Once your little one has started walking, you might want to think about incorporating a ride-on toy into their play area. Ride-on toys are great for both indoors and outdoors, and include cars, bikes, motorbikes, and walkers. Discover how to pick the best ride-on toy for your child in our easy guide below.

Important Features

Age and Walking Skills

Use

Price

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Think about Your Kid’s Age and Walking Skills

The first aspect that you want to consider, when choosing a ride-on toy for your child, is their age and their walking level.

Children develop and reach certain milestones at different times, which means that your 20 month-old child is not always ready to use a ride-on toy even if it’s labelled as safe from 18 months.

Similarly, if your child is 17 months old but has been walking steadily for a few months, you might want to introduce them to a ride-on toy and maybe show them how to use it as a walker.

Children above the age of 2, on the other hand, might prefer a ride-on toy with pedals and some fun and cool functionalities.

Whichever ride-on toy you opt for, and regardless of your child’s walking skills, remember that you or another adult will always need to supervise your child while they are playing with it!

Decide Where Your Child Is Going to Use It

While most ride-on toys are suitable to both indoor and outdoor use, there are some important differences that you will need to consider when buying yours – especially if you are planning for your child to only use it in the house.

• Noise level: playing outdoors allows a bit more room for making noise, especially if they are in your own garden. But if you want them to use their ride-on toy inside your house, then you will need one that is as quiet as possible. Ride-on toys with sounds like loud horns or engines might not be suitable for indoor use, for example, as well as those with larger and heavier wheels that might end up being a lot noisier (especially for your downstairs neighbors!)
• Wheels: speaking of wheels, ride-on toys for indoor use should always have softer, non-slip, and wear-resistant foam wheels, to prevent scratches on the floors.
• Overall design: in general, you’ll want your indoor ride-on toy to feature a more lightweight, portable, and compact design, to enable easier and mess-free storage. Outdoor ride-on toys, on the other hand, can be larger and bulkier, especially if your child uses them in a big garden.

Consider Your Available Budget

It’s incorrect to think that ride-on toys are always very expensive.

Toy cars mimic usually expensive adult cars or motorcycles, but aren’t they are priced in the same way!

Starting as $59.99, ride-on toys can be a very accessible choice for a birthday or Christmas present. They can be a casual gift to see a big smile appear on your little one’s face!

Cheaper ride-on toys might feature fewer functions. However, they will never compromise on safety, as that is one of the most crucial parameters.

More expensive ride-on toys often offer a better and more immersive riding experience, that simulates real-life ones. These toys are also battery-operated, which means that your child’s play is continuous but at the same time capped at a safe level.

In summary, when you shop for your child’s first ride-on toy, you will need to consider at least three factors. You need to consider the child’s age and walking skills, the toy’s use, and your budget. Once you have established all three, you know how to select the best ride-on toy for your toddler!