I had the opportunity to experience and review the 4-in-1 Touch Steering Chic tricycle with my 2-year-old son, and we have become huge fans. Given his age and independent spirit, we skipped directly to Stage Three (the learn to pedal stage).

When our box arrived, my son was over the moon to put together his treat. As the baby in the family, he’s used to quite a few hand-me-downs, and this trike was ALL for him, so he was giddy with excitement. While he was excited, I was a bit nervous. Was I going to be able to put this together and let him enjoy his new bike or would we have to wait until my husband came home that evening for some back up?

Thankfully, unlike past failed attempts, the answer was yes. Big points for the designers of The 4-in-1 Touch Steering Chic tricycle, as there is nothing more frustrating than super complex assembly and an instruction manual the size of an encyclopedia. Once I had successfully put together the trike (30 minutes over a morning coffee), my son and I prepared for a morning stroll with his version of a “big boy bike”. This was to the true test, as my son is currently in the very independent two year old stage, which means he often says “I’m not a baby-so don’t put me in a stroller”, which is usually followed with a stomp or two! The 4-in-1 Touch Steering Chic tricycle passed with flying colors – he loved it. There were plenty of smiles, hugs and thank yous for mummy. He enjoys the freedom to “drive himself around”, and we have officially packed the stroller for the summer, as the 4-in-1 Touch Steering Chic tricycle also has storage for diapers, sun block, etc. – even a place to put a sippy cup! We are using this to enjoy trips to the park and evening strolls!

Our only modification was to remove the toy cellular phone from the trike. My husband and I decided distracted driving wasn’t a safe habit to encourage. Overall, it has been a wonderful new addition to our home and importantly, my little guy is all smiles.

The Four Stages of the SmarTrike

Stage One Parent-controlled trike: At 10 months, the baby is comfortably seated in the high back padded seat with full control in the parents hands.

Stage Two Guided trike: At 18 months, the back support is removed while still being fully controlled by the parent.

Stage Three Training trike: At 24 months, the footrest is folded in and the child learns how to pedal.

Stage Four Classic trike: At 36 months, the parent handle is removed and the child can ride independently.