Mom Of A 2-Year-Old Reviews The Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Trike / Stroller

My parents wanted to buy my son the Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Stroll ‘N Trike for Christmas.

We have pretty much outgrown our beloved Quinny Buzz Xtra Stroller, since my son is walking and loves to make choices about his independence now.

The Radio Flyer 4-in-1 trike is the perfect gift for his “almost 2” phase — because it’s the ultimate grow-with-toddler trike!

Following is my review of the Radio Flyer trike…

 

PROs – The Things I Like Best

Here are some of the great features that come with the Radio Flyer tricycle:

#1 – The 4-in 1 Radio Flyer trike has 1,500+ possible combinations — so we were able to completely customize my son’s ride. It also comes in red or pink. We obviously went with the classic red.

 

#2 – The Build-a-Trike provides 4 ways to ride for a child 9 months to 5 years of age. With simple conversions, the child’s ride can transform from:

• An infant push/stroller trike to…
• A baby push/steering trike to…
• A toddler learn-to-ride-trike and finally to…
• A classic toddler trike

My son is at the stage where he enjoys being pushed, and he pretends to steer while coasting.

 

#3 – The Radio Flyer 4-in-1 trike has safety features for riders as young as 9 months. For example, additional accessory options for this stage include:

• Removable wrap-around tray (with a cup holder) to keep toddlers seated
• Footrest
• 3-point harness

My son is at the stage where he can get on and off the Radio Flyer tricycle himself — so we decided to not use the wrap-around tray. He’s also too big for the footrest. We kept the harness for now.

 

 

#4 – The 3-point harness is handy to keep my son in his seat — especially when I want him to stay put.

 

#5 – The Radio Flyer tricycle is equipped with ‘quiet ride’ tires and pedals — which have the option to become stationary footrests for young riders who don’t quite understand pedaling yet. My son likes to rest his feet on the pedals and tries to steer the handle.

  

 

#6 – The push/steering handle is height-adjustable, locks into place with a secure pin at the bottom of the shaft, and can detach easily. (The trike is fairly easy to maneuver on smooth, flat surfaces — but I don’t think it would fair well on uneven terrain.)

  

 

#7 – The Radio Flyer tricycle has a detachable stroller-style canopy with UV protection — and it comes in different designs to suit any child’s personality. (It detaches in seconds by pushing the release buttons.)

  

 

#8 – The trike itself is constructed of a steel frame and has a 3-point adjustable seat — which can slide forward or backward. Having this adjustability ensures that the trike will last and grow with your child for a few years (or at least until he reaches the weight limit of 45 lbs).

 

#9 – The Radio Flyer trike also has a small covered bin for storage. I can see this being useful for snacks, car keys, wallet, etc. (But it’s not big enough for a day outing.)

 

#10 – This toddler trike is lightweight! And because the handle and canopy are detachable, it’s quite easy to load in and out of our SUV.

 

My 2-Year-Old Loves His Radio Flyer Tricycle

I was really trying to hold out on giving the Radio Flyer trike to my son until Christmas Day, but he discovered it in the guest room and immediately wanted to go for a ride!

We decided to give it a trial run at the local mall on a rainy day — so we could provide an honest review of this toddler trike for others who might be considering giving a Radio Flyer trike as a Christmas gift for a toddler.

I’ve managed to hide the trike from him again (better than I hid it the first time!) — so we can still put a bow on it for Christmas Day, as intended.

So far, our time using the trike has been limited — but my husband, my son, and I definitely enjoyed our first outing with it at the mall. We can’t wait to use it on a regular basis!

 

CONs – A Few Things I Don’t Really Like

We discovered a few things about the Radio Flyer tricycle that could definitely use some improvement:

#1 – The push/steering handle seems to have a lot of free play before it will actually start turning the trike. The handle feels quite flimsy nor will it stay straight — because of all the free play. I think a more sturdy and solid handle would be a great improvement.

  

#2 – My husband and I both felt the maximum height to the handle is a little short, as we are both tall. Another couple inches would be a helpful improvement.

 

#3 – Although the pedals have the option to coast, they don’t ever rest in an ideal position for both feet because of the nature of a one-piece mechanism which holds 2 pedals opposite of each other. We think it would be really cool to have the option to position the pedals where it makes the most sense in coasting mode. This could be done by making 2 individual pedals, divided by a locking/unlocking gear of some kind. Of course, I have no idea what a design like that would entail — but it would definitely complete Radio Flyer’s custom-ride aspect.

  

 

The Bottom Line…

I’m excited to replace our stroller with the Radio Flyer tricycle and have it stay in our SUV for when we are out and about.

It’s hard to say if my son will be able to pedal the trike in our backyard — due to the continuous downward slope and natural grade of our property.

I feel like the Radio Flyer 4-in-1 trike is a very useful toddler accessory to have for walks in public. And I’m very confident that it’s the best choice for “getting out of the house” entertainment for us.

When we used our Quinny stroller, sometimes my son would want to ride and sometimes he would want to walk. Pushing the Radio Flyer trike stroller is easy, with or without my son on it. And it is certainly nice to have the option for him to ride vs. having to carry him — because he has become rather heavy!

I hope you’ve found the information you were looking for in this review of the Radio Flyer 4-in-1 trike. Happy strolling!