Product Review: The Step 2 3-In-1 Scoot Along

What? The Step 2 3-In-1 Scoot Along

How Much? RRP £34.99

Where From?  Step 2

The Boy celebrated his first birthday fairly recently, and he was very lucky to receive lots of very nice birthday presents from his family and friends. One of the items purchased for him was a 3-In-1 Scoot Along car from Step 2. I’d seen similar ideas to this product, but not this particular one.

What They Say:

On the website, Step 2 describes the 3-In-1 Scoot Along:

Grow-with-me ride on easily transforms into a toddler cart, walker and foot-to-floor vehicle.

3-In-1 Design is perfect for your growing toddler.

Toddler cart designed with support bar and long handle for easy adult steering.

Support bar pivots up and down for easy access and is easily removable when child is ready.

Handle retracts to lowered height for toddler to use as a push walker.

As your child grows, slide in retractable foot rests to have fun foot-to-floor riding toy.

Designed with great transitional features and bright, fun styling.

Removable electronics module in steering wheel features “busy driver” activities, electronic sounds and music with high/low volume control.

Requires x2 AA batteries, not included.

Durable poly construction wipes clean easily and lasts for years.

Suitable for ages 1 to 3 years.

Minimal adult assembly required.

What I say:

The minimal adult assembly part was perfectly true: You just had to put the batteries in, attach the handlebar in the back and put the wheels on. I got The Hubby to do this bit as it required use of a hammer and I’m not particularly talented with those! We kept the box to one side and The Hubby built the Scoot Along and we hid it once it was done!

On The Boy’s birthday we presented him with the huge box that it had come in, which is bigger than he is, and he loved the pictures on it and was getting quite enthusiastic so we brought out the Scoot Along with the music playing (it reminds me of 80’s pop tunes such as Erasure!) It’s quite funky though and catchy and The Boy was soon dancing to it and struggling to get out of his highchair and into the Scoot Along.

The Boy is at the youngest end of the age range this product is aimed at, so we have the handlebar extended so that we can push him, the yellow plastic guard rail around him so he doesn’t slide off sideways and the foot plates in place. As I’ve said before he is a tall child, and I wasn’t surprised to see he wasn’t particularly comfortable with his legs bent and feet on these foot plates. Instead he sticks his legs out to the front and slightly sideways and keeps them raised from the floor as you’re pushing him along until his legs get tired and then he scuffs his heels along or wedges his foot between the foot plate and the front wheel to stop it moving anywhere! This is disappointing as it seems a matter of the foot plates not being in quite the right position compared to the location of the seat part – a bit more consideration on a comfortable angle to have your legs and that problem would easily be overcome.

For the first couple of times we used it, everything was absolutely fine apart from the whole positioning of his feet, then The Boy worked out how to lift the yellow guard rail. At the moment he hasn’t figured out that it’s because he’s lifting over the top of the rail that he doesn’t manage to get out of it, but once he realises he can push it up from underneath in order to get out, there’ll be no stopping him from escaping! And here is the second niggle about the Scoot Along, the fact that there is no sort of catch or locking mechanism to click that yellow bar in place, which I feel would be an excellent addition to the product in order to keep the guard rail secured while you’re behind pushing them along.

Thanks to the fact that the handle is adjustable, my 6ft 3inch Hubby can comfortably push it along, so can I (5ft 6inch), my own mum (5ft 8inch) and my mother in law (5ft4inch). Also because the handle can be pushed right down and locks into the back of the car this makes it nice and easy to transport, even in the boot of my little car we’ve managed to fit it alongside The Boy’s overnight bag, lunch cool bag, the pushchair and a bag of toys when we’ve taken it to the in-laws and to my parents holiday home. No doubt the best part about this product is the fact that you’re not limited to where you can take it as it is robust, and is entirely made of plastic so the wheels can be used on almost any terrain, though you have to make sure it’s not too bumpy as the lack of any suspension makes for a rough ride! Also as it is so low to the floor I wouldn’t be happy using it in general to walk down the street as it puts baby level with exhaust fumes and dogs bottoms, but for walking around in your own home and garden and on a caravan site near the coast this is absolutely great to use. It gives The Boy more feeling of freedom than being strapped into a pushchair, it saves you from carrying him everywhere (and he’s at a stage now where he doesn’t want to be carried either!) and it also provides him with entertainment in the form of the noises it makes if the scenery gets a bit boring! While I was cleaning the kitchen the other day I had him sitting in it so he could chat to me and he was constantly pushing the button for music and dancing away!

It’s a lovely product all round and I like the principle of it, but the two niggling points that let it down are the positioning of the pedals and the fact that the guard rail doesn’t lock into position and these are two points I think really affect the overall opinion of it and I’d like to see them worked on and improved. Overall I give this brightly coloured, noisy little car three and a half out of five.