Scooters for Children

Y Fliker A1 Extreme Scooter

Seriously, how cool are these self-propelling scooters from Yvolutions?  They come in two sizes 5+ and 7-adult and in a choice of colours starting from £69.99.

Scooters for Kids, Fliker

It was incredibly easy to put together, simply unfold the scooter and assemble the handlebars, be careful not to pinch your fingers.  I don’t know why but I thought you would use a pumping action with your legs (in and out motion) to get it going but in fact it’s more of a wiggle of the hip as you can see in the video.  It also has a handbrake if you get going too fast.

My daughter is only 6 and took to it very quickly, zooming around the house in minutes.  The only challenge we have had is the journey to school is up hill, but makes it rather exciting on the way home.  Plus, we have the perfect netball court in our local park to practice on, unfortunately, the idiots from the local council have replaced the tarmac paths with gravel, which makes it impossible to scoot on.  Luckily there are other spaces around town we can use it.

I think it would make a great Christmas gift for those who are starting to outgrow their regular scooters or are thrill seekers!

It’s a no brainer really?

I can confidently say I’m not helicopter parent, hovering over my daughter’s every move nor do I wrap her in cotton wool and I get hacked off with Health and Safety Regulations on a daily basis.  However, there is something I’m a huge stickler about and that is helmets, and not just for bikes.  Broken limbs will heal over time but I’m not willing to risk a head injury.

Last week someone asked me why my daughter wore a helmet when she rode her scooter.  Have you ever seen the speed at which they can get up to?  Have you ever seen how irregular the pavements are here in the UK and the low clearance of the scooters? Have you ever seen a child come off of one of these at full speed?  I have and it wasn’t pretty.  It’s a no brainer really (no pun intended).

It makes me wonder why more people don’t put helmets on their kids when using scooters.  I’m always gobsmacked when we go out at the number of kids I see without helmets because it hugely outnumbers the children with helmets.

If my daughter refuses to put her helmet on its simple, she doesn’t get to go on her bike or scooter, end of discussion.  To set a good example I always wear a helmet when cycling as well.

Helmets became compulsory safety equipment for bicyclists and scooter riders in 1990 in Australia and research suggests that helmets can reduce head injuries by up to 90 percent (courtesy of the Better Health Channel).

Do you think we should have a similar law here in the UK?  Would this help reduce the amount of money the NHS spends on this type of injury?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.