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Click here to buy Mee Mee Tricycle on Amazon
Click here to buy Little Olive Tricycle on Amazon
Disclosure: Please note that this review post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you go through them and make a purchase, I&#;d be compensated in the form of a commission. Please also note that I&#;ve chosen to review these products, and link these companies and their products, only because of their quality and not just in return for a fee. I have personally used all of the products mentioned in this post and the reviews are solely my own opinion. The final decision for purchase is entirely yours to make.
Like any other mom, I too like to weigh all my options each time I go about purchasing anything important for my kids. Whether it&#;s a baby stroller, tricycle, bicycle, scooter, anything. For two simple reasons - a) I want my child to be happy and comfortable using the product, and b) I definitely want the purchase to be a value-for-money deal at the end of the day.
Nothing extraordinary here; I&#;m sure all moms care about the above just as much. And, with plenty of options available out there for every single product that you want for your child, the choice just keeps getting tougher. Besides, if you&#;re relying on online shopping (like I do - shopping with two kids at a kid store, not a good idea at all), the decision can be even more difficult at times. With no physical view of/contact with the product, your money&#;s definitely at stake.
I&#;m going to review two different brands of tricycles here and I happened to use each of them at separate times for both my kids. The first one&#;s a very popular baby brand in the Indian market - Mee Mee - while the second is an equally promising, though not exactly well-known, Indian brand - Little Olive.
Mee Mee 2 in 1 Baby Tricycle and Rocker was a gift on my elder one&#;s 1st birthday. Cute and fancy as it was, it seemed just the perfect companion for my child in the years to come. I was particularly fascinated by the fact that the tricycle had a parental control push handle to assist the child until it could ride on its own. The best part? The push bar could easily be detached when the child was comfortable to ride away independently.
The trike served its purpose well for the whole next year - a cute little deviation from the conventional stroller in terms of design, yet serving perfectly well as one. But, when my kid turned 2+ and showed interest in learning to pedal on its own, I became aware of an inherent problem with the cycle. The child wasn&#;t able to pedal smoothly and for long.
At first, I felt that perhaps my kid wasn&#;t able to get a feel of the pedaling process so I started helping out in every way. I put back the parental control bar I&#;d first removed when my kid seemed ready to ride on its own. But after pushing the cycle for some distance on the road, my kid would insist for me to stop pushing, expressing the desire to pedal independently.
One such evening, when I left the bar and my kid applied pressure on the pedals, the front wheel fell apart, literally! All the nuts that held the wheel together lay there on the road, along with my kid too! I rushed for help, picked up my child and somehow gathered all the nuts and screws in the rear basket, lifting the cycle all the way home. Back there, I fitted all the parts together and took the cycle out the next evening too.
The same experience repeated itself the next day and many days thereafter. Each time my child would try pedaling on its own, the front wheel would fall apart, screws coming off and the child falling down in the process. I tried contacting nearly every service/repair shop in the neighborhood that I knew of, but in vain.
Slowly, I gathered, from talking to a few other moms around, that a couple of them faced the same issue. While the trike served well as a stroller in the beginning, it failed in its role as a tricycle. It had reached a stage where it couldn&#;t be used as a cycle anymore and thus, I couldn&#;t save it as a hand-down gift for my next child.
As a result, I had to look up something else for my second child when it turned 2 (I wasn&#;t in a hurry this time, not wanting to buy a stroller-like design; I was more keen on buying something more useful in the future). So this time around, I tried a relatively lesser-known brand by the name of Little Olive but I&#;ve been extremely pleased with the purchase (even after more than a year of regular use).
This is when I felt the need to share my experience with other moms in an attempt to help them make a wise decision with regards to their purchase.
Note: Worth a mention here is that Mee Mee, having earned considerable repute in the Indian market for its wide range of baby products, seems to be the unquestionable #1 choice for a large number of parents today. A lot of people even tend to blindly go ahead with purchasing a product if it&#;s from the Mee Mee brand.
Well, I wasn&#;t lucky to have had a similar experience in my case. Likewise, the decision to go ahead with a lesser-known brand for my child wasn&#;t an easy one either but I&#;m so glad I did.
So let&#;s get started with understanding in detail the specific features of both the trikes and the pros and cons of each.
Click here to buy this cycle on Amazon
This tricycle comes in two models - with canopy and without canopy. Here I&#;m going to talk about the without canopy version because that&#;s the one I used with my first child.
Cute, attractive design and vibrant colors that would appeal to any child instantly. There&#;s a cartoon face in the front your child would absolutely adore (mine came with Doraemon!)
The tricycle is designed different from a traditional stroller so appeals to parents and kids alike.
Fitted with music buttons that lets your child press and play music as they enjoy the ride in their trike.
Front handlebar prevents small kids from falling off the cycle while riding. The child feels safe holding on to the handlebar during the ride.
Detachable parental control pushbar that allows you to push the child just like a stroller; fairly convenient to use.
Broad footrest allows little feet to be placed comfortably all along the ride.
Two baskets - one at the front and one behind - ensure that your child has enough place to keep small toys, a snack or sipper cup through the stroll.
Serves quite well as a stroller when your child isn&#;t interested in sitting inside a conventional stroller anymore; they&#;d enjoy riding in this one.
The cycle&#;s body is held together by plastic screws and not normal nuts and bolts; hence, it increases the chances of the screws loosening up and the wheel falling apart during riding. With regular falling apart, the front wheel eventually broke off from the cycle&#;s body.
The tricycle&#;s pedals don&#;t seem to have been made for the purpose of cycling later on (as the child grows older). When the child starts to pedal, something keeps getting stuck each time, not allowing for pedaling. As such, children may begin losing interest in the process and are then more comfortable with the parent pushing from behind.
In my case, with repeated efforts of making the child to pedal, the cycle did go a short distance but eventually the front wheel starting falling apart, with the screws coming off. At each instance of re-screwing the wheel up, I&#;d keep experiencing the same problem until finally the wheel broke off from the main body, rendering it completely useless.
With the wheel not being sturdy enough and the screws at risk of falling off while the cycle is moving, the child is at risk of falling during the ride - highly unsafe for small kids.
The cycle may work great as a stroller for kids between the age of 1-2 years; however, it isn&#;t a great value-for-money deal at all if you intend to use it as a tricycle later on. At a price as high as this, you&#;d probably be expecting a bit more from your buy, but sadly, it may disappoint you.
Slightly higher on the price end; feels more so when you end up using it for just a year after which it renders itself useless. Can&#;t preserve it for subsequent use by another child.
Click here to buy this cycle on Amazon
This one&#;s what I bought for my second child about a year and a half ago. I&#;ve been quite pleased with the product so far and it seems to have been a great value-for-money deal.
(Please note that Little Olive seems to have made some feature improvements in the tricyle, which were not there in the original model that I purchased 2 years ago. Hence, the tricycle image shown on the Amazon link above looks different from the images in this post. Also, I haven&#;t been able to cover the new features in the review below because they weren&#;t there in the cycle I own. You may check out the Amazon link to view these new features.)
The first thing that caught my attention when I looked at the cycle the first time is its metal body and heavy, rugged wheels. One glance at it says that it&#;s sturdy all the way through. This was particularly important to me after my first experience with Mee Mee. The cycle&#;s wheels resemble actual tires and are therefore suitable to ride along on any surface. Moreover, the wheels are fitted with metal nuts and bolts and over the last year and a half, I&#;ve never had a bad experience of anything falling apart (my child uses it almost everyday).
I purchased this online and so was required to assemble it on my own but it was fairly easy-to-understand and put together. There was an installation video available on Amazon, referring to which the assembly became fairly simple and was done in no time. The product also came with a manual so we didn&#;t have any difficulty at all. The front handle bar is fitted with a spring which you just need to fix in with the cycle&#;s body and you&#;re done.
The tricycle comes with a detachable parental push bar handle which allows you to navigate your child during the ride when they&#;re small. I have now removed it as my kid can comfortably ride away on its own.
There&#;s a small fancy bell attached to the steering handle and your child would love ringing it during the ride.
There&#;s enough storage for your little one&#;s handy items too - a front basket big enough to keep a sipper, a small snack or any tiny toy your child may want to carry along for the ride - and a basket at the back too to store any of your items if you like, or those of your child.
There&#;s also a small foot rest provided to each side of the front wheel (at a height slightly above than the pedals) so that your little one can place its feet comfortably during the ride until it can touch its feet on the pedals.
The cycle comes in 4 colors so you can easily choose the one your toddler likes.
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There&#;s a rubber grip provided at the steering handle for your child to hold on to comfortably during riding, again until they can grow comfortable to hold the steering handle from both the sides.
The steering handle is covered with soft, non-slippery, easy-to-hold rubber grips that make self-riding for the child extremely comfortable.
Pedaling is extremely smooth and comfortable - no getting-stuck issues in the middle of the ride - the pedals are quite sturdy too.
The best part about the cycle is that it grows with your child - you purchase it when they&#;re a toddler between 18 months and 2 years and you can use it as a stroller with the parental push handle at that time. As the child grows older, you can easily detach the push bar and let your child pedal though and explore the joy of cycling on its own.
Note that this cycle can be comfortably used up to at least 5 years of age (I can say this because my elder one equally enjoyed it when I first bought it).
Affordable - the cycle costs lesser than its Mee Mee counterpart and, as I&#;ve noticed, than most other brands in this market with similar products.
Even though I absolutely find the tricycle a great buy for your little one, it&#;s still fair to look at some things which may not have been a big deal for me but perhaps may not appeal to others as much. So here goes:
You may not found the tricycle very fancy and stylish when compared to other brands in this market, such as Mee Mee. No cartoon faces on the front, no music buttons or too many extra accessories fitted in. Yet, the tricycle does its job perfectly well, and the exact that it&#;s meant to, without indulging in too much show-off.
Unlike Mee Mee, Little Olive tricycle doesn&#;t come with an additional canopy version. However, in my opinion, that too is an extra frill to the trike which looks fancy and cute but think about it: do you really need it? Why would you want to keep the child riding outside when it&#;s too hot or rainy? But again, that&#;s my view.
This tricycle doesn&#;t have a front support handle bar to hold the child within, unlike Mee Mee or some other brands. To be honest, initially this too got me thinking whether it&#;d be right for my child because I too had been used to the Mee Mee one earlier which had a front support bar for the child.
However, since the recommended age for the cycle is 18 months and upward, I felt that it&#;s just right for a child that age to be able to sit comfortably holding on to the steering handle and feet placed firmly on the footrest provided at a height slightly above the pedals. My child was close to 2 years when I bought it and it worked just right, so perhaps you can try it out with yours too!
That&#;s it. Other than these, I can&#;t really find any more reason why Little Olive tricycle isn&#;t a great gift for your growing toddler.
I know the excitement and the confusion both behind buying that first tricycle for your little one. And, because everything out there for kids (all of the things they adore, that is) come at a fairly high price too, it does get you thinking - is this really worth the money? Would it even last that long?
If you too get these questions in your mind, I&#;ve tried to help you in this post by reviewing two different brands in the Indian tricycle market. I&#;ve tried to be as honest and fair as possible in reviewing both the products and because I used both of them personally, I&#;ve been able to present a transparent picture of both.
To sum this up here, I&#;d lean slightly more towards Little Olive as a great buy because it&#;s served me (and still is) far better than my first one - Mee Mee. It&#;s only natural to feel this way when you haven&#;t had the perfect experience the first time around. You can take your own call after going through all of the points in detail. This is how I&#;d put my final word about both the cycles -
While Mee Mee may be a cute, fancy and stylish gift for your toddler, it&#;s got some inherent (not-so-visible-to-the-eye) issues which you may come across later on. The result: feels like a waste of money about a year or so later. Works great as a stroller though.
Little Olive is a no-frills, no-nonsense tricycle that does its job well, most important, not just during the toddler years but up to the time your child turns 5! Basically, it&#;s a cycle that your child can grow into. Perfect, isn&#;t it?
Hope you found the review helpful. Do share your views with me in the comments below or drop me an . Please share it with other moms in your network to help them make an informed decision too.
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We also like the slightly pricier yet more-durable INFANS Kids Tricycle . The Schwinn Roadster Tricycle is a stylish low-rider model for bigger kids. And the Angeles MyRider Midi is an upgrade that will likely outlast the rest.
We considered more than 50 of today&#;s most popular tricycles. And along with several dozen kids (between the ages of 1 and 7), we test-drove 21 models. In the end, we think families with toddlers should get the Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll &#;N Trike . This lower-cost, convertible tricycle is loaded with extras, and it offers significantly more versatility than its competitors.
The world of tricycles is wild and weird, with hundreds of options ranging from convertible 4-in-1s to fancy drifters to trikes that become balance bikes.
This stylish trike is best suited for kids age 3 and up. At that age, they can tear up the road on this more-stable modern take on the Big Wheel.
This trike is slightly sturdier than our top pick, and it&#;s a bit easier to steer. It has the same four configurations as our top pick, but the harness isn&#;t as simple to use.
This versatile trike will grow with your child, converting from a stroller alternative to a big-kid trike they can steer on their own. It comes packed with accessories and has an easy-to-use harness.
Features like a bell, a storage basket, a cupholder, and bright paint color appeal to little kids. If kids like their trikes, they&#;ll want to ride them!
We looked for trikes that grow with a child and are made well enough to be passed down to younger siblings or friends.
This versatile trike will grow with your child, converting from a stroller alternative to a big-kid trike they can steer on their own. It comes packed with accessories and has an easy-to-use harness.
$85
fromTarget
During our most recent round of testing, the Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll &#;N Trike was our favorite tricycle in the bunch. It has four configurations, to take kids from ages 1 to 5. And it offers well-thought-out accessories&#;including a wide and adjustable parent handle&#;and a sturdy frame that prevents tipping. Our kids loved to ride this trike on many types of terrain, and Radio Flyer has a solid, two-year warranty program. This model is also a bit less expensive than most of the other options we tried. That means this trike has more plastic features, but it also means it&#;s lightweight&#;a solid bonus for kids who want to take corners with speed.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThis trike is slightly sturdier than our top pick, and it&#;s a bit easier to steer. It has the same four configurations as our top pick, but the harness isn&#;t as simple to use.
$100
fromAmazon
The INFANS Kids Tricycle is similar to our top pick, but it offers added durability and has a higher price tag. This trike is a solid option if you can&#;t find the Radio Flyer, or if you want a trike with sturdier hardware. The INFANS trike weighs 20 pounds, whereas the Radio Flyer is 16, so it&#;s a bit harder for little kids to ride the INFANS trike by themselves. We also liked the pedal covers of the Radio Flyer&#;s stroller configuration better than the foot pegs on the INFANS trike. But this trike is well made, and it&#;s quick to build and convert.
Larger and heavier than many other trikes we tested, the shiny, metal Schwinn Roadster Tricycle has a low-rider style, with chrome handlebars, festive tassels, a loud bell, and a wooden platform in the back (for an admiring friend to hitch a ride on). Beyond the glitz, we found that the Roadster provides a smooth, stable ride, especially compared with similar low riders made of plastic. Due to its size and weight (17½ pounds), this trike is better balanced than our top pick in independent trike mode, even on fast turns. Its steel construction is durable, and it has air-filled tires.
An Angeles MyRider Midi Tricycle is often the trike a kid rides at school and usually pedals confidently for the first time, and it&#;s generally a higher-quality model. Despite its 21-pound weight, we found that the smooth-riding MyRider Midi was easy to start and pedal, and it&#;s extremely stable. The large banana seat can hold a child up to 70 pounds, so it remains fun for bigger kids after they&#;ve outgrown our other picks.
For more information, please visit kids tricycle supplier.