Challenges With Balance
Here is my son's story and his graduation from the excellent Mini Micro Scooters, Maxi Micro Scooters and eventually to full-blown 2 wheeled adult-sized scooters.
The journey that I describe below is extremely significant for my son who was born with severe Developmental Delays and did not walk until he was 3 years old.
Along with these challenges came Balance Issues.
However, he was still an active kid whom loved to play like any other kid so Micro Scooters with their easy-balance design really helped him to have fun on a kick scooter which would not have been possible on a regular 2-wheeled scooter.
I'll skip to the end of the story and explain that he is now a very tall 12 year old and has great balance on a regular adult kick scooter. I do not believe that this would have been possible without him graduating from the Mini-Micro Scooter and the Maxi Micro scooter. Micro Kickboard - thank you!
First Mini Micro Scooter: Aged 5
After it became clear that my son (like most young kids) loved vehicles and ride-on toys, I decided to get him a very cheap Razor type of scooter so he could try it out. That scooter didn't last long. His lack of balance skills really made it impossible to ride on that scooter with any real confidence.
He would make some effort and event actually scoot along for a short while but he didn't feel that comfortable on it at all and never bothered to try that kick scooter again by himself.
My son (I'll call him J for this article) still loved watching other kids on their scooters so I really didn't want him to miss out. Then it struck me as we were wondering around a store. The Micro Scooter! I don't know why I hadn't realised before but it was clear that the Micro would eliminate any fears that J had about balance with it's "no-fall-down" design. A kid who found it hard to balance would surely feel safe in the Micro Scooter!
Anyhow, we tried it then and there in the store. As soon as J realised that he could stand up on this Micro scooter, let go of the handlebars and the thing would not topple over - he wanted to take it home.
As he was only 5 years old, even though he was tall for his age it was the Mini-micro Scooter that fitted the best. It was the prefect size and carried his weight really well.
After some days and weeks of practice, J became a real expert on steering and gliding on that Mini-Micro. In many ways it was the best ride-on toy I ever bought him. It helped him increase his confidence, leg strength, co-ordination and of course it gave him a whole new way of having fun that we had not been able to enjoy before.
The best part was that the kick scooter was totally portable, we could throw it in the trunk, along with his safety helmet and drive to any park and he could scoot to his heart's content! This really opened J up to a big new world of fun and he thoroughly enjoyed our excursions. Finally his balance challenges were no longer preventing him from enjoying himself like any other child.
Graduation To The Maxi Micro Scooter: Aged 8
After 3 years of fun on the Mini Micro Scooter it became clear that J was growing far too tall for the tiny starter ride-on. It was time to grow up and get a bigger kick scooter that better suited his needs.
I must admit. at this point I had not at all considered buying a regular 2-wheeled kick scooter. Because J had become so adept on the Mini Micro and was so confident on it, I never seriously thought about anything other than it's older sibling, the Maxi Micro Scooter.
Moving up to the Maxi Micro would provide J with the same amount of stability, fun and confidence that he was used to but in a larger package for his tall 8 year old frame. It really seemed like a no-brainer to buy the Maxi Micro and I'm pleased to report that it was the right decision at the time. It helped J to have a perfectly smooth transition to the larger model without any fuss.
In fact, the Mini Micro scooter was very well used but I was still able to sell in on eBay for almost as much as I bought it for. They are clearly in demand and just a little too expensive brand-new for some people.
By the way, it's worth noting here that I kept the box, packaging and stickers pristine in the garage for 3 years. This meant that I could sell the old scooter on eBay in it's original box with instructions and stickers which greatly enhanced it's re-sale value.
The great part about selling the old Mini Micro was that it contributed to almost half the value of the Maxi-Micro! That was a big win for me, I was delighted with that result.
The wonderful Maxi Micro scooter has lasted for 4 years and is still going strong and it still large enough for J to use even at the age of 12. He is a very tall boy but it still fits him.
Let me explain the reason for moving onto a 2-wheeled kick scooter in the remainder of this article.
Growing Up: 2 Wheels and Beyond
So it turned out that as J gained in stamina as a 10, 11 and 12 year old that he was happy to go further and further on his kick scooter. This meant that I could accompany him on my mountain bike as we cycled and scooted together on the local cycle lanes in the street and whizzed over to the local wilderness park which has a long, abandoned concrete track at least 1 mile long in it.
I simply wanted to get a scooter with larger wheels for J because that would make it easier for him to travel longer distances with me on the bike. The Maxi Micro Kick Scooters small wheels are not best for traveling long distances and can wear out easily - as well as wearing out the poor kids legs (and shoes!).
As we travelled out further and further together on our trips, an upgrade was sorely needed. However, I know that I could not get a large-wheeled adult style scooter that also had two wheels at the front like a Micro Scooter. What was I to do?
In the end, it was a problem that was easily solved. I took J down to the local ToysRUs Store and let him try out a couple of 2 wheeled scooters. It seemed that his years of riding the Micro Scooters gave him to confidence to step on a 2-wheeled scooter and ride without any problem whatsoever.
It's as if all those balance problems from previous years have vanished into thin air!
I would say that J did not even notice that his new scooter has ony 2 wheels. He certainly acted like he didn't notice or was not in the least concerned about the lack of stability with the new scooter.
Anyway - I decided to get him the excellent Razor A5 Lux scooter. It has large wheels for travelling further distances easily, requires less effort to kick scoot and will grow with him as the handlebars can be raised 2 notches for a full-grown adult. J is only using the scooter on the firt notch setting so there is plenty of room for growth.
So, in conclusion I have to say a big thank you to the Micro Kickboard company. It was their ingenuity that helped a little boy with severe balance challenges gain the confidence over years to ride a full-blown 2 wheeled kick scooter. That little boy can now feel like any other regular teenager as he enjoys kick scooting on his Razor A5 Lux!
Take a look at our reviews of the Mini Micro Scooter for kids and also the Maxi Micro Scooter review for older kids.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading this article about these Micro Scooters, among the best Kick Scooters on the market and our personal journey with them. Please go ahead and leave a comment below.