Tis’ the season to be shopping, and if you’re shopping for a toddler what else better than a tricycle?  The earlier the better to teach children pedaling and steering motor skills, not to mention balancing.  My daughter had a few tricycles growing up but none seemed to really interest her.  I regret not pushing the idea more as learning to ride her big girl bike was more trying than it needed to be.  Thinking back on the various trikes she owned, I see a few problems now that I couldn’t see then.  Since experiencing  Joovy’s Tricycoo, I am certain that this is absolutely one of the best tricycles on the market.

The Tricycoo Tricycle is a grow-with-me toy and motivational tool.  Kids as young as 18 months can enjoy a ride as the trike comes with a wrap around security.  These removable “baby surround arms” safely enclose your unsure child on the padded seat.   With these young kids unsure of their balance, they can simply enjoy the ride.  They are safe on their seat with footrests that can be folded up and away once they are ready for the pedals (see folded up left).  Parents can enjoy pushing baby around via the push handle, which overrides the Tricycoo’s steering when engaged.  The parent push handle has 4 positions and is adjustable from 32.5-38″ high.  Once your child is ready to get going on the pedals, simply remove the baby surround arms and fold up the footrests.  At this point you have two options–would you like your child to practice the pedal motion while you stay in charge or would you like them to propel the trike using the pedals?  I adore this feature.  If your child is just starting out and trying to get down the motion of pedaling, you can unlock the front wheel, making their progress not effect the movement of the trike.  From here, you are still controlling using the push handle.

When your child is ready to put the pedal to the metal, you can slide the lock on the wheel and off they go, all on their own.  The parent push handle can be removed since you will not be using this feature anymore.  The Tricycoo has two fun features– a necessary bell on the handlebars and a killer rear basket for all the essentials.  One thing about kids–they have to carry around things.  My daughter has always had to have pockets, purses, baskets, anything with her to collect and keep random objects.  A must have for everywhere we go.  So, I love that this trike has a very roomy rear tub.  You can fit a couple real necessities like sippy cup, band-aids, house keys (even a whole diaper bag if you wanted) right in there with their objects.  This makes a longer ride super convenient for everyone.

Top: handlebar bell, front trike wheel lock

Bottom: foldable footrests, rear basket

For the sake of reviewing the Tricycoo, I assembled the trike and plopped my 4 year old daughter on.  First–assembly.  When the box arrived I have to admit that I was a little taken aback by the small size.  I instantly envisioned a thousand small parts to put together.  Well once I opened the box and pulled everything out, I thought “not too bad”.  Once I opened the manual, I thought “easy peasy”.  I put together the trike without the baby surround arm system and I’d say it took me a max of 10 minutes (with a chattering 4 year old in my ear).   The construction goes together with ease and is very sturdy.  It is also very pleasing to the eye as the design is clean and modern.  The trike comes in four colors: green, pink, orange, and black.

So with no immediate other options, I decided to give my daughter the first ride.  She is under the weight limit barely (44 lbs) but is 4, almost 5, years old so I wasn’t sure how her long legs would fit in the structure.  Surprisingly, she did fit and was able to give it a go.  She confirmed that the seat was “cushy” and the trike was fast.  It is very lightweight (14 lbs) so I am not surprised she could really motor on it.  My next tester was a friend of my daughter’s that is 2.5 years.  He seemed to look more at home on the trike and pedaled with ease, despite this being one of his first times even on a trike.  I was very impressed with how the kids took the the trike so quickly.  It was apparent that they felt comfortable enough to really let go and have some fun on it.  And, even though my daughter scoots around on her big girl Specialized bike, she looked envious when other kids tested “her” Tricycoo.

Looking for some Holiday gifts, of course you are!  Head over to Joovy’s Toy selection and find amazing products perfect for gifting this year.  I can highly recommend the Joovy Tricycoo Tricycle, and at $99 it is a real steal!  There are a bunch of other great gift ideas there, and keep them in mind for your other baby gear needs.

WIN

One lucky winner will receive a Greenie Tricycoo Tricycle from Joovy!

TO ENTER: go to Joovy’s Toy selection, and let us know which product you love the most.

EXTRA ENTRIES: Please leave a comment for every extra entry you complete

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9.  Vote for ITKM in any (or all) of the “click and vote” options (right sidebar of home page)

Contest ends December 16, 2011 at Midnight PST.

Winner will be chosen by Random.org and emailed.

WINNER:  CALEB and CONNOR!!!