Super Scooting Fun With Micro Scooters!

Double the fun!

You know when you have something that you really, REALLY want to try but you can't? You have to wait. And the wait almost kills you.

Yeah. That.

That's what the last few weeks have been like for poor Mini Cheddar.

Towards the end of March we were lucky enough to be sent two amazing scooters thanks to Micro Scooters UK.

Firstly, the 3 in 1 Mini Seat Scooter for Tiny Ched and the Mini Micro Scooter for MC.

There was no problem testing TC's scooter out as he gets plenty of use out of it around the house but with the 18.5" of snow (and illness) that hit us a few weeks back there was no way that MC could get out and about to really put her new wheels to the test.

The 3 in 1 Mini Seat kit

So we've had to wait.

But boy, was it worth it!

The 3 in 1 Mini Seat had already totally impressed me though. An ideal purchase for 1 to 3 year olds, the Mini Seat adapts into 3 different scooters for each age. A sit on scooter with an O-bar for 12 months plus, remove the seat for 2 years plus and then swap the O-bar for a T-bar from 3 years plus (probably up to the age of 5). All this is included in the price of £74.95* and, what's more, this is an award winning scooter. It won ' Best Toddler Toy at the 2012 Nuremburg Toy Fair'.

It's easy to see why.

TC loves it.

Loving it!

He's not doing so well with his walking - he's too lazy! His big sister was walking before her 1st birthday but TC is showing no solid signs, despite turning one at the end of March. He walks around cruising the furniture no problem and can stand unaided a little when he wants to but if you try and walk him, even holding his hands, he just sits down. The Mini Seat is helping him though, I think. He is actually starting to move his feet to walk whilst he's on it and it's great for a lazy boy like him as he can do it all sitting down.

Indoor scooter races - such fun!

The scooter is very well made. It's a Swiss design which is solid and sturdy and the O-bar has a great grip - TC also loves chewing on the O-bar and has become a teething relief! I'm seriously impressed with it and friends have commented on how fab it is and their babies love it too.

Moving onto the Mini Micro Scooter. As I said previously, we had to wait a while to test this scooter out properly as we couldn't get outdoors. We did, however, enjoy some indoor scooter races in the lounge which MC and TC both loved.

So, with a hint of Spring finally in the air it was time to take the Mini Micro Scooter for a test drive outdoors. Now I have to admit that MC isn't the best scooter rider. She tends to scoot far too fast and isn't co-ordinated enough to lean and turn properly but she got on great with the Mini Micro.

Easily goes under the pushchair

Again, it's really sturdy and well built and the handles are really comfy to grip for her. Obviously the best thing about it according to her was "It's pink"! The best thing about it from my point of view is the sturdiness of the design. I also love how easy it is to take apart and put back together. This means it fits easily underneath the pushchair so I can take it to and from school when I drop MC off or pick her up.

Lean and turn

The scooter is turned by leaning left or right with the handle which MC struggled with at first (she must get her co-ordination from her Daddy *cough*) but in no time at all she was whizzing up and down and loving it. The Mini Micro is the perfect size for her and I have no doubt it will be keeping her happy for the next couple of years. She's just turned 4 and I think the scooter is perfect for her age. They are marketed at 3-5 year olds and the one we reviewed was priced at £49.95*. The next size up scooter (the Maxi Micro) is marketed at 6-12 year olds so I think she may be a little bit too small yet.

Tongue out for added effect

It certainly is a hit with her and now she's discovered that there are lots of super cool scooter accessories and cool bits to add on. She already has a bike helmet so we will be using that with it to keep her safe but I think I'll have to buy her a zooter - how cute!

Scoot scoot!

What's great about Micro Scooters is there's a whole community to explore so you can really get involved. You can really tell that Anna & Philippa (the two mums who set the company up) have a real passion for all things scooter. They even have a community and blog which gives ideas on where to scoot and things to do so you really can get the most from your purchase. I can't wait to try out the Hen & Eggs scooter game which looks like great fun for young kids.

So, if you're looking for a great quality scooter for your kids then Micro Scooters UK definitely have the best scooters out there in our opinion. Super fast delivery and friendly service too. What's not to love?

We've already recommended them to quite a few friends and will continue to do so as we think they are fab!

This is not a sponsored post.  

We were sent both scooters to review 

but all photographs, words, views and opinions are entirely my own.

*prices correct at time of writing

The LeapFrog LeapsterGS - Would Be Superb If It Would Connect!

Regular readers will know that I don't do a huge amount of reviews but those I have done over the past 23 months of blogging (has it really been almost 2 years?) have always been very positive. Perhaps it's because I only choose products that fit in with our family lifestyle, my blog or I think would be of interest to my readers... Or maybe I've just been lucky?

Now, before I start, let me just say that we are BIG fans of the LeapFrog brand in the SAHMlovingit household. Mini Cheddar has a My Pal Violet and a Leaptop too which she's both had for a long time and they still get attention even now. So when we were offered to review the new LeapsterGS it was kind of a no brainer.

Like a duck to water!

Matt and I had actually considered buying MC a LeapPad a while back. He had bought me an iPad 3 for Mother's Day this year (yes, he's a keeper!) and I can't leave it anywhere without MC grabbing it and playing on it. I'm not against this, in fact I think it's great on occasion as there are so many educational apps out there that make learning fun.

The LeapsterGS replaces the LeapFrog Explorer but all cartridges are fully transferable between the two and you can download apps. Unlike the Explorer, the LeapsterGS has a built-in camera for photos and videos. I have to say, this has been a huge hit. MC has always wanted her own camera so now the LeapsterGS is full of pictures of the family...well, maybe an arm, an ear or a foot - let's just say I think we can safely assume David Bailey has nothing to fear!

Very educational

The set up of the console is handheld gaming device style and I was worried that MC may struggle with this as she was used to the iPad but I needn't have had any concerns. As soon as I got the LeapsterGS out of the box and switched it on she took over. It comes with a stylus attached and MC just took to this straight away. She's not even 4 years old yet and she just seemed to know what she was doing more than I did. Before I knew it she was practising how to write letters of the alphabet on the screen!

The LeapsterGS is a great educational toy but it swings toward the 'game' side of things in it's design. However, you are in control of what you buy or download so you can keep the cartridges or apps more educational rather than gaming. All the apps are actually designed by educational experts though so even the games are educational.

Putting herself in the picture

It comes with 2 fun apps as standard - Escape of the Sillies which is an fun maths game and Pet Pad where you can create and care for your own pet. MC has loved both. You can also download your choice (from 3) of another educational app within the LeapFrog App Center. There are actually more than 300 games, eBooks, videos, music and more to download. I'm sure this is fantastic.

I say 'I'm sure' because this is where the review takes a bit of a turn.

The LeapsterGS comes with a CD and a USB cable so you can connect it to you computer to download apps. I didn't expect this to be a problem. I've connected My Pal Violet and the Leaptop to my Macbook before without problem. The LeapsterGS, however, had other ideas.

So far so good...

I put the CD in and downloaded the 'connect set-up' successfully. However, once I'd been through the installation process it wouldn't actually start up.

It would just hang.

I tried numerous times to get it to work but it wasn't having any of it. I trawled the Internet looking for advice and found quite a few people posting about similar problems with the LeapPad (obviously the LeapsterGS is new so there was limited info on this) and Mac computers. A few parents had actually ended up with disappointed children on Christmas Day.

Big fat fail!

I was told that it may be an issue with my firewall but even with this disabled the connection would just hang. After a few weeks of trying I eventually admitted defeat. I'm still to try and connect it using my husbands PC but why should I? I use a Macbook and I know lots of people who do. Surely LeapFrog should be addressing these issues as I'm clearly not the first person to have a problem and I definitely won't be the last. Leapfrog were supposed to contact me to discuss the issue but, almost 2 weeks later, I'm still waiting. It doesn't give me confidence that if they can't contact me then other customers will have the same customer service problems.

All in all it's a great device and gets the thumbs up...well, half up as it's SO frustrating that it won't connect to my computer. I'd love to see what the LeapFrog Learning Center has to offer but can't!

My advice to anyone buying the LeapsterGS (or a LeapPad) for their children for Christmas - especially if you own a Macbook - take it out of the box and set it all up before Santa arrives!


The LeapsterGS retails at £64.99 and is available via Leapfrog direct and other outlets.

This is not a sponsored post.  

We were sent the LeapsterGS to review 

but all photographs, video, words, views and opinions are entirely my own.

Silent Sunday #57

Inspired by...