Kid on Wheels: Fisher-Price ‘Skaters’

Rollin’ her Fisher Price “skaters.”

When I got my K2 inline skates, my daughter was fascinated, to put it mildly. She took over, tried them on, and proceeded to attempt to break an ankle playing around in them. I knew immediately that she would need her own skates. So immediately after testing out my own skates, we headed out to get her some of her own.

I found the Fisher-Price Grow-With-Me skates, and at less than $25, figured I couldn’t really go wrong with them. I was right. Not only was my daughter in love with them—she wouldn’t take them off for the first 24 hours of ownership—but they’re also the perfect learning system for small kids. As you know, the 2-year-old set has enough trouble simply staying on their two feet; add skates and things get a little more interesting. Luckily, these skates allow the young skater to baby-skate his or her way into the roller derby.

The skates adjust for size, but most importantly, they adjust for skill. On the first setting, the wheels don’t roll, which allows the new skater to learn to simply walk with something attached to the feet (no easy task!). The second setting allows for the wheels to roll forward, and the third setting allows the wheels to roll forwards and backwards for ultimate skating freedom. It’s genius really, and a great way for the pre-school set to get in on the skating action when the older kids in the neighborhood are biking and skating and scootering around the block. My daughter loves her wheels so much that she’s already planning her next extreme sport and has mentioned wanting a skateboard. I think we’ll wait just a little while for that one…

What products for kids have gotten your little ones outside and moving? What should we try next? —Erin