I decided months before Christmas to get my daughter a Smart Trike. As she was going to be 9 months at Christmas I was going to get a reclining version. However after seeing the reclining version I thought that it hardly reclined and I wasn't keen on any of the colours available. I decided to go for a Smart Trike Deluxe which is suitable for 10 months and over. After much deliberation over styles I decided to go for the 'Bee' design. I waited until as close to Christmas as possible and it was reduced on Amazon from £99.99 to £84.99.

The trike came in a smaller box than I expected and as I had read from other reviews was completely unassembled. I let my partner put it together we had to leave it until Christmas Eve so my daughter didn't see it. It didn't take him too long to put together about 45 minutes despite other reviews I had read stating it took ages! The instructions were very poor in my opinion however, they consisted of a few pictures.

After the trike was put together it looked really sturdy and comfortable. The main body of the trike is black with yellow writing and the canopy and other accessories were bright yellow and black stripes like a bumble bee.

The trike is designed to use in 3 stages. The first which is for 10 months consists of a high back rest for your child as well as a guard around the middle and over the shoulder harnesses. There are also fold down footrests until your little one can pedal themselves. From approximately 15 months on you can remove the high backrest and guard leaving just a small seat with a simple harness around the waist the final stage is to fold up the footrests completely and remove the parent handle leaving a trike that your child can pedal themselves, this is recommended from 24 months and onwards. The ages are a rough guide as my daughter is nearing 15 months and I wouldn't move it to the next stage, purely because she can't walk yet and I would be worried she would fall out without the plastic guard.

The trike weighs around 9kg so it is easy to carry in and out of the car.

The first time we used this was just after Christmas we took it to the local park to feed the ducks. The handle on the trike can be pushed right down and I find that it fits easily into the back of my car.

The trike is really practical as it has a little basket in the back which we used to put our bird seed in. There is also attached to the handle a little storage pouch which unzips and is large enough to hold my purse, phone as well as some snacks for my daughter and a nappy. The front of the trike has a cup holder which we place her juice in for when we are out, there is also attached to the trike a mobile phone which requires 2 x AA batteries which didn't come included in the box.

It was easy to place my daughter into the seat which looked really comfy as it is well padded. The harness is easily adjustable and has padded shoulder protectors, each side is also clipped in individually making it easy to strap your child in. It was cold the first time we used it so my daughter had her thick winter coat on which the harnesses accomodated no problems. The trike has a plastic guard which meant I didn't need to worry about her leaning forward too far and toppling it over or falling out. She quickly learnt how to use the foot rests and placed her hands on the handlebars.

I have read other reviews where parents have mentioned their child didn't like the mobile phone and they found it pointless, my daughter actually likes it. The phone is attached by a piece of string to the trike however the string isn't long enough to take the phone to your ear, I would guess this is to prevent it from becoming tangled in the wheels. The phone consists of a red led flashing light at the top and a few buttons which when pressed make various beeping and ringing noises. It isn't anything spectacular but my daughter enjoys pressing the buttons as we walk.

The great thing about this trike is the parent handle. It can be used with two hands. It is really easy to steer. I have used this on the grass, pavements and also we take it shopping as my daughter prefers the visability from the trike. I chose this particular version as I had also read reviews on cheaper models which said that the wheels were plastic and very noisy. This trike has rubber wheels which mean that the ride is smoother for my daughter and the trike is a lot quieter when we are on the go.

There is also a foot brake on the trike for safety.

I would recommend this trike highly. Since Christmas we have had a lot of use out of the trike. I tend to favour this over the pushchair now as my daughter loves being able to see all around and she also likes to pretend to steer. My daughter loves going out on her trike and she smiles whenever we get it out of the garage. I am also pleased that it will last us a couple of years as it grows with your child. I would give this 5 out of 5, it looks stylish, it's comfortable and practical.