Having a kid’s wagon has many advantages. Kids can ride in and pull the wagon with friends or siblings to share the fun with each other. Parents take it as stroller alternative when children get older and heavier to carry them.
Over the years wagons have evolved with versatility and improved safety features. However, parents must always be cautious when getting one for their children.
Safety Features
Safety for our kids is the primary concern when choosing a wagon. The age of the children will be a big determinate in which maker and model is chosen. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has information on safety issues with kids’ wagons. Check whether there are any lead paint violation and wagons that have been recalled recently before you decide to make a purchase.
Wagon models today have many safety features. Some come with high sides so they look like bathtubs. Some have doors for easy entry and exit. This allows the children easy access without climbing over the rails of a wagon.
Many models have seatbelts for added safety and some even come with wheel locking devices. Safety is the most important feature no manufacturer can compromise.
Type of Tires
The tires used on the newer models are better constructed and come in more designs. Live in an urban or suburban area? Will the wagon be used primarily on paved streets and sidewalks? There is a tire for that. One of the best seller wagons is the Ultimate Comfort Wagon. Will the wagon be used in a sandy or over grass and dirt? There are tires for that terrain as well.
Type of Materials
The materials used in the construction of the wagons have kept up with the times. Steel and wood models are available. Models crafted from the latest are plastics and alloys are also available. If the wagon is to be exposed to the weather, these are a good pick. The beach wagons would be a very good example.
The advantage is they have rustproof bodies and the metal parts are rust resistant. They also stand up well to the wear and tear young children can afflict on a kids wagon.
Multiple Uses
The intended use of the wagon must also be considered. Is it meant to primarily use for giving the kids a ride? If the children are younger they might like a model with high sides and a canopy roof for sun protection.
How about for children a little older? They might be using it to do chores or move things around. It’s like helping Mom in the garden. A wagon like the traditional Radio Flyer might be a good choice.
Adults may use it as for indoor Christmas decoration. There are many ways to repurpose a wagon. One of the simplest ways is to use the flatbed of the classic wagon as a table, adding a table stand to it. Another way is to use it as a vertical display shelf by adding a few wood shelves as divider.
A Teaching Tool
Another advantage of a wagon is that it can be used as a teaching tool. Children can be taught the responsibility of taking care of something. A wagon is fun and easy for a child to take care of.
For instance, kids use it to store toys when not in use. And they are taught to hold responsible of organizing their stuff.
Family Connection
An important advantage of having a wagon for kids is for the adults. We all need some exercise and giving our children wagon rides is a good way to get it. Kids generally like wagon rides and have lots of fun.
Adults get to spend time with their kids while they are having fun. Unlike a stroller or carriage, children are freer to move around and see what is going on around them.
Why Radio Flyer Wagons are The Best Gift for Kids?
Everyone has a favorite memory of a childhood toy that they loved. For some people it’s a stuffed animal, for others it’s a model airplane or something like that. But for many people, especially those who grew up in the 1950s or 1960s, the best toy was the Radio Flyer wagon. The classic red wagon, seen in so many television shows and even immortalized in a movie called “Radio Flyer,” was such a simple toy, yet provided hours of entertainment for thousands of children.
Here are the reasons why:
The first reason why Radio Flyer is great is because it’s a classic toy. That is saying a lot nowadays, when so many toys are flash in the pan creations made by giant corporations hoping to sell the maximum number of units to kids, usually with some kind of marketing tie-in.
The Radio Flyer wagon has a history – it has a unique and distinctive past behind it, since it has been featured in so many movies, shows and stories. All you need to do is say “Radio Flyer” and a lot of older people will smile with nostalgia. You are preserving a great tradition by buying one of these wagons.
The other reason why Radio Flyer toys are the best, is because they actually promote physical activity and creativity. So many toys nowadays are in the form of computer software or video games, and they do not stimulate the imagination nor allow the children to get exercise.
But with a Radio Flyer wagon, kids can play outside and pretend to be anything – Cowboys, policemen, soldiers, whatever – they will use their creativity to come up with new and interesting games, instead of just accepting something that is fed to them.
The other great thing about it is that they’ll get some exercise by playing outdoors, running around, and pulling the wagon.
With childhood obesity being the huge problem that it is today, a Radio Flyer wagon (or sled – they also make sleds) is a great toy that will help kids stay in shape while they use it, instead of simply sitting in front of a television and gaining weight. For these two reasons, Radio Flyer toys are the best.
Nowadays, there are many wagons that are made in China but that does not necessarily mean it is inferior to American made products.
Radio Flyer had shifted its production to China to keep the cost low and at the same time, there are many high rating reviews from die-hard Radio Flyer’s consumers, all imported wagons.
The advantages of wagons for kids have little to do with the country where they were made from. It is just the way you use it.