Mookie Smart Trike Plus (New Version)

When it came to Harry's 2nd birthday in March, my fiance and I weren't sure on what to get him for his main present, because he had received so much at Christmas, he still hadn't played with most of it! But when I saw this trike at an absolute bargain price on the Boots website, we decided that it would be perfect as his birthday present, and it has certainly become the present he's ever received from anyone!

The trike is made by Mookie. ...
...use by children from 12 months old through until they are 4 years old, or have outgrown the trike. It adapts itself for each of these age groups by the removal of certain features, which is a great feature of this product. Harry is 2 years old, and the trike is the perfect size for him, so he is really happy riding it, which is great for us!

The trike came in an enormous cardboard box with a large picture of the trike emblazoned on ... more

When it came to Harry's 2nd birthday in March, my fiance and I weren't sure on what to get him for his main present, because he had received so much at Christmas, he still hadn't played with most of it! But when I saw this trike at an absolute bargain price on the Boots website, we decided that it would be perfect as his birthday present, and it has certainly become the present he's ever received from anyone!

The trike is made by Mookie. The Smart Trike is a trike which is designed for use by children from 12 months old through until they are 4 years old, or have outgrown the trike. It adapts itself for each of these age groups by the removal of certain features, which is a great feature of this product. Harry is 2 years old, and the trike is the perfect size for him, so he is really happy riding it, which is great for us!

The trike came in an enormous cardboard box with a large picture of the trike emblazoned on the side, so if it's a surprise for an older child, make sure they are out before you let the trike into your house so you can hide it! The night before Harry's birthday, we took the box out of the shed and got ready to put it together. When we opened it, there were lots of colourful plastic pieces, a basic frame unit and lots of other bits and bobs to fix to the main chasis. The instructions came on a folded A3 sheet of paper, with drawings and basic words to instruct you on the building of the trike. The instructions were sufficient enough for us to make the trike without any problems, so we were happy on that front.

Building the trike seemed pretty easy...I say that because it wasn't actually me doing it, my fiance managed it all by himself while I sat and observed from the sofa! It all looked like things went in easily and where they were meant to go, all screws were provided and after about 15 minutes, the trike was complete! There was also a sunroof as you can see in the picture, but it looked cheap and awful so we decided not to include this on our trike, as Harry loves wearing a sunhat and suncream anyway! We set up the trike in the middle of the sitting room, threw a few balloons around it and the next morning when Harry came down, he was thrilled with it!

I tried in vain to get him inside the thing but he wasn't having any of it, preferring instead to push it around the living room in a big circle again and again and again. I decided to be cruel to be kind the next day and shoved him in it and quickly set off down the road before he could climb out! After a few minutes he loved it! One of the great features I love about this trike is the foldable second set of pedals, which are located underneath the orange seat. They fold right up so they are flush with the metal bar under the seat, and when you want to use them, just push them directly down (pressing a small button while you do so) and the bar will drop, then just flatten the pedals...simple! This is great for Harry as he can't yet reach the main pedals but obviously he can't let his feet drag on the floor.

The parent handle is also a fab feature of this trike. It attaches to the back of the trike, just behind and below the seat, and is a long adjustable metal pole with a triangular shaped handle. This allows the parent to push the trike and also steer it, great for younger children or lazy older ones like Harry! There are 4 height settings which offer a good range of heights, and we find the handle pretty good. You have to turn it quite far around to turn a corner fully, and the slightest movement of it sends the trike off in that direction so it can be tough to push it in a straight line, but once you get the knack of it, its fine! The handle is removable for when an older child wants to use it and just pulls out with a sharp tug.

The seat unit, as I mentioned, adjusts for different age groups. The picture Ciao shows is the younger setting, with a frame surrounding the seat to support younger children so they can't slump to the floor, and a higher back seat too. The straps go through holes at the top of the seat back to form a 3 point harness, a nice tight strap which can be tightened to keep your child safe. The seat back and frame can then be removed when its appropriate for your child, and the straps move down to be attached to the back of the seat back. Ours didn't come with these fastenings, so I must call them and get the company to send them on, but I have seen everyone else have their trike this way, as it is in the picture. The final stage doesn't involve any seat changes, just the removal of the parent handle. The straps also come with shoulder pads just to make them a bit softer on your toddler's shoulders as well, handy to know!

The trike also comes with a green bucket at the back, which Harry loves to fill with various bits and bobs to take with him on his journey. Its quite a nice deep and generously sizes bucket so you can plonk your handbag and a small football in there happily. I find it great when we go to the park as I can put my phone, sun cream, Harry's juice and a ball in there without the need for a bag. As I mentioned, there is a sunroof which comes with the trike, which attached to the yellow seat back. This is a lught grey flimsy material, looks horrible and is quite easily breakable so we don't bother with it, but might be useful for those with younger babies.

Oh, finally I should mention the pedals. This comes with a special mechanism with involves the front wheel. There is a small gear-lie circular rim to pull out which stops the pedals from making the trike move. They still rotate but don't affect the movement of the trike, great for those who want to pedal but aren't able to control it properly. If you push that back in, the pedals once again become functional on the trike and work properly, great for the older children. Brilliant! My only negative about this trike is that it can be hard to steer at times around corners because of the parent handle, and that if you try to go round a corner too fast, it WILL tip over, so just be careful when you use it!

Overall, this is a great trike. It lasts for a good age range and its ability to be changed for each age group is fantastic. It comes in lovely bright colours which are lovely and unisex, so it can be used by both boys and girls in a family. The parent handle offers peace of mind and control for mum or dad, and allows you full control of your child. The drop down pedals are great for kids with little legs who can't reach the proper pedals, and store away to keep things looking neat and tidy. The bucket on the back is great for storage, and is a nice large size. There are 2 nice chunky handlebars with grips on so your child can hold on tightly, and finally the adjustable seat is great, with 2 positions on the axel bar so littler children can sit nearer the handlebars to reach, and this can then be moved back for bigger kids!

We got Harry's for a bargain price of £15 from Boots when they had a clearance, but you can also get this trike from Argos at the moment for £44.99, although they are selling it with either boys or girls colours (pinks or red/yellow/blue). For more information, see the website http://www.smart-trike.com/. It's a great trike, Harry adores it and we love taking him for walks in it as its much more fun than a pushchair! I'd thoroughly recommend it for all parents.

Thank you for reading! 

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