As Parents Of A Tot, The Micro Trike Is Legit The Best Purchase I've Made

There’s a period in every child’s life during the toddler stage when they watch their parents ask themselves and each other every morning at least once a day, “should we bring the stroller today?” Sometimes said parents will even be so inclined to do some crowd-sourcing and see if they get a reasonable, reliable answer from the child itself, “do you want me to bring the stroller, or will you walk?” 90 percent of the time, the decided-upon answer is the wrong one — not anymore. The Micro Trike, a nifty stroller-slash-bike-like gadget is a win-win for parents and tots alike. It’s lightweight, affordable, and your kid will have a blast riding it.

I know firsthand how smart this gadget is because our family uses it daily and loves every minute of it. Like many parents, we have an unreasonable amount of ways to transport our child: the nice stroller, the inexpensive (read: crappy) umbrella stroller that’s not great but literally weighs nothing and gets the job done, the car, and the Trike. Hands down, the Trike is my favorite thing to take anywhere I have to take my 2-year-old. Here's why:

It's featherlight-ish. It's 4.5 pounds, but feels like it weighs even less than that. I'm a very petite lady and my upper body strength is nothing to brag about, but even to me, this thing is light. Probably because it looks like it should be way heavier than it actually is. I've walked blocks with this thing tucked under my arm and my toddler running away from me or walking next to me.

It barely takes up any room. You can flatten it with a few swift moves and it'll be smaller than any stroller you've got in your house, guaranteed. I'd say the it's footprint is about the size of a longboard.

It's fun to ride. My tot will jump on, hold on tight, and demand that I "go fast." The reason why we got this thing in the first place was because we saw another family with it. Yes, we were curious (we get a lot of looks and inquiries when we're walking around), but the fact that our daughter literally threw a temper tantrum when she wasn't allowed to ride it was a pretty strong indication that we should go for it.

The steering on this bad boy is effortless. You really barely have to twist the handle to get a good turn, and it's designed for one-handed pushing. I'm pretty sure that every parent (and any person who has ever pushed a stroller) would agree with me that one-handed strollers reign supreme.

Of course, there are also some things you should be prepared for if you decide to get one yourself:

It's not for everyone. Your child has to be 18+ months to use it. There are no straps on the Trike, so you've got to be confident that your kid won't slip off. The weight limit is 44 pounds.

There is also no storage space. There's no big basket underneath the seat to stuff with all the toys, games, diapers, balls of various sizes, snacks, etc. you are likely bringing with you on your usual outing with a toddler. We're pretty minimal when we're out and about, so this isn't usually a problem for us to just carry a backpack, but if you depend on your stroller to act as a shopping cart, this might not be the right product for you.

Another thing that I find mildly irritating is that the wheels don't lock. That means you'll have to make sure you've got one foot anchoring the Trike with one foot while you help your tot crawl onto it. It's not a big deal, but it does make stowing it a bit tricky wheels-down. Basically you'll have to tinker with the angle that the wheels are turned and the angle that it's propped against a wall or something until it stops moving.

And finally, the arm of the Trike extends out and locks to the proper height for an adult to push it comfortably. This part of the design (where it locks) can sometimes get stuck, so retracting it can be a pain. Luckily I haven't found many instances when I've had to retract it, but when I do (if I'm trying to tuck it under a table at a restaurant or something), it can be a bit annoying.

The Trike retails for $80 on Amazon and comes in a few different colors (black, aqua, and blue). I know that's not cheap and not a perfect product, but I think it's worth it. We've been using ours for 3 months so far, and I still can't believe how easy it is to use. Quite frankly, I'd say this is one of — if not the — smartest and most life-changing products we've bought as parents, and I'm pretty sure my 2-year-old agrees.