Smart Trike 3 in 1
The Smart Trike 3 in 1 Deluxe Tricycle
You are probably wondering how such a young baby can use a tricycle but that is the beauty of this product. It grows with your child and the younger he or she is when you buy the more use you will get out of it. It will be suitable until they reach three years of age. It is no wonder Smart Trike made the 2010 holiday hot list for toys 2010 although the specific one mentioned is the Lady Bug as it is cute.
I should start by saying I was sent one of these to review by the company. The twins and I loved it so much after using it a couple times that I immediately ordered a second Smart Trike Deluxe from Amazon.com. Putting the bikes together was simple and painless. The directions are well done and easy to follow.
The smart trike deluxe can be configured in 3 different configurations which correspond to 3 different approximate development phases of your child.
The first configuration is for the 10+ month child. In this set-up it has a wrap around seat, complete with back support, keeping baby in place. It also includes safety straps, a telescopic, parent push handle, and a sun hood to limit exposure. In other words, it’s a bit like riding in a bike themed stroller for your little one. Pushing them with the parent handle is a breeze, it controls the actual steering of the bike as opposed to just pushing and muscling the thing along like most bikes.
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So how does it work? Initially it is almost like a stroller but don’t tell your baby that. Parents push the tricycle along with the fully adjustable handle and baby is tied in securely with a safety harness. There is a full back support so you don’t have any worries on that score. When baby is over 15 months old, you can remove the back support and harness switching to a simple seat belt instead.
Is there any downside to the Ladybug Smart Trike? Well personally I don’t think the Ladybug design at $129.99 is worth it as you can buy the Smart Trike 3 in 1 Deluxe Tricycle at Amazon cheaper and it comes with free shipping. It is the same tricycle system, also available in red. Why not read the glowing reviews from other parents Here
There is an overhead canopy to protect your child from the sun but some people removed it as they didn’t like the fact they couldn’t see the baby. That’s the great thing about this tricycle. You can remove the parts you don’t personally like and it still looks great. Parents will benefit from the in-built storage to hold bottles and diapers while the kids will love the accessories. The little phone on the front helps to keep them amused on the trip. Some parents did feel that the handle bars were overloaded and removed some of the plastic items.
The Ladybug Smart Trike has to be assembled but most parents found the picture only instructions easy to understand and had few problems putting the tricycle together. As your child gets older you can easily allow them to steer and work the bike themselves but when they tire out you simply take over once more. When they get a little older and have had enough of Mom pushing their tricycle the Smart Trike Deluxe tricycle changes again to accommodate their development. You can remove the parental push and steer handle leaving the child with a proper tricycle to enjoy until they are aged around three.
If you are going to buy any type of tricycle for your child make sure they wear protective gear when using it. As a minimum they need a helmet but it is a good idea to also use knee and elbow pads particularly when they just start to ride the bike.