Choosing the best scooter for kids

As I watched my six-year-old scoot along, hunched over her beloved mini micro scooter, I knew the time had finally come… to get a bigger one. But the biggest question was, should we get a two-wheel scooter or a three wheel scooter? Which is the best scooter for kids at primary school?

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There’s certainly plenty of choice now she’s six (albeit a petite six), far more so than when we were choosing her first scooter as a toddler. But my cautious girl isn’t too keen on change. Eventually persuading her that she was simply too big for her existing one, she was insistent that she just needed a bigger three wheel scooter while I was looking with an eye to the future and wondering would a two-wheel scooter last longer?

Happily I had some help making the decision: Microscooters offered me a Maxi Micro, their three-wheel scooter, and a Micro Sprite, their two-wheel scooter to test out and work out which really is the best scooter for kids moving on from a todder scooter.

And as well as our regular scoot to and from school through the park, we packed both for our Easter holiday along the Great West Way and to the Forest of Dean.

Choosing the best scooter for kids

First up, we had to pick from the various children’s models on the Microscooters site – it’s helpfully broken down by age, plus you can customise your own.

Then, as well as whether to choose a two-wheel or a three-wheel scooter, there are other options including everything from LED wheels to whether it folds up, plus deluxe models if you’re looking for them to last until kids are older.

And then there’s an array of colours to choose from as well. Not the most essential bit, but definitely the most fun. It goes without saying that there are other makes apart from Microscooters, but as well as its string of awards, we’ve been impressed by the quality – both with her first scooter, and having seen friends’ kids using the same brand.

The fact that her original scooter had taken years of small child battering and was still in great shape, as well as certainly still working fine (as far as I know, is continuing to do so having been passed on to someone else) is testament to just how well designed and sturdy they are.

While I was tempted by the LED option for its sparkly wheel lights (especially for winter days), I decided that a folding scooter would be best for us – not only did it pack down perfectly into the overcrammed boot of our car, it’s also easy to tuck away in a corner of our flat.

A folding three-wheel model means going for the Maxi Micro Scooter deluxe. Designed for ages five to 12 and a weight of up to 70kg or 11st 1lbs, that’s strong enough to support me (not that I’m planning to borrow it).

The classic model is suitable for the same age range but for up to 50kg or 7 stone 12, which would have been fine for Minnie if the folding option hadn’t been important for us.

Plus you get a rather gorgeous matching anodised stem – berry for my daughter – which adjusts up to 91cm, along with extra grip on the fibreglass footplate.

The two-wheeled Micro Sprite scooter also folds up, and is aimed at the same age range but for weights of up to 100kg and 15st 7lb – so we’re talking seriously sturdy, and adjustable handlebars to 93cm. Ours? Aqua with petrol stripes. (Can you tell I’m slightly envious?)

So how did they perform?

The Maxi Micro Scooter deluxe – testing a 3-wheel scooter for kids

With years of practice on her three-wheel scooter, my daughter took to this like a duck to water – with the adjustable T-bar, she no longer had to crouch, the steering mechanism is the same (pushing down to turn, rather than twisting) and three wheels means there’s no difficulty in balancing.

In fact, she was so keen to prove how easy it was, she decided to show off a variety of tricks balancing on one leg as she sped around. The transition could not have been easier, even getting used to a slightly firmer brake on the back.

From my point of view, it was just as easy to fold up – popping one button, adjusting the height and ta-dah, it folds in on itself. Even I can’t mess that up.

Apparently you can even do it one-handed, if you like a challenge…

In the name of research, I decided to push the limits and we took it to Avebury with us, where it sailed up the slightly bumpy path to the standing stones so fast that Minnie started to become a small dot on the horizon.

It even managed impressively well on the grass, scooting over to the stones themselves. Harder work than a path, obviously, but if you’ve got uneven or bumpy ground on your regular scooter route, the chunkier rubber wheels helped cushion any bumps.

And the berry colour is fab… The only thing to bear in mind is that this comes in with a higher price tag than the two-wheeled scooter.

The Micro Sprite Scooter – testing a 2-wheel scooter for kids

I knew that my daughter would be nervous about switching from a three-wheeled scooter to a two-wheeled scooter so decided we’d test this out along the Family Discovery trail in the Bath Skyline walk – firstly because it’s a reasonable length walk, and I knew that she’d also want to scoot at least part of it.

And also because there are fairy doors to find. Who wants to waste time worrying about their balance when you could be hunting for fairies, right?

My cunning plan worked – combined with some helpful tips from school about how to squash the ‘I can’t’ monster. Plus that aqua and petrol combination is really cool (you can choose from several pattern combinations as well).

For more confident/daring five and six-year-olds, you’ll probably get going even faster, but once we’d allowed for a bit of time to start getting the hang of it, it didn’t take anywhere near as long for my daughter to find her balance than I’d thought.

In fact, once she’d been sufficiently distracted by fairies, she briefly forgot to remember she couldn’t use a two-wheel scooter and sailed on ahead. By the end of the two mile circuit, she might not have been ready for tricks but she was scooting with more confidence.

On a nice smooth pavement or park path at home, I suspect she’d have picked it up even faster.

The steering mechanism for this is like a bike so for kids who can ride, or who have previously used a smaller scooter which steers like a bike, it means you don’t have to unlearn how to use it.

If your child is switching from a three-wheel mini microscooter, it’s still pretty intuitive to turn the way you want the wheel to go, so it wasn’t a tricky switch for Minnie.

The one drawback we did find – apart from both of us forgetting to flick out the kickstand the first time and dropping the scooter – was that the thinner wheels meant she felt the bumps more.

The wheels are very hard-wearing though, and the fact that she was trundling fairly slowly at this point didn’t help, admittedly, as she’d have sped over more than a few otherwise. So while it takes a little getting used to, it wouldn’t put me off buying one.

This one also folds down very easily, with the handlebars popping out of the T-bar, and although it’s all metal, it’s a lightweight aluminium frame and only slightly heavier than the Maxi Micro Deluxe.

Both are very sturdy but the Micro Sprite has the edge with the metal footplate and as it’s a more grown-up design, I suspect she’ll grow out of that less quickly. The three-wheel Maxi Micro Deluxe is definitely far too stylish to be babyish, but I’ve no doubt as she gets older that two wheels will seem better than three.

Scooter accessories for kids

And once you’ve chosen the best scooter for kids? Well, then you need your accessories of course. In particular, a helmet. I love the bright patterns and designs – and more importantly, so does Minnie, so it’s not a battle to get her to wear it.

Although most seem to be a fairly standard design, this Doodle Dot medium helmet seemed a really good shape – they’re all adjustable but somehow this seemed to fit nicely without swamping her or being uncomfortable.

We also got sent a scooter basket – much deliberation from Minnie whether to go for purple or pink with a flower.

Unfortunately this hasn’t been quite as successful on the scooter, as the straps seem to get in the way of holding on to the handlebars, and as there’s not room for a huge amount in (think one summer hat, a water bottle or a small furry animal), it’s not the most essential thing from a practical point of view.

What we do love, and have bought ourselves, are these LED wheel whizzers which light up with movement, and are helpful on darker mornings and evenings, as well as the little scooter light from the range, which makes her more visible as she scoots too (and adds enough illumination at dusk, if not full dark).

Which is the best scooter for kids?

So which is the best scooter for kids? After our tests… I’m going to cop out slightly. Because both work really well.

In the end, I think it comes down partly to practicality – where will you be scooting, do you want it to fold – and to your child’s personality, whether they’ll prefer the sleeker, more adult two-wheel scooter sooner or later.

For now, Minnie is still enjoying the stability of the three-wheel scooter to try a variety of mini tricks on the way home. But I know it won’t be long before her sidelong glances at her friends’ two-wheel scooters mean hers is back to being our everyday model.

Both well designed, sturdy, stylish and practical – even when you need to squeeze them into a jam-packed boot for a road trip – and you really can’t go wrong.

PIN FOR LATER: CHOOSING THE BEST SCOOTER FOR KIDS

Disclosure: I was sent both scooters for the purposes of review. All opinions are our own, including the advisability of scooting on grass and why aqua and petrol is so cool.

Images copyright MummyTravels

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