Over the last couple of years outside every school playground or in every park you can see 3-5 year olds zipping around on 3-wheeled Mini Micro scooters. In a range of funky colours these smooth ride scooters seem to be attached to these kids and if, as I am, you are mother to a couple of young children then you will know how much they enjoy surfing the streets on these scooters. But what other scooters do Micro make and are there any other 3-wheeled scooters out there that are any good?

Micro scooters are Swiss made and Micro have won many awards for their kids scooters. But in addition to the 3-wheeled scooters Micro make a variety of good quality 2-wheeled scooters for your kids to progress on to. These scooters all come with PU wheels (except the Micro Flex Air which has inflatable tyres) and Abec 5 bearings which will ensure you have a smooth ride. They all have the 'easy fold mechanism' which makes it really handy for storing and transporting the scooter. In common with most other 2-wheeled scooters the Micro scooters are suitable up to 100 kgs in weight which is just over 15.5 stones.

With regards to the models, I love the Micro Sprite the best. This is a great next step on from the Mini Micro Scooter. It's fantastic for those just starting out on 2 wheels because it's really lightweight and is excellent value for money. If its speed that you are after then the Micro Bullet should be your scooter of choice, with the more expensive Monster Bullet featuring a special carving wheel which will make you the envy of the park. Those looking for a scooter for the commute to work should seriously consider the Micro Flex air scooter which can handle the lumps and bumps in the roads, being equipped with inflatable tyres. If you really want to stick with a 3-wheeled scooter though, the Micro Kickboard is the grown up version of the Mini or Maxi micro, with joystick and wood/fibre composite deck you can surf the streets in style.

So what's the alternative to the Mini Micro scooter if you are looking for a preschool 3-wheeled scooter? I think the Iscoot Mini Micro Scooter might just be the answer. It looks pretty similar to the original from Micro with 2 wheels at the front and 1 wheel at the back. This design is great for small kids. We bought my son a Thomas the Tank Engine scooter for his 3rd birthday and regretted it immediately. Due to the wide stance of the 2 wheels at the back, every time he pushed off, his shoe hit the back wheels and bought him to an abrupt stop. After 5 or 6 tries and lots of encouragement he was just too frustrated to continue, and it ended up in the charity shop! So the Iscoot overcomes this problem by having just one back wheel. Similar to the Mini Micro the steering is all about leaning rather than turning the handle bars. It needs a little getting used to but your child will find this a much more stable ride and this will help them to gain in confidence. The advantages of the Iscoot over the mini micro include the fact that you can fold the handle bars flat on the Iscoot and also the handlebars are height adjustable, meaning it should last your child longer because it will grow with them.

Mookie also make a very similar 3 wheeled scooter to the Iscoot and the Mini Micro Scooter. It's slightly cheaper but in my opinion not quite as sturdy. This might be an option if you are unsure how well your child may take to scooting. 'My First Scooter' also make a 3 (well actually its 4!) wheeled scooter. There are 2 wheels at the front and 2 at the back but they are smaller and closer together then the front wheels so less of a chance that your child will kick them. The great thing about this scooter is that it's suitable for 2 years +. Happy scooting!