Customer Reviews

Step 2 Up & Down Roller Coaster

5 star:		(246)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

As you might imagine, there are a few drawbacks to this toy. I'll list them before the praise.

First, kids under 3 are going to occasionally hurt themselves. It's recommended for children 2-5, but, let's be honest, if you have an 18-month-old that can walk, you're going to put them on it. They can ride it and will love it, but they will need help getting on; they have to learn to hold their feet up on the car or out to avoid the wheels; and they occasionally forget the need to hold on to the bar. We use a loader and a catcher (mom and dad) for anyone under 3. Even a three-year-old will occasionally just fall off while getting on or run into another kid, if more than one kid present. But the toy is designed low enough to the ground that injuries should be more tears than actual bruises (unless you use it outside on your concrete driveway).

Second, the toy takes a lot of space if you use it indoors, or even if you just plan to store it someplace when it's not being used.

Third, this type of activity can often be short-lived. Don't buy this and expect it to be used every day for hours. My kids didn't play with it every day, so I started keeping it in the garage and bringing it out for special occasions like rainy days and visiting friends. They kids will play with the coaster for about 15-20 minutes each, at the most.

Fourth, you'll need to closely supervise the use of this toy, especially if there's more than one kid playing with it. For kids under 4, you may be doing a bit of work yourself in getting them on and pushing them back to the top. For the older kids, you may just referee and make sure that nobody stands in front of the track.

Now that may sound like a lot of negatives for a toy that I rated a 5, but you simply cannot have this much active fun inside the house without a trampoline or a really big ball pit. For children ages 2 and 3, this toy is more exciting than most adults would expect. The coaster is a solid construction and easy to put together and take apart in seconds. It even holds an adult should you want to test it out for yourself. Even older kids 5-6 love it, but you have to watch them a little as they try to increase the fun by doing more daring things like going down backwards. Finally, the editorial review was exactly right-the car does get used separately from the track and (when I kept my track out all the time) the kids played on it with matchbox cars and balls on a daily basis (it just took too much space in our play room). I wish they made toys like this when I was a kid.

I bought this Roller Coaster for my niece's first Christmas. It took less then a couple of minutes to set up using no instructions. My niece was 11 months old at the time and could just hold on while we walked along side her. She loved it!!! Now almost 5 months later, it is still in perfect condition. She can now ride it by herself, she pushes the coaster back up the track climbs on and goes again. She still loves it!
Good for up to age 7 or 8. My friend tried it and liked it and she weights around 130+ pounds. The older ones can ride on it and enjoy it as much as the younger children. The track is also fun to roll things down such as balls and toy cars. The car can be used without track also. As a side note the car makes a clicking sound as you push it back up the track which sounds like a real roller coaster. (its darling) Well worth the money and the amazing thing is that it is so durable it will be something that can be used for years.

I work at a day care center and all the kids I watch love this track. They giggle when the ride ends and the are still coasting on the wood floor. One of the more easy toys to put together. I also like that you can use the car to ride on without the track. Great item for all kids under 80ish lbs.

The Step 2 Up and Down Roller Coaster is a great toy, and yes, is hours of fun. The first day we brought ours home, our 14 month old had taught herself to climb the steps, hang onto the handle bars, and push herself off to get the coaster to move. The steps are easy for a little child to climb, and even if they fall, it's a VERY short distance, I sincerely doubt a child could get hurt on this. Our little one is now 17 months old, and the fun factor has not worn off. She now can push the coaster back to the top of the ramp, to go for another ride.....she's very independant, and this toy has been perfect for her. I think it's helped her and her urge to do everything on her own, and since it's an easy toy for children to crawl on, play with, they CAN do it on their own! Durable, easy to assemble, it maybe took us all of 5 minutes to get it together, and it moves easily. Washable, and our dogs have put the coaster and track to the torture test, too....you cannot hurt this toy! Highly suggest buying this. Plus, when she outgrows it, I know it'll hold up a long time, to be passed on to another child. Also, the coaster car can be ridden off of the coaster track, making it double as a great first "bike". We often see our little one riding it around the yard!

I have worked at my daycare center for 3 years and they've had this toy since before I started--it's in great shape. Even the one-year-olds can use it. It's great for developing gross motor skills: climbing steps, balancing, pushing off, pushing the car, steering, etc. They also have to learn to take turns! (They try to push each other off of it and don't really know about not running into other kids yet, so they have to be watched!) It works best on a smooth surface, like a sidewalk or patio. It doesn't go as far on the grass (which could be a good thing for the younger kids) but of course, if you don't move it regularly, it'll kill the grass underneath. I would not recommend setting it up on the driveway unless you face it uphill, since this toy has good momentum.

My 3 daycare children all 3yrs and under have been having more fun than I could have imagined with this toy. It is very easy to put together (about 2 minutes for me) and we were having FUN!
The kids ride it frontward and backwards and have fun just pushing the ride-on toy by itself down the track. They love it.
It is easy to take down for the night and store. I have a large yard so space is no problem for me but you might want to take a look at the measurements. You will need about 3-5 feet extra at the end from where the ride ends. This was worth every penny.

"Educational" is not just cerebral. This toy is wonderful for my little one's (22 mos.) motor skills. She has to get the little car on the track, push it up to the top, climb off the track then climb back up the little steps to get on the car and then give herself a push off for the little two second ride over the "bumps". And she will do it over and over and over again. I also have an electric ride on train and I prefer it when she plays with this because there's so much more interaction with the toy itself.

It's a very popular toy with her play group friends. The track is 10' long so you need a pretty good size space to set it up but it can go indoors or out so don't worry, you can probably manage it. Set up is so easy you don't really need the instructions. A little side note, her Little Tikes sit on car also fits on the track so if you already have one of those you really have two cars to use!

Set it up and get ready to hear Wheeee! for about an hour or so.

We got this for my daughter for her 1st Birthday. She absolutely loves it. I wasn't too sure about it because it says from 24 months and up. But she holds on to the handles and just giggles away. She just can't wait to go down again and again. Even older kids love to play on it.

My children (3.5 and 2 years) received this from Santa this past Christmas and love it!

The toy is bright and colourful and very durable. We've had the roller coaster inside on our tiled hallway and outside on pavers, a cement garage floor and a grass area. Obviously your choice of surface will determine how far the coaster will continue rolling after you leave the track. And the speed at which you go will be determined by how big a push you give yourself (or someone gives you). We are able to control the speed for younger riders while the older ones can go as fast as they like.

The car you ride on is easy to climb on to with the wide steps at the top of the track. The wheels make a great wooden roller coaster sound as it goes along "clickety clack, clickety clack". The seat has a high back so your child has no chance of falling off backwards, with a good sized handle to grip and a space for feet to be placed so they are off the ground as you go "whooshing" down the track.

It is so easy to put together - my three old can do it (but I always check she's lock everything together properly) and the children worked out straight away how to ride it and how to push the car back up the track and put the wheels in the little wheel holder up the top so it's ready for the next rider.

The children love it! They have so much fun sharing it with each other and their friends. It teaches them to take turns as well. But it's just not used as a roller coaster. They use the track to walk along practising their balance, they use the car to ride around the yard. The walk up and down (and up and down) the steps. I've also seen cars get zoomed up and down - everything from Tonka trucks, matchbox cars and Little People.

Highly recommended! Your children will have a ball!

My 19 month old son got this roller coaster for Christmas and hasn't stopped riding yet! This toy has enriched his physical development and confidence - all while having a great time. He had so many "educational" toys that focused on letters, numbers, and colors, this toy provides a way to just have fun, be a kid and explore his newfound physical skills. The smile and look of pride on his face while he plays says it all without saying a word. I highly recomend it! I live in an apartment, so it does take up alot of room, but it takes apart very easily and quickly for storage.