Gifts For Kids

Finally, time to talk about those real cool gadgets for the older kids - the motorized ride-ons!

Yes, you do have motorized ride-ons for toddlers as well. Lil’ Buddys is the brand name you’d be looking for at that department, with small and obviously not too fast, motorized ride-ons for shorter drivers. They actually have a huge selection of models with some pretty neat designs. If you’re looking for motorized ride-ons for children aged 2-3 years old, definitely check out the Lil’ Buddys Off Road Cruiser, Lil’ Buddys My First Mow It Tractor Ride On and the Lil’ Buddys Police Ride On. Priced at under $50 at the time of writing this posts, these are sure to be instant hits with car-loving toddlers.

Now, when we talk about slightly older kids, pre-schoolers aged over 3 years old, then I’m afraid a bigger budget is required. That said, if you can afford these, here are the two most popular models out on the market (as rated on Amazon).

Take Fisher-Price, combine them with Kawasaki and add a super-cool name to the model - The Ninja - and that alone guarantees a happy kid at the receiving end of your gift. This model lives up to its name(s) too! Fisher-Price® Power Wheels Kawasaki KFX Ninja Ultimate Terrain Traction (quite a mouthful!) is this uber cool ATV for kids aged 3-5 and comes supported by raving reviews by buyers.

The price tag is actually relatively low for such a unique model, that really does drive through rain, mud and wet grass. At well under $200, this is a great value-for-money choice!

The second most popular model costs well over $300, but boy, if you can afford this, you’re going to make a little boy or girl real happy! The Kid Trax Red Fire Engine Electric Ride-On is the second most popular choice when it comes to motorized ride-ons, and I suspect it only comes second because of the higher price tag.

Easy enough to see what makes this such a popular model. First, the very concept of a fire truck is enough to get your average 4 yo real excited. Add to this the flashing emergency lights, a working fire hose, and lighted dashboard, and whoa! This nifty vehicle runs at two speeds, 2.5 mph and 5.0 mph (depending on the emergency!) and can reverse as well. What I really liked about this model is the fact that it has a passenger seat, as well as room for the driver, so you can easily take a sibling or a friend on for a ride! In short, a dream motorized vehicle!

The Green Angle

Fortunately, these motorized vehicles are all electric, so pollution by gas byproducts isn’t an issue. However, they do usually use internal rechargeable batteries. Make sure that the parents know how to get rid of the batteries in an environmentally friendly way.

Still staying with the young ones, I want to share with you three fabulous ride-ons for children aged 1-3. With these models, the little ones don’t need to pedal anything just yet - simple foot to floor is all that’s needed (or an adult for using the rear engine option, of course). What I really love about these is the imaginative designs. If it wasn’t for their size, designed for toddlers, I can assure you they would have been just as appealing to my six year old.

Here are my recommendations, lower price first (quoting prices at Amazon during the writing of this post) -

The Bulldozer Ride-On

At only $29.52 I find this one to be a perfect gift for most little boys, and for some little girls too. If they love Bob the Builder, they’ll love having their own bulldozer. It has not only active steering, but also an operable blade with an easy to grasp handle! Along with some music and sounds, this one is perfect for the very young engineer.

The Train Ride-On

This ride-on is just so full of potential when it comes to role play! Perfect for young kids, to tow their favorite toys with around, making a “real” train out of this cute locomotive. It comes highly recommended by other buyers, and I can see why! I think it’s amazing that you can get such a great durable toy at under $40!

The Police Car Ride-On : Little Tikes Patrol Police Car

Who doesn’t want to be a policeman? or a policewoman for that matter. This awesome police ride-on is sure to be an instant hit with any child. This coupe-styled car is larger than the other ride-ons reviewed in this post, but it’s still foot-to-floor, so even younger legs can operate it with ease. Entering the ride through a proper door, the child gets a more realistic “driving” experience. The battery-operated lights and sounds all add, of course, and I can see how why this model soon has become very popular with the young cops out there. At $69.95, it’s a more expensive model than the previous two, yet it is larger and provides a much more car-like experience for slightly older toddlers.

There is an absolutely HUGE selection of other ride-ons at Amazon, with any childhood fantasy fulfilled. Little airplanes, tractors, animal-shaped rides, you name it - you can find a perfect gift for any younger kid with these. Here’s a link for the bestselling push ride-ons on Amazon - easy to order from this reliable source and they ship anywhere in the continental US -
Best Selling Push ride-ons at Amazon

The Green Angle: As with other ride-ons, these are not easy to recycle, yes they can be used for many years and passed on to young children in the family.

If you’re looking for a cool and yet affordable gift for any child aged 2-5, you can never go wrong with a ride-on! For the younger kids, I’d recommend a push ride-on, and for those 4-5 year olds, a self propelled pedal ride-on could be just perfect.

There’s an absolutely amazing selection of ride-ons on the market today, with most of them being under $100 a piece. That’s not a lot, I think, for a huge sized gift that kids are absolutely crazy about. If we’re talking about a family with more than one child aged under six, I would strongly recommend getting two ride-ons!

So, which are my favorite models? As always, Amazon is my destination of choice, with a huge selection of, well, everything, really. They don’t disappoint when it comes to ride-ons either - with hundreds of models available, for all ages. I’m going to do some ride-on reviews over the coming few days, finding the best value ride-ons there for you, for every budget -

The very basic Little Tikes Push & Ride Racer is perfect for younger children aged 1-3. It’s solid and is just the right height for them. Nice and simple design, with basic colors and handles which are easy for those small hands to grasp. The main disadvantage here is that you have to bend over to push it, although if the child is old enough, they should be able to manage a small excursion using their own feet. The original intent with this product is for it to be used as a doll walker, but trust me, and the user images on Amazon, this one will get ridden on! At under $30 at the time of writing this post, this one makes a perfect low-budget gift for any toddler.

Click here to get to the Little Tikes Push & Ride Racer page on Amazon, or to it’s pretty girly version the
Little Tikes Push & Ride Doll Walker - both are the same, apart for the colors, and both are among the bestselling models on Amazon.

It sure is hot by now where we live! I don’t like letting the boys stay indoors in the a/c for too long though - they’re young boys and they need to get some fresh air and exercise, is my take. Still, on days when it’s real hot outside, the only thing that makes them stay out there is water play. Here’s a great idea for any family for the summer time. The only requirements is for them to have a lawn, or a nice large paved patio that can get sprinkled with water.

The SW Express Geyser Blast Sprinkler can be attached to just about any garden hose. Turn the water on and watch it roll about and spray water all over the place. Where the water streams will hit next will keep the kids guessing and jumping around. Expect a lot of laughter screams in this game!

IMO, this makes for a perfect gift to any family with kids during hot summer days! Click to buy the Express Geyser Blast Sprinkler on Amazon.com

The Green Angle -

I’m afraid there’s not a whole lot of positive things to be said about this product. It is made of plastic, and it’s not recycled plastic, although it can possibly be recycled. It’s not very expensive, which makes me doubt its durability, especially considering the amount of exposure to the sun it will be getting. Last, but not least, it can be seen as an encouragement to waste water, which in some climates and areas, may not be an eco-friendly thing.

To make this product “greener” you could, make sure that it is stored in good conditions to give it a longer lifespan. You could also encourage gifting the sprinkler onwards to another family when the kids get tired of it. Most importantly with this one, make sure that the kids play on a lawn or a place that can use the extra water and balance that out with the water used for lawn irrigation.