Toddler and Baby Scooter Guide

Buying your toddlers scooter

Our preschooler scooter guide takes you through what you need to know when looking for your baby or toddlers first scooter. Breaking it down into 3 easy categories - safety, development & comfort, ending with longevity.

If your preschooler is growing up faster than you expected, they may be ready for a step up. Check out our guide if you’re struggling to decide between a two-wheeler or three-wheeler for your not-so little one.

Getting your toddler on a scooter at a young age is a great way of developing balance and coordination skills, while giving them a fun activity and for you, an easy way of getting the kids around.

Scooter Safety

You should first make sure that your toddlers scooter has a front wheel of at least 120mm in diameter. This will avoid accidents when riding into small curb crossings, bumps or hitting small stones. 120mm is also the minimum required to pass a European safety standard for children's scooters. For preschoolers aged 1 to 4 years old, it is important to have two front wheels as this creates stability, and allows the child to build confidence.

A foot break on the rear wheel of the scooter is an absolute necessity! It is one of the most effective ways of slowing the scooter - when pressed, the brake will stop the wheel completely. We all know that toddlers can be hard to keep up with, so this is definitely an important safety feature to look for in your child's first scooter to ensure they can stop when necessary. A great way to keep up with your toddler is to join in the fun with an adult scooter!

It is also important that the handlebar height isn't too low for your preschooler, if they are too low the chance of accidents is higher. We recommend making sure that your handlebar is at a suitable height so that your child's elbows are at a 45 degree angle when holding the handlebars. 

Another important safety feature to look out for when purchasing your child's first scooter is that there are no sharp edge, or potential for sharp edges to form. An easy way to look out for this, is to check whether there are any square ends that could develop sharp points from grinding against the pavement.

Development and Comfort

The best mechanism for your toddlers first scooter is a lean-to-steer system. This mechanism is proven to develop children's balance and coordination in their formative years. The lean-to-steer system should not have a locking mechanism built in, because if this locks in unexpectedly, it can cause accidents.

The toddler scooter wheels need to have a minimum of abec 5 bearings to ensure the rider is able to gather enough speed to use the lean-to-steer mechanism. If you think about trying to balance on a bike when its moving slowly, going too slow on a scooter can also have the same effect. 

It's better for the scooter wheels to be made from a soft polyurethane rubber, rather than a harder metal core or plastic wheel. This softer material is highly durable, and also helps to absorb lumps and bumps in the pavement, making your child's ride smooth.

It is best to look for a scooter deck that is made from a strong, lightweight plastic as opposed to aluminum or steel. This creates a much lighter scooter which will be a lot easier for your toddler to maneuver, and not to mention it will less likely cause injury's if the scooter bangs into anyone. The plastic deck should also be cured so that it does not crack and therefore create sharp edges.

Both foam and rubber grips are a great option when considering longevity and circulation for your toddlers first scooter.

These grips help to absorb some of the shock that can feed into the riders wrist, especially on uneven surfaces. The grips should always have rubber caps so that if the scooter falls on the side, it won't create any sharp edges at the end of the handle bars. 

Getting used to riding a scooter can take some time, but learning with a ride-on can be a good way to start. Check out our guide for everything you need to know about ride-ons for your little one.

Longevity

Some brands will carry spare parts for their scooters, so research to make sure there are parts readily available. At Micro Scooters we have a full range of replacement parts for all of our scooters, which provides longevity in our products as you will only have to replace the specific part rather than the entire scooter.

Like a bicycle, scooters require maintenance and care, so ensure that the scooter you buy has quality parts and is supported by a suitable warranty period. Feel free to check out our 'How To' guides for any support on Micro scooter repairs or maintenance.

Micro products are built to last. Made from high quality parts, and tested for durability. We stock all the parts you need to keep your scooter moving for years and years to come.