SpongeBob Squarepants 3 Wheel Scooter – Let’s my daughter scoot around the neighborhood easily!
Written: Jun 01 '08 (Updated Jun 01 '08)
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Pros: Nice looking, sturdy and allows children to feel balanced with 3 wheels!
Cons: A bit difficult to put together, instructions were poor.
The Bottom Line: This is a nice scooter to introduce toddlers and preschoolers to scooters with 3 wheels, they feel balanced and more comfortable riding!
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| Magick1's Full Review: Spongebob 3 Wheel Kick Scooter |
We purchased a scooter for my daughter for the holidays. It was a standard 2 wheel version with the thinner wheels. We were thinking she’d really enjoy this, as at her preschool they had a scooter that she loved playing on every day. That was a 3 wheel scooter. When we were shopping for one of these, we could not find it and read the 2 wheel scooter’s box. It said it was for 5 year olds and older. Plus, some of the neighborhood kids had one and they appeared to be our daughter’s age, and they zipped around the sidewalks in our area without blinking an eye! Our daughter was a few months from being 5 and we felt that it would work for her by springtime when it was warm enough outside to use the scooter. But, spring came and she tried it, and it frightened her somewhat. She did not like the wobbly feeling that she had trying to scoot around on it.
Well, we were a bit off of the mark. Our daughter wasn’t able to feel truly comfortable and did not really like using her 2 wheel scooter. We felt bad that it wasn’t a great fit and decided that we would find a 3 wheel version for her to use until she gained comfort and a better balance. There was a decent sale at the stores that was advertised in the Sunday papers. I felt that it was a nice omen. I went out and purchased one of these 3 wheel scooters. I was going to pick up a Disney Princess version, but a little boy cut in front of me at the shelf and he grabbed the last one of those. There were a couple of others on the shelf. I did not tell my daughter what she was choosing, but I called and asked her if she had a choice between Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob Squarepants for something, which would she choose. I figured Dora as she really enjoys her a lot. But, to my surprise, she chose Squarepants.
The Product
The item for the scooter were stuffed into a box that appeared to be bulging and almost looked like it was a retuned item that was stuffed in and taped shut. But, I looked over all of the boxes and they all looked the same!
The parts were many and the instructions were not very well written leaving a lot to the handy man’s imagination to put the scooter together. I think putting this together took roughly 30 minutes. So, it’s not terrible, but it’s not great either, especially if you have a preschooler chomping at the bit wanting to get on the scooter “NOW”.
There were 9 pieces alone to put the front bar together and that doesn’t include putting on the wheel or the handlebars that the kid will hang onto! The rest of the pieces were probably about the same number as the front bar. There were 2 tools included in the box for putting this together, which was very nice. That way, you did not have to search in your tool box to find just the right sized tools to fit the acorn nuts onto the scooter!
Since we were in charge of putting everything together and the instructions stunk, we had a slight issue shortly after getting the scooter finished and our preschooler driving up and down the driveway on her new ride. The back wheels (2 wheels with the axle rod and the lock washers and acorn nuts) were starting to come undone. It was hard to tell how much was too much tightening and how much was too loose. If you put it too tight, your child will not be able to readily coast on the scooter. And, in our case, if you put them on too loosely, you would be searching around the travel path to find your parts to tighten everything back down again!
The scooter measures roughly 23 or 24 inches long and about 14 or 15 inches wide. You can vary the height of the handles bars somewhat to accommodate your child and give them a little higher handle bar when they grow a little taller. But, there isn’t a tremendous amount of room to move the handlebar’s height.
This model also included a little pouch or zipper bag that attached to the handlebar and the front bar for carrying small items when scooting around town. Or, as I like to do, put my house keys in while going around the neighborhood and my daughter likes putting a stuffed animal in to take along for the ride!
This is a kick version of scooter. That means it is all kid power! The first time taking my daughter out around the neighborhood, she pooped out quickly! It’s hard work pushing that scooter along the way!
Overall Impressions
I like having the thicker wheels that this scooter provides. I also like having the 3 wheel version with 2 wheels on the back and 1 on the front. I appreciate that added stability that it gives my daughter as she learns to handle her scooter.
The color is a nice blue with bright yellow markings for SpongeBob Squarepants. I am not certain why she enjoys this guy so much, but she thinks he is quite funny! Scooting around the neighborhood took her no time at all, as she felt much more secure pushing this scooter along. It does state on the instructions that this scooter is for ages 3 and up. I think it’s more for 4 year olds and up. They state that the rider must not weigh more than 150 pounds, so even if they get up to 7 or 8, they would be safe. But, by then, I think children will be onto the 2 wheel scooters like their peers.
It’s a nice sturdy little scooter and you assemble it yourself. So, if you trust your handyman (or handywoman) talents, then you should be good to go! Assembly and the instructions could have been better, but I have seen worse! The price wasn’t bad. I have seen them around $25 in the stores and online. But, if you watch for sales, like I found, you might be able to snag it for just under $20. If you have a little one that is looking for something new to tackle, you might look at one of these as they are fun, give the kids great exercise and give them an added sense of accomplishment. Every little step the kids take and have the “look what I can do” sense of pride makes it all worthwhile, in my eyes! Enjoy!
~Thanks for spending time with me today!~
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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