic Mini® Micro. It’s sheer genius.
While it still has the bottom platform, the 3in1 comes with an add-on seat that can be height adjusted and clips securely onto the scooter handle. There is an O-bar handle ideal for little hands to cling onto which can be replaced with the T-bar for when they are taller and more confident. To increase stability and control, they have used a tilt-to-steer technology to make steering easier. Basically, if you lean towards the left, then it starts to magically float that way, far easier compared with the more traditional turn-to-steer of standard ride-ons or scooters.
While the little man was not so sure of the seat (he avoids the trikes at playgroup), he loves pushing the scooter around and because it easily clicks on and off, I can take the seat away temporarily and put it back on after a few days for him to try again. The O-bar is the perfect height for him and he finds it easy to hold.
My friend was extremely envious when she saw it. She had bought a scooter for her daughter’s second birthday and it had proved far too big for her to use. As soon as she saw the 3in1, she immediately sat herself down on the seat and had great fun pushing herself around.
The 3in1 comes in at £74.95 which I think is good value considering it converts to a bigger scooter and will last for several years, and this brand is known for its durability and high quality. Better still, if the parts wear out, replacements can be ordered online with supporting YouTube repair videos to help with fitting.
Go to http://www.micro-scooters.co.uk to find out more.
