This scooter has 3 modes to grow with my toddler as she learns to stand and scoot

• Young toddlers usually aren't quite ready for a scooter, but the Micro Kickboard Mini 3-in-1 Deluxe Plus is built for kids who are between the ages of 1-5.
• The scooter has three modes to grow with your child, so you could buy it when your child is one and not have to buy another scooter until he or she reaches 75 pounds or five years old.
• In stage one, your child sits while you push them along; in stage two, kids sit and scoot along using their feet; and in the third stage, you'll remove the seat so your child can stand and use the scooter just like an adult.

I'm a big fan of toys that can grow with my daughter because they're sustainable and save us money in the long run. Of course, any product that's meant to last longer than a year or two needs to be durable, especially outdoor toys.

Recently, I got a chance to test the Micro Kickboard Mini 3-in-1 Deluxe Plus. The company sent the product for my daughter and I to test out. The 3-in-1 Mini Deluxe Plus comes in two colors: Ice Blue and Ruby Red. We have the Ruby Red, and the red has a very vibrant, slightly pink tone.

Design and specs

The scooter is safe and fun for kids ages 1 to 5. I was skeptical when I first tried the scooter with my then 19-month-old. I didn't know if she'd have the core stability to balance. To my surprise, she stayed upright, and the scooter was incredibly sturdy because unlike a traditional scooter, it has two wheels in the front.

The scooter has three stages to grow with your child:

• Stage 1: Children sit on a seat, prop their feet on the footrests, and parents push from behind with an adjustable push bar.
• Stage 2: Children sit, but scoot themselves with their feet.
• Stage 3: Children stand and scoot.

Micro Kickboard notes that many children want to try stage three around age two. At 22 months, my daughter still likes to kick back and relax in stage one. With the push bar, we take the scooter on walks to get a break from the stroller, and it's much easier to push an empty scooter when my daughter decides she wants to walk.

If you want to take it to the park or travel with it, it doesn't fold up, so it will take up a little room in the car, but it's very lightweight at 4.2 pounds.

The seat holds up to 44 pounds, and the scooter holds up to 75 pounds, so this is definitely a product my daughter will be able to use for years, and I won't have to find a new scooter when she's ready for stage three. The push bar, chair, and T-bar are all adjustable to help the scooter grow with kids as well.

What it's like to use

It has a very smooth and quiet ride, and it handles bumps on our paved driveway well, but I don't think it would work as well on a stone driveway. We take it up and down hills on a bumpy road with ease. I never get the sense that it's going to fall apart or that it won't be able to handle minor bumps.

Because it's very low to the ground, I wouldn't recommend using it on a poorly maintained or uneven sidewalk. It handles wide turns well, but requires extra maneuvering to round sharp corners.

One feature that makes the scooter easy to maneuver is the lean-to-steer technology; just slightly tilt the push bar to turn or teach your child to lean in stage three.

Scooter safety

Micro Kickboard Mini 3-in-1 Deluxe Plus recommends children wear a helmet and knee pads every time they use the scooter. Even once your child is old enough to use the scooter on their own, be sure you are always closely supervising them as well.

Some other safety measures recommended by Micro Kickboard include avoiding wet or broken sidewalks, maintaining a safe speed, checking your scooter for wear or damage regularly, following traffic safety rules, and only scooting in daylight. Our package came with a small scooter safety poster as a nice reminder.

For extra safety, you can teach your child to scoot in stage three inside your home because the wheels won't mark the floor.

The cons

Despite the scooter having very few pieces, my husband and I found the assembly instructions confusing, and it took us much longer to put together than it should have. There seemed to be instructions included for different versions of the scooter, and we weren't sure which to follow.

Once we got it put together, the only other con is that the footrests in the push bar mode tend to slide around and shift — I often need to stop pushing my daughter so I can fix her footrests.

The bottom line

Scooters are a classic gross motor skill toy, and many kids enjoy riding them in the driveway, around the neighborhood, or at the park. Micro Kickboard put a lot of thought into making the Mini Deluxe Plus safe and enjoyable for even the youngest kids. The company has a few scooter options for toddlers and young kids, so make sure you order the scooter you want.

The Mini Deluxe is just the scooter, the Mini 3-in-1 Deluxe is the scooter with a seat, and the Micro Kickboard Mini 3-in-1 Deluxe Plus (the one I tested) is the scooter with a seat and a push bar for parents. Once you remove the seat and push bar as your child gets older, it becomes the Mini Deluxe.

If your child is under two, I would definitely recommend the Mini Deluxe Plus so you can use the push bar. Kids that are two or older are probably close to outgrowing the need for a push bar, so the deluxe would be a great option.

Pros: Easy to balance, lightweight, smooth ride, grows with kids from age 1-5, lean to steer technology

Cons: Assembly instructions were confusing, footrests don't stay put