Play cars for children
Children usually drive their first car with one year, namely a Bobby-Car. This article will tell you what you should look out for in toys such as tricycles, scooters and the like to ensure that they are fun to drive and safe. Plus: The eight most popular toy cars for children.
The toys, sliding cars, tricycles and other vehicles are not only fun, but also fit. Your child can use them to train strength and reaction speed. On its mobile base, it trains balance and coordination, as well as gross and fine motor skills.
Spielautos: With what and where does your child drive best?
The rule of thumb “Sliding car from one year, tricycle from two years and scooter from three years” is only true to a limited extent. As each child develops individually, you can be sure that you will have
the ages given in Table 1 are indicative only. It also depends on where your child can drive his or her toy car safely.
Space requirement: For the first attempts on the new Bobby-Car (or similar toy car) a long free walk or another larger area in the apartment is sufficient for your child. For larger and faster vehicles, on the other hand, outdoor space is required.
Safe terrain: Road traffic is particularly dangerous for your child. But sloping terrain can also cause accidents. It is best to have a separate play area in the courtyard or garden, because two or three-year-old tricyclists are still unable to steer and brake at the same time.
child’s reliability: Do not let your child drive without supervision! Even if you are five or six years old, you cannot be 100% sure that it will stay in the car-free zone or on the sidewalk if a friend passes by on the other side of the road. For older and more reliable children, it is often enough to look out of the window.
Don’t get on your bike too soon!
Experts keep stressing that children should not start cycling too early. A scooter or wheel is a good preparation. This is the best way for children to learn:
to maintain balance, steer, regulate speed and react to others in road traffic. At the same time, motor skills are improved. If it becomes dangerous, they can jump off the scooter more easily than off a wheel, and they already have ground contact with their legs on the wheel. It is better to avoid using support wheels on children’s bicycles because they give your child a completely wrong feeling of riding and balance. They also pose a considerable risk of falling in the event of potholes or at the kerb.
What to look out for when buying a slot machine
Of course, the vehicle must be suitable for the age of your child (see Table 1). But there are other criteria that are important for toy cars: Driving comfort and equipment: Adjustable seats on tricycles and chain cars are recommended so that the vehicle grows with your child and can therefore be used longer. On wheels and bicycles, height-adjustable saddles and handlebars are a matter of course anyway. The bikes are especially important for riding comfort and safety. That is why you should always choose a model with pneumatic tyres if possible. If your child will at least initially drive his or her car in the apartment: For the Bobby-Car, there are extra whisper tyres that make less noise thanks to a special rubber compound and thus also help to avoid trouble with the neighbours.
| My tipFor pedal vehicles such as tractors, pedal cars or kettcars, pay attention to the length of the lever travel of the pedals. Because the shorter the linkage between pedal and drive axle, the faster and stronger your child has to pedal to get ahead – and that reduces the driving pleasure. Useful accessories: A push bar is recommended for tricycles or sliding cars so that you don’t have to dislocate your back or carry the vehicle if your child doesn’t feel like riding himself. In these cases, the tricycle should also have a (switchable) freewheel so that your child can let his feet rest on the pedals and does not have to pedal like crazy. Additional storage compartments or a trailer for transporting sand, grass or the cuddly teddy are popular with kids. Little boys rave about a tractor for accessories such as loading shovels or excavator shovels so that they can really “work”. The last, but most important criterion is the safety of the vehicle. |
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