SmarTrike® Explorer 5 trikes in 1 Review

There comes a time in a toddlers life when they decide being in a pram is pretty much like being in jail. We're at that point. How dare we as parents put them in their own comfy little chair on wheels and push them around so they can sleep whenever they want. I really don't know what she's complaining about, I'd LOVE it if someone wanted to put me in a sofa bed on wheels and push me around. I'd lap that up and have a little nap while someone else did all the hard work.

Now days when we try and put her in a pram either at the shops or to go for walks we're met with a barrage of protest. Kicking, screaming, crying... or my favourite "the clingon" - where she wraps her legs around me and hangs on for dear life. Getting things done with a walking 2yr old in tow is sometimes just as frustrating though as she either goes at snails pace, stops to jump every 2 seconds or decides to dart off in the opposite direction. To try and combat our current situation, and find a compromise that she agrees with, we've recently introduced a trike.

Most of the boys in our mothers group have had trike's in varying forms for a few months now and love them. We've been a bit slow to take up the trike phase, but we're making up for it now with the new smarTrike® Explorer 5-in-1. The Explorer is the latest offering from smarTrike® which combines the features and benefits of a stroller and tricycle into one product that carries children through five developmental stages from 10-36 months. The smarTrike® Explorer starts out as a parent controlled stroller with reclining seat allowing babies to sleep while out, just like in a normal stroller. It then transforms through a series of steps to a parent controlled trike and eventually a child operated trike.

The smarTrike® Explorer includes a padded, washable seat cover, a removable UV sun shade, a small storage pouch and a large storage bag that sits above the trike bucket. It also has a drink holder and an inbuilt mobile phone toy that has its own caddy. For added safety it has a foot brake the same as a normal stroller. There's a pedal bar for younger kids to rest their feet on and then proper adjustable bike pedals for when they've learnt to ride the trike properly. The 360° full swivel front wheel means the Explorer can be steered under parental control without interrupting the movement of the front wheel. Once they've learnt to ride the trike properly the parental control handle can be removed giving kids full control of the trike including steering. The trike comes in 6 different colours - pink, grey, blue, green, purple or orange, we've got the dusty pink.

We're currently using the Explorer in stage 3 {recommended for 18m+} with the parental control attached and the bike pedals locked. Even though she's just turned 2 which is the right age for stage 4, she hasn't learnt how to use the pedals because she's never had a non ride on bike before and her legs are just a smidge too short to pedal properly. I've also kept the waist bar attached because it gives me a greater sense of security given she won't let me do up the harness over her arms any more {she refuses to let me strap her arms in her prams too so we just clip the harness around her waist}.

When we took it out for our first walk bub was a bit apprehensive but, being the ever industrious parents we are, an ice-block bribe quickly quashed any fears she had and she couldn't climb into the trike fast enough. Daddy made us walk the back way to the shops so we weren't on the main road just incase I accidentally steered her onto the road {he clearly has faith in my driving skills}. I was actually quite surprised by just how easy it is to steer, even with a 15kg toddler in it. It took her a couple of times of being reminded to "keep her feet up" before she got the hang of not dragging them along the ground, but after that it was smooth sailing to the shops.

The height of the parental control bar is perfect and its super easy to steer, infact I've even done it one handed a few times. The top pouch is the perfect size to keep my wallet, phone and keys handy and it still has space to spare. The large bag at the back actually fits a lot more in it than you'd expect. We went to the chemist and managed to fit all 10 of her formula cans in the storage bag and there was still room left for some of our fruit and veggies. The only downside to the storage bag is the zip in the top isn't wide enough to fit bulky items so we couldn't fit all our fruit and veg in the bag even though there was still room to spare. I hung the bags on the clip at the back of the bar though and it supported them well, although I did remove them after a while and carry them because I was paranoid I'd snap the clip {I'm not sure its designed to have weight swinging directly off it}.

The smarTrike® Explorer allows her to feel like she has more freedom and is involved in the outdoors moreso than when she's in a pram, even though she's just as safe and secure. The trike handles let her feel in control like she's the one driving and deciding where to go even when I'm firmly in control. She also loooooves the toy phone. She's always walking around the backyard "phone where ahhh you?" and when we ride in it she's pressing all the buttons then answers it "helloooo?". It actually saved us when we were in the chemist and she started getting antsy {and we forgot her num num and blankie}. We pretended to call her phone and that kept her entertained while we were waiting for our script, thankgod.

Overall I think the smarTrike® Explorer 5 in 1 is definitely a worthwhile investment given how long it can be used for and how many different functions it includes, especially if you get it when your child is closer to 10 months rather than 2yrs old. Its easy to assemble, use and change between each stage. There's also a 3yr warranty for piece of mind. The smarTrike Explorer can be purchased at Target and Toys R us starting from $199.

Toni x