Shopping for a toddler this Christmas? Check out these tips to give them gifts that grow as fast as they do! Plus learn about how the SmarTrike Touch Steering Spirit, which I received for review, is a great toddler “gift that grows.”
Something that I have learned about toddlers is that they grow so fast! Everyday it seems like my active toddler is learning, exploring, doing and achieving something new. It is exciting to see how everyday her interests, ideas and curiosities expand just a little bit, helping her to become the amazing girl that I know she will become!
However this can sometimes make toddler gift-giving a little challenging. I like to get a lot of “bang for my buck” when it comes to buying gifts for my kids. I try to give them gifts that will continue to be fun for them all year long, rather then something that they will play with for 5 minutes and loose interest in. So when it comes to buying gifts for my toddler I look for a few key indicators that it will grow with her.
I recently received the SmarTrike Touch Steering Spirit for review and decided to put it through my “gifts that grow” test. The SmarTrike Touch Steering Spirit is a toddler’s first tricycle. It is a fully working trike, that can pedal and ride like any other. However it has 4 different modes that allow toddlers to use it at different developmental stages. It also
has an easy to push steering bar at the back so that parents can easily take it out for walks or trips to the park.
See how the smartTrike fared as a “gift that grows” and how you can use these indicators to help you find a gift that will grow as fast as your little one does!
1. Will the toy last?
The first thing I look for when shopping for my toddler is durability. Toddlers can be rough on toys, especially their favorites which get a lot of play time. To make sure that the toys lasts, look for items made of thicker plastic that doesn’t bend easily. Also look for warranty information, as an indicator as to if it is built to last.
The smarTrike is mostly made of thick plastic and metal pieces. The main body of the bike (the actual tricycle) is made of very good quality pieces. However, some of the accessories used to make the bike safe for younger toddlers, are made of a thinner plastic, which is not quite as durable as the main frame. In my opinion this is, ok though as those pieces will be taken off after the child graduates to the next stage, so they will not get as much use as the stronger main frame. The smarTrike also comes with a 3 year limited warranty which give some assurance that it will hold up!
2. Are there different modes/ age levels to the toy?
When looking for a toddler toy I like to see what the recommended age level is, as an indicator of how
long my child will enjoy it. I also like to take a look at what different levels/ modes the toy offers to help it grow with my child.
The smarTrike is an excellent example of what to look for here! It starts with a high backed seat, car-seat like safety straps, side bars, and a tire-covering to allow toddlers as young as 10 months to ride on it. The high back, car seat straps and tire cover can be removed for a child around the 18 month stage, with the side bar still attached to hold the child in, making it a more comfortable fit for an older toddler.
Around 24 months, a parent can remove the side bars, yet keep the parent steering bar at the back giving your toddler a little more freedom, while still being able to steer her in the right direction. The final stage is ideal for 3-3.5 year olds. At this point you can remove the parent steering bar, so that your now “not-so-little” one can go solo on a fully functioning tricycle. These different modes of functioning really make the smarTrike a useful gift through all of the stages of toddler-hood.
3. Does the toy help to challenge my toddler/ help her to learn a new skill at each level?
Something that I have observed as a preschool teacher and as a mom, is that toddlers love to learn! It is so amazing to me to see how they soak up new ideas so easily, and love finding a new skill to accomplish! For this reason, I love to find toys that foster their natural love of learning by looking to see if the toy offers various stages of challenges. I have found that as soon as my toddler has overcome the “challenge” aspect of a toy it starts to loose its appeal.
The smarTrike offers several different challenges that lead up to the final accomplishment of learning how to ride a trike! Early toddlers learn how to sit on a bike seat (which is a little different then a car seat or stroller). As they grow, they learn to put their feet on the pedals and maneuver the handle bars.
A feature unique to the smarTrike Touch Steering Spirit is that there is a button that you can press so that toddlers can move the handle bars without the front wheel moving, so that they can learn to use the handle bars (and you aren’t being steered all over the place while pushing)! Once they are older they can experience the fun and challenge of learning to ride a tricycle on their own.
4. Will the toy capture my child’s unique interests?
Don’t forget that every toddler is a wonderfully, amazingly, unique person! So to get hours of enjoyment from a toy, it will have to capture their wonderfully, amazingly unique interests! Think about the type of toys she always enjoys at play dates with friends, or what type of activities keep her attention the longest.
To gauge my toddler’s interest in different toys, we recently went on a re-con mission to a store’s toy department! I pushed her down the aisles and pulled down different toys one at a time to see which she most enjoyed. As most toys let you play in demo mode, she was in heaven! It was a fun morning for her and a clever spy mission for me!
If after thinking about your toddler’s interests you find that she likes to be challenged, enjoys playing and being outdoors, likes ride-on toys or loves things that make her feel like a “big kid”, the smarTrike Touch Steering Spirit would be a fantastic gift idea. My little girl loves to be outside and is always wanting to do everything her older brother does. She always gets jealous when he rides his bike, and tries to climb on like he does.
This morning while I had the smarTrike out, while reviewing it, my little girl wandered from her bed into the living room where I was working. As soon as she saw the smarTrike she ran to it yelling “Bike! Bike! Bike” and climbed right in!! She just sat in it all morning, watching a show and clinging to the handle bars! If that’s not a perfect “Christmas Morning” response, I don’t know what is!
(Please excuse the bed-hair)!
If you think that the smarTrike Touch Steering Spirit may fit the bill for your toddler this year, be sure to check out the smarTrike website to view different color and accessory options, view an informative video and find out the nearest location where you will find it on sale.
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