Scooters are a wonderful way to get children active and playing outside. There are a lot of scooters on the market, but many of them have been found to be unsafe, or don’t last long. I scoured the internet for the best scooter for toddlers when my son was ready to ride one. I honestly didn’t think it would be that big of a project– boy was I wrong. Here’s a snapshot of my research, so you can skip the leg-work and get straight to scootering.
I was looking for the best scooter for my toddler, and I found it: the Gloober Junior Foldable Fantasy. Plus, four other top contenders that could also be the right fit for your family.
Table of Contents
TL;DR, Best scooters for toddlers edition
Best scooters for toddlers
Best overall scooter for toddlers
- Recommended ages: 2-6 years old
- Weight limit: 110 lbs
- Why it’s wonderful: This scooter checks all the boxes…it’s collapsible, has adjustable handle bars, light up wheels, and learn-to-steer capability.
- What you need to know: This brand offers a large variety of scooters for kids. This is the only one that has a button that helps it collapse, putting it at the top of my list.
Pros
- Collapsable.
- Light-up wheels.
- Adjustable handle bars.
- Lean-to-steer capability- but you can also turn off that function when your child is older and no longer needs it.
- Extra-wide deck.
- Extra long brake.
Cons
- Sometimes, the button that you use to collapse this scooter gets stuck, and needs some extra love.
Best scooter for younger toddlers
- Recommended ages: 15 months – 6
- Weight limit: Ride on: 44 lbs/Scooter: 110lbs
- Why it’s wonderful: This scooter is perfect for young toddlers, and will continue to grow as they do! It has three modes: (1) push and ride- where your toddler sits on and you push them with the handle on the back (2) sit and scoot–remove the back handle bar and they can push themselves while sitting down (3) traditional scooter– the seat completely comes off and it can be used as a regular scooter.
- What you need to know: If your 15 month old toddler is ready to scoot, these three modes can help you get the most for your money!
Pros
- 3 modes increase the longevity of this scooter!
- Can be used as an alternative to a stroller.
- Front wheels can lock, so you have the option to use learn-to-steer, or turn that function off.
- Adjustable handle bar.
- Available in 4 colors: green, pink, blue, and red.
- Extra-wide, sturdy brake.
- Seat is adjustable.
- Available with or without LED lights in wheels.
Cons
- Disassembles for travel and storage, but pieces don't click together, so they're all just separate in transit.
Highest quality scooter for toddlers
- Recommended ages: 2-5 years old
- Weight limit: 110 lbs
- Why it’s wonderful: This scooter is incredibly high-quality. In fact, it could even be used over the years for multiple children. Micro is well-known for their outstanding customer service, and unlike other companies, they offer replacement parts. So, if one part brakes, you don’t have to buy an entirely new scooter. It’s also available in 11 colors!
- What you need to know: Like many toddler scooters on the market, this scooter does not fold. It’s pricier than other models, but it’s longevity could be worth it.
Pros
- Lean-to-steer capability.
- LED light-up wheels.
- Adjustable handle bar.
- Extra-wide deck.
- Sturdy brake.
- This company has award winning customer service, a 2-year manufacturer warrenty, and replacable parts if something brakes.
- Available in 11 different colors!
Cons
- Does not fold.
Most affordable scooter for toddlers
- Recommended ages: 2-4 year olds
- Weight limit: 48 lbs
- Why it’s wonderful: This scooter is almost half the price of the other quality scooters on the market, and it’s made by a reputable company. This is the most affordable scooter that I found that also has good ratings for safety.
- What you need to know: It doesn’t have as many of the features as the other ones that ranked here. Plus, many reviewers noted that the platform where toddlers stand when using this scooter isn’t very sturdy– it does sag with use, especially as children grow. While other, sturdier frames are made of metal, this frame is made entirely of plastic. This one won’t last as long as others ranked here, but it is suitable for toddler-size riders and a great cost-effective option done by a company that completes safety testing.
Pros
- Lean-to-steer capability.
- Affordable.
- Available in 2 colors- green and pink.
- Has an anti-slip deck.
- Has sturdy brakes.
Cons
- Does not fold.
- Does not have LED lights in wheels.
- Does not have an adjustable handle bar.
Honorable mention
- Recommended ages: 2-5 years old
- Weight limit: 110 lbs
- Why it’s wonderful: This scooter is made by Micro, an award winning company known for outstanding customer service. It’s more affordable than others that are high-quality.
- What you need to know: This one is missing folding-capabilities and adjustable handle-bars.
Pros
- Lean-to-steer capability.
- Extra-wide deck.
- Sturdy brake.
- This company has award winning customer service, a 2-year manufacturer warrenty, and replacable parts if something brakes.
- Available in 5 colors!
Cons
- Does not fold.
- Does not have an adjustable handle bar.
What to look for to find the best scooter for toddlers
Now that the safety stuff is out in the open, I’ve pulled together a list of features to look for when shopping for the best scooter for toddlers. These features impact usability and longevity:
Collapsible
This really impacts the usability of your scooter. If it folds, you can collapse it and throw it in the trunk and bring it anywhere-- road trips, grandparents’ houses, parks, etcetera. Plus, it makes it easier to store, too
Adjustable handlebar
This lends itself to the long-term usability of the scooter. Since it’s adjustable, it will be comfortable for longer.
Lean-to-steer capability
Everything I read about toddlers and scooters suggested that this would be a make-it-or-break-it quality. It is easy for older children to understand that when they turn the handlebars, the scooter turns. But for younger riders, they intuitively lean to steer. Actually full-on turning the handlebars requires too much coordination for them. With lean-to-steer, they can operate it independently very quickly, and without much frustration.
Safety considerations for toddler scooters
When looking for the best scooters for toddlers, I used the criteria below to inform my search:
Quality
Usually, I wouldn't even put this as a qualifier...because I hate wasting money on low-quality products that are only going to last for a day or a week...but I'm going to include it here. There are SO many toddler scooters on the market, and my research showed me that most of them are garbage quality. They are super cheap, but many parent reviewers reported that they could not withstand real-life use by a toddler, so they broke. This can lead to potentially unsafe situations, which I know we'd all like to avoid altogether.
Brakes
Believe it or not, there are a lot of scooters on the market that are poorly rated because their brakes aren't strong or lose the ability to break at all quite quickly.
Light-up wheels
May toddler scooters have light-up wheels. These can help you see your child if they are riding after dark.
Safety gear for toddlers who are scootering
There are two main things you’ll need for your toddler to keep them safe as they scooter:
According to the National Safety Council, “A bike helmet is a cyclist’s best line of defense, reducing risk of head injury by more than 50%. For severe head injuries, the protective benefit is even higher.” It can be challenging to get a child to agree to wear a helmet– but it’s worth it. Further, it’s crucial that the helmets are strapped and fitted correctly to help prevent injury and even death. Luckily, there are a lot of cool designs on helmets these days!
Helmets can be tricky to buy online, because you can’t try them on your child’s head. Check out the sizing guides, which will tell you to measure the circumference of your child’s head, before ordering to make sure you end up with the right size.
I didn’t do a comprehensive review of helmets here, but my two cents would be to buy one from a well-known company that you know uses rigorous safety testing. Bell and Schwinn are among two of the most popular brands.
Close-toed shoes with strong straps can help protect your child’s feet as they are zooming around. Plus, in my experience, toddlers use their shoes to brake or slow down, so solid shoes will help with that, too!
My go-to brands for toddler shoes were Pediped and Momo Baby. They’ve got all of the “must-haves” for this age group: low rise, flexible soles, and room for toes to wiggle.
Toddler scootering FAQs
What are the benefits of scootering for toddlers?
Scootering has many benefits for children of all ages (and adults, too!). It promotes balance, coordination, speed, agility, and confidence. It can be a wonderful, fun way to get kids engaged in physical exercise at an early age, and actually engages riders’ whole bodies, including back, neck, chest, and stomach muscles.
What is the difference between toddler scooters and other scooters?
Toddler scooters tend to have:
- Learn-to-steer capabilities. This makes it easier for younger children to steer as they ride.
- 3 wheels instead of 2. This helps them balance.
- Extra-wide decks. This helps children keep their little feet on it easier. Instead of putting one foot in front of the other (which developmentally they can’t do for quite some time), they can fit both feet side-by-side on the deck.
Some also have seats, which allow children to use them before they are ready to scooter independently.
Why are all of these pretty expensive?
I honestly only wanted to spend about $30 on a scooter when I was looking for my son’s second scooter.
Our first one was a hand-me-down. He loved riding it, but it had really stiff steering and the handlebars were sticky when the gel cover on them began to wear down. On top of that, it didn’t fold and I was annoyed every time I had to put it in my trunk because it took up a lot of room.
I scoured the internet for a low-cost scooter– but I didn’t find a good option. There are a lot of scooters on the market– and a TON of fake reviews for them. In fact, I found more fake reviews for toddler scooters than any other product I have researched. (Some companies plant fake reviews to inflate their rankings on Amazon).
In the end, it seemed to me that in order to have a scooter that would (a) not fall apart immediately upon use (b) have brakes that actually work (c) withstand normal use by a real-life toddler, I had to spend more than I sought out to. I purchased the Gloober and don’t regret it one bit. My son LOVES it and we use it multiple times a week. He’s gotten hours upon hours of exercise with it. In the end, I’m glad I opted to buy that one right out of the gate– or else I’m sure it would have broken already and I would have had to spend money replacing it anyway. We’ve had ours for over one year now and it’s still going strong.
Scootering is my son’s all time favorite activity now. It has really helped him develop his balance, coordination, and overall agility. In fact, soon after we bought his scooter, we found that we could no longer keep up with him on our feet alone. So, we went ahead and got this great adult-sized scooter for my husband, and these roller blades and safety pads for me. And, don’t forget helmets for everyone!
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