Did you know that playing and being active is super important for your toddler’s development? Studies have shown that children from 1 to 5 years old should be physically active at least 3 hours a day. Unfortunately, many preschoolers today are hooked on screens and gadgets instead of spending most of their time moving.
Given these concerns, it’s important to encourage getting some exercise outside, and a great way to do so is to introduce your kid to scooting. Let’s see how to choose a mini scooter for toddler and the benefits of getting one.
Finding the Right Toddler Scooter
After taking their first steps, any activity that encourages toddlers to develop their eye-hand coordination further increases their abilities to build strong muscles and bones as they grow. That being said, if your little one starts using a mini scooter as soon as he/she starts walking, he/she can better grasp the principles of getting his/her legs and arms moving in perfect harmony.
In the past few years, mini scooters have become very popular among parents of toddlers. Since children at that age are not very balanced when walking, parents usually opt for a toddler scooter with seat that can have a variety of advantages.
This type of toddler scooter with seat is equipped with 3 wheels and has a wide standing deck that can hold up to 50kg, providing your child with suitable support and a perfectly balanced ride. Furthermore, it comes with an adjustable and a removable seat that can allow your kid to comfortably scoot while sitting or standing up.
One of the biggest advantages of using a mini scooter with a seat is that it is very safe and secure. The combination of a strong and sturdy design and an easy steering mechanism makes it the most stable scooter that can help your child in the development of coordination and balance. It also has a super soft grip so your kid can drive it all day round without getting blisters on his/her hands.
Moreover, investing in toddler scooter with seat can be very economical because it has an adjustable height and your children can use it many years to come.
However, sometimes it’s hard to convince your kid to engage in physical activities and go outside. But instead of forcing the child to play with the scooter, which is absolutely wrong, you should try making scooting as fun as possible. And to do so, you can simply get a mini scooter with flashing wheels that automatically light up when your kid rides it. Sometimes you might not even be able to get your kid off the scooter because he/she might get very proud of the fun light-up wheels that get so much attention and make him/her look like a celebrity.
The Benefits of Scooting for Toddlers
It Strengthens the Muscles
The physical activity your toddler gets by scooting can strengthen his/her leg muscles and core. Scooting also teaches children how to stay balanced and navigate in different directions. As a result, it can help in the development of the brain and improve coordination skills.
It Prevents Childhood Obesity
Obesity can be very harmful to your toddler’s health and confidence. There are kids that don’t want to move around and it’s very hard to make them go outside and get some physical activity. But scooting can be a great way to make your tot get out more often, reducing the time spent seating. Riding a mini scooter sometimes can be so much fun that your toddler won’t even consider it as physical activity.
It Enhances Social Skills
Apart from the many health benefits scooting offers to your child, being active can also have some emotional and cognitive benefits such as increased self-esteem, happiness, learning outcomes, improved teamwork skills and developing friendships. You can turn scootering into a fun way for your toddler to socialise with other kids that ride scooters. It is a great way to start a conversation with other kids, learn how to communicate and be more generous by sharing the scooter with children who don’t have one.
The scooter can also help build confidence. Learning how to ride a scooter is not easy at all. But once the child masters the skill, he/she will gain a lot of confidence And as one thing leads to another, eventually your kid would want to learn more and more and won’t be scared to try new things in the future.
In addition to promoting physical activity, it’s super important to encourage children to socialize because that way it would be much easier for them to adapt to a new school, as well as in the society later in their life.
You Can Get Rid of the Stroller
As I said before, children under 5 need to be encouraged to reduce the time they spend just sitting. So, using a mini scooter for toddler from an early age can make your child used to it and soon it may become a great alternative for trips out to the stores, to the park or to the school with a sibling. That being said, there is a great chance that your tot won’t make such a fuss when you won’t be able to use the stroller. And that can make your life a lot easier because the mini scooter for toddler is much smaller and lighter and you can carry it home from the park, in your hands, without getting tired.