What Is Your Opinion on POWER WHEELS?

I have a Polaris Power Wheels Jeep in my double garage. No kids live her, but when my grandson or nieces and nephews come over...they are all over it. It is the jeep one that accomadates up to 10 year olds and a 2 seater. Very close to the real Polaris 4wheeler. I live where there is hardly any traffic and 3 acres of property. I have a huge backyard and then woods of which are cleaned out real good and I keep a path thru it with the riding lawnmower so the kids can ride all thru the woods. I think power wheels are not too good in a regular neighborhood...they need space to really be enjoyed...and could be dangerous. But all this talk about parents would rather them get exercise....etc....come on...let the kids enjoy something different....life doesn't always have to be a lesson.

edit after clarification - not a fan. but they aren't the devil either. anything with proper supervision can be safe, anything without supervision can be damgerous. they make kids eye balls the size of tennis balls, so, I would let him have it and pull it out as a reward for good deeds.

My kids never used theirs much, they preferred their bikes, they went faster. :)

I remember my older daughter riding down the middle of the street while the UPS guy kept honking at her to move over. She would just turn around, smile and wave. Thankfully they move slow so I caught up with her and pulled her to the side. Then I continued to where the package was delivered and apologized to the UPS guy. He said he thought it was hysterical but was in a hurry.

We had a talk after that.

Okay just read someone was almost run over by one, how? You can walk faster than they move, were you sleeping on the ground?

My girls were 2 and 3 when we were given a power wheels... FUN FUN FUN!

Even though it's a pink and blue barbie jeep power wheels, I've been searching for the darn battery so my son can use it too.

There's a really small window of when kids can use one and actually enjoy it, so I would never buy a new one, BUT, it's fun while it lasts.

Just my opinion :) If you hate them, then put your foot down. I have really rambunctious kids when it comes to play time, and no one has ever gotten hurt on the thing, we're always right there watching them. Not saying they never tried to run over the dog, but it was good, harmless fun! (the dog was faster, LOL!)

I don't like them. I think that kids that have them are spoiled.
I'd get him a trike or "big wheels" type toy instead.
Like you they need to be moving not riding around in a CAR.
If he must have a car find him a pedal car!

We have a truck and two motorcycles AND two extra batteries. My husband found them at rummage sales. He spent a WHOPPING $40.00 for all three. Most people just want to DUMP them after the kids outgrow them.

There is NO WAY we would have ever bought them new. I think they are way too much for kids but because these were soooooo cheap I'm okay with it. By next summer he'll be too big and we'll ship them off to our niece and her daughter and she can deal with them! LOL

I don't like them either. I think they are kind of dangerous; I've nearly been run over by one. Also, even if kids do choose the power wheels equally with something that pedals, if they didn't have the power wheels, maybe they would pedal more.

I agree with you at age 2 I think he is a little bit too young. My son got his at age 3, we have a decent size backyard so he is only allow to ride it in our backyard or front yard. I sometimes take him to the park to ride it, but only when my husband is around, because he has a truck to put the thing on.
My son absolutely loves it, he rides it two or three times a week maybe more, and its a huge success on playdates.
Before getting one consider: How much will your son use it, or how outdoorsy he is. What condition is it in? Can you resell it when he outgrows it, (In our case we have lots of younger acquaintances that we can give it to) Also consider your yard or garage space, they are kind of bulky.
good Luck
Have Fun!!

Santa brought our girls the Barbie Pink Cadillac Escalade this year. I must say this thing is over the top cute. Our girls are 5 and 19 m/o so they are NEVER outside without one of us so we don't really have any safety concerns with the car. We live in a small neighborhood and the community park is directly across the street from our house. The girls are allowed to drive the car around the fields at the park but not near the jungle gym equipment or picnic tables. They are not allowed to ride it on the sidewalks or in the street, only in the open fields at the park. The oldest drives, the baby is the passenger until her tiny little legs can reach the pedals...lol.

I honestly think that if you are teaching your child to be mindful of other people's property while driving it would be fine. Just set up rules that MUST be followed at all times. For instance my girls know that if Mommy says "FREEZE" everybody is to stop immediately. I started by making a game of it when my oldest was very young. I taught her to play freeze tag in a sense but eventually worked it into a safety term. Now they both know that if Mommy yells "FREEZE" that danger is near, whether that means they are getting to close to the street while playing or getting to rowdy and someone might get hurt.

Peace and Blessings.

Well I might also be an uptight stick in the mud but I hate them for all the reasons you listed and my kids don't have any at home :) They do however have a Jeep at my inlaws that was a freebie from a nieghbor. The kids love it but I would agree that 2 is too young to operate it...my 5 yr old is the only grandkid (the oldest as well) that can really drive it properly. When they get on it at my inlaws house I signal to mil or fil that I am going inside and the kids are THEIR responsibilty to chase around!

We have a love-hate relationship with power wheels. We never had any intention of getting one. They are rather large and it takes up a bunch of our garage space. I think they are a bit expensive and extravagant for kids. And kids can go a little nuts with them. Then my dad unveiled one for our son at a family reunion. My son was 3.5 at the time. He was thrilled of course. But even at 3.5, it took some time for him to figure out how to drive it. (So at 2 it won't be much fun for a while.) He banged into a few things. Fortunately, his first lessons were out in the middle of nowhere.

We did some research and learned about the batteries. My hubby made a charger for it to make the battery last longer.

Now we have a three year old and a six year old. They love pulling out their truck and driving around. They share with the neighbors and play with other neighbors who have power wheels of their own. The games they play are entertaining and sometimes down right hysterical. They adore that toy. They take very good care of it too. But they also ride bikes, scooters and run...often while playing with their truck. The battery doesn't last long enough to take over for good old fashion, moving your body play. And we don't feel bad at all telling the kids no to the truck.

As far as driving obnoxiously, that only happens if you allow it. Our kids are allowed to drive in the grass only in our yard (and next door IF they are playing together, they were invited by our neighbors). We do not allow our kids to drive it in the street. It's not safe where we live. It's only allowed on the sidewalks. Sometimes they turn around in a driveway, but only when there are no cars (we don't want them accidentally bumping into a car or getting hit by someone backing out).

So even after three years, we are still torn. It's still too big. We have been lucky, but if the battery runs out, it will be an expensive fix. The kids can get carried away on it. But overall, we really enjoy watching the kids play on it. They really love it. So, I guess I am glad we have it...I think ;). I agree that 2 is probably too young, but the toy doesn't go bad if you want to wait to let him drive it (Unhook the battery and he can sit in it for a while). If you decide you don't like the toy it's something that can be easily passed on to another family.

It depends on your kid, i think. We have a jeep, a dunebuggy and a truck (all picked up from garage sales by my MIL). My son might take a stroll around the church parking lot (which backs up to our backyard - and we live in a very small town with minimal traffic), but when he does take one out - he spends about 20 mins and then he's done (and very rarely does he want to take them out). He prefers to ride his bike, play baseball, or go to the park (he's 4). He got the power wheels when he was 3 (so we've had 2 full summers of storing them). But my niece is 4 and loves hers - rides it everyday.

My kids LOVED their power wheels! They used them all the time, they were constantly hooking up the wagon to the back to pull things around, attaching flags and things to have a parade and the list is endless. I can't imagine us not having had them they were so much fun. My daughter had the Jeep and my son had the 4 wheeler but they out grew of them and we got rid of the last one this past year. I never worried about them not getting exercise because they had a lot of time to play outside and would constantly be moving from their bikes, scooters and other rideable toys to the Power Wheels.
They certainly do take up a lot of room in the garage. As far as the kids misusing their Power Wheels around your neighborhood that is their parents fault obviously they have not taught them well. My kids would never ride on anyones lawn or in the road for that matter. We have a large driveway they would ride on and they would take them in our wooded area. I think you need to speak to the neighbor kids and let them know they are not allowed in your yard or near your plants with their toys.

I got my 2 year old a Power Wheel and she doesn't use it that often. She couldn't figure out how to steer so she didn't like it. I had no intentions of getting her one so young, but it was such a great deal I got it early. She loves it, but ultimately still runs around way more than rides the PW. Also, she can only drive it in the backyard. I think it is extremely rude to play in others yards whether it's on a PW or not. Like everything else electronic, I limit my daughter's exposure to all of them. If she chooses to use the PW which is slim (now that she's older she's figured out steering), she only get it for 10 minutes and then she has to move on to something else. Also, my daughter eats healthy and is constantly active and is a normal weight and height, so I don't mind if she doesn't want to be running around all the time.

I think they are a bit much for little little kids. My DD kept running people over with her cousin's car at a party. She had fun (but the kids run over did not). I'd only allow her to use it in the backyard where we were right there.

I don't let my DD take her scooter, trike or push car (the cozy coupe) in the road without someone with a hand on her. We live on a quiet street without sidewalks, too.

I'd invest in a Cozy Coupe instead. My DD loves hers just as much and hasn't asked for or talked about her cousin's car since the party.

I have a 3 yr old - and like you - we just got one for free from a friend.
My son LOVES it.
All the other kids in the neighborhood have one, and he always had to battle for turns to drive it (he's pretty good!). No he doesn't.

That said, he's VERY active, in addition to the Jeep. It's not like that's all he does when they play outside. It's also worth noting that we live in a private subdivision with no street traffic. So all of the kids play in the road, and just make room when a car is coming home. That's how we all do it in our little hood.

I think if you can get one for free, then why not? You can limit your son's time on it or whatever, if you're concerend about his exercise. You can also not give it to him for another year, if you think he's not ready.
It would be one thing if you had to pay for it. But given that it's a giveaway, I think it's kind of silly to pass on it.

We were in the same situation - had a friend getting rid of one for free. Our daughter was 2.5 at the time and it was winter. So she didn't use it until closer to 3 and LOVED It!! We have a huge fenced in backyard and she and her brother love to drive it around. They get tired or bored of it so they still get around, running, digging in the mud, etc. It's a nice alternative to just playing outside. Sometimes they collect rocks, bugs, sticks, etc from around the yard. Othertimes we play 'fetch' and they will drive after a ball. I would not personally have spent several hundred dollars on one of those but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the one we have. It's probably six years old...not in the best shape and we've replaced the battery ($50+ at WalMart) once. Word to the wise - make sure you are ONLY charging for the recommended time. I believe it's 14-36 hours. Any more than that and it will affect the performance of the battery long term. I'd say go for it - but obviously living in town this would have to be a closely monitored activity. I would also say that it's obnoxious when other kids drive those things around without any parental guidance and it's RUDE to drive into ANYONE's flowers, bushes, etc! So that is bad parenting in my opinion!!! 2 is NOT too young to start him on it, either. My son turned 2 in August and has been riding it alone since probably June. He's not very good at steering (doesn't understand the concept) but he's learning how to navigate, push the pedals and stop before he hits something. I'd say go for it mama!

Nope. I'm not a Power Wheels fan.

My boys had one that was given to them - they rode it for MAYBE two days - our neighbor's daughter had one as well - she crashed it...the boys ran theirs into a car and a tree and had enough - never rode it again.

I think 2 is too young anyway.

my boys got a john deere gator when they were 4 and 7, they LOVE it(they're now 6 and 9). ours is on a ceiling mounted storage rack in the garage so we can still park both our vehicles in there :) they're not allowed to ride unsupervised, we usually walk to our neighborhood park and the boys drive the powerwheels on the sidewalk - the park has a lot of trails, so they drive around there once we get there. we have a little girl that's 2(3 next month) and i would never DREAM of letting her drive that thing yet, i think 2 is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to young to drive one of those. she has a little hello kitty motorized quad that she drives, but she prefers to walk, ride her scooter, or be a passenger in the gator. they're fun, they're entertaining, but i think 2 is far too young.

I think they are good for one thing only and that is occasional spins around a open yard, DONE. So I would never buy one. I let my daughter try one at a birthday party and she ended up running over her sister. YEAH gives a bad name to the woman drivers LOL JK.... anyway I am operating under the same issue. American kids dont use there own bodies enough. The last thing they need to do is have a motorized wheel chair moving them around. Remember Wall-E??? Any way I got the girls a pedal car. They love it and they have to work to get that thing a moving!!!

My kiddos have both power wheels and bikes/trikes and ride them both equally. There is plenty of activity, so if you are worried about that, don't. Your child, with equal access, will enjoy both forms of fun.
We really like ours. The boys share one, it was a gift, they are not "spoiled" as one person insinuated.
Fortunately we have a sidewalk and my kids always stay on that or in our front yard. i guess it is up to you, ultimately, but it is a fun toy. Heck, since it is free, give it a try. If you don't like it, hubby can return to friend or you can give it to someone else:)

Lawyers love 'em! Google "power wheel accidents".

My son had a blast on his. Kids love that type of stuff. My son used to get out and lift the hood and pretend he was fixing the engine. He used to give his favorite stuffed animals rides.
I say go for it. Yes, I know you want him to get out and move his body and all that, but really the amount of time he's going to spend driving the power wheels vs. the amount of time he would be running, is not going to make a difference in his physical health. And he will still be outside he will be engaged mentally and he will be having fun. He's a kid. Emphasis should be on fun rather than worrying about how every little thing he does or doesn't do is going to effect the rest of his life. He's only a kid ONCE.