I started with the Alpha-Sports Mini Kolt 50 for my very small 5 year old. Same exact quad as the Polaris, made in the same factory.

http://www.alpha-sports.com/mini50.htm

It has all the safety features and was bulletproof in the 2 years I've had it. Will probably sell it this year for a loss of only $400 from new.

 

Weeman is such a rockstar.. big brother is gonna get more and more jelous as the wee steals his limelight and lil brothe is kickin his butt at the races.. these kids are gonna go far with their rivalry [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

4 year olds struggle to tie their shoes, most cannot ride a bicycle and certainly should not play with sharp scissors or knife. A 4 year old typically can not differentiate between real and fantasy. They are usually pretty speedy around the house but are at least 3 years away from having the ability to reason, rationalize and identify danger. A 4 year old cries often and has temper tantrums along with other numerous and difficult behavior issues when they don't get their way or feel cheated. 4 year olds find it difficult to focus or stay attentive to what they are doing for very long. They are often and easily distracted. A 4 year old may be able to stack "blocks" as high as 10 but seldom will architect much beyond a single stack. They find the blocks tumbling down more entertaining then the challenge of building a taller tower.

Toys that engage 4 year olds include matching games, puzzles (12-15 pieces), board games, play money, pretend cash register, plastic blocks, ***** (all sizes) glue, crayons, paint, scissors (rounded ends) and paper, washable markers, colored chalk, and play dough.

Now there are exceptional children. 99.999 percent are more typical then exceptional. Mostly, the exception originates with the parent rushing them into activities that please the parent - at a very high risk of injury to the child.

Children that become injured typically walk away from whatever activity they got hurt with and are reluctant to go back to it. Actually, the kids are often more mature about it then the parent is.

In one year 111 children were killed on ATV's in the U.S. Something like 43,000 were injured.

Putting a 4 year old child on a motorized ATV that can scoot across the yard and into the street, ditch or swamp in 9 seconds has a pretty high risk factor associated with it.

Now - Just about anyone who started out young on a ATV will argue that I'm full of crap and you have to lock your kids in a closet to keep them safe. That’s crazy talk. The truth is to introduce activities and risks to children as they develop and mature so they can be successful with it.

I like to skydive. Should I take my 4 year old skydiving with me? Hey - its my kid. I should be able to make that decision for myself right? Well, not exactly. You see - so many parents made such really dumb decisions about children skydiving that they had to pass laws to be a safety net for kids who's parents were skydivers and thought their kids should be able to skydive and join in the fun also.

I cannot believe for one minute that a child best geared for puzzles, play money, blocks and pretend cash registers is appropriate for a motorized ATV.

And I am not alone. A hundred thousand professional health-care and child protection advocates have joined force to ask for federal laws to preventing anyone from under 16 to operate any ATV on any public land.

Personally I think that’s a little extreme but we all know to ask for more then what we expect when it comes to politics.

But note that I'’m one of those who volunteers time and resources to help 12-15 year olds ride larger then 90cc quads - after they have demonstrated the ability to do so and completed some basic ATV training. I am not against youth on ATV – just not before they are ready for it.

 

Mud i think you stuck in da mud.. I have read a couple of your posts today on the kids. Im kinda confused by your convoluted approach at makin a point..

I dont know if your for or against.. All I got to say for now is how about we leave parenting descision up to the individuals instead of attempting to create blanket regulations. If parents are going to be careless enough to deliberatly allow their kids to kill themselves.. then allow them too. possibly this is Gods plan for them. Why interfere with our destiny? sometimes parents need to learn a lesson and sometimes the kids do. lets leave it to the individuals to learn from experience.. does that sound okay? Im sure you dont want me commin to your house and tellin you how to raise your kids as much as i wouldnt want anyone tellin me how to raise mine.

 

I have reread that post by whodatindamud about 4 times now.. Im kinda finding him to be taking the passifists approach to the pussification of america. you just want all the little kids to be sissy g@ywads.

What were these skydiving injuries caused by? are the kids ears not cabaple of dealing with the altitude or some other physical imaturty? or is it just the skydiving parents are not savvy tandem jumpers and wipe out on the landing? physical immaturity asside there is no reason a parent shouldnt be able to do that if the kid is up for it.

I suppose class IV & V whitewater canoeing isnt safe for a 3 yr old either. I lived thru it.. but Im guessing kids drown in rivers and such so they probably shouldnt be allowed?

 

Hell, kids drown every year in bathtubs too. But that didn't stop my parents from keeping me clean. Guess my parents knew what was right for me, and not the kid next door. It's time parents start to be parents, and take an active role in the childs developement. Get 'em away from the tv and video games, get outdoors for some exercise and fun. Maybe then, they would see what type of talent/skills the kids actually have.

 

I totally agree with you on a four year old's reasoning and motor skills. However, until a federal law is passed it is up to the parent to make the decision on whether their young child rides an ATV or not. The parent then takes full responsibility for that decision. The parent has to live with that decision if it turns out to be the wrong one.

Remember to check with your state laws on how old a child needs to be to operate an ATV. You might not have to wait for the Feds to pass such a law.


SB.

 

My kids will be raised how i see fit. If you wanna pay for my kids i might give you a lil latitude on the input. but aslong as my dollar goes to them your opinion is better to be kept to your own kids. and when my kid kicks the chit outta the lil pussified kid dont come cryin to OFC about it cuz I'll just whoop you too... Why do people insist that the government knows whats right for my kids. guess all you that think that need to cut an aditional 25% outta your salary and pay for everyones kids. we may as well send all kids off to child rearing camps at birth. as you all think parents are completly incapable of making decisions for their children. so why allow them to have them? you want to take away all the tools parents have and tell them what to do.. You all know better than someone who lives with their child.

What a wonderfull world we would live in if everychild was the same and raised the same way.. WOO WHOO can you sign me up for boring idealogical world? This sounds so great.. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

 

[quote]
Originally posted by: smb05
Exactly - but thats where we are heading if parents don't quit giving the anti-youth groups a dump truck load of dead kids every year to point at. In skydiving there was a Supreme Court decision that parents DO NOT have the right to put thier children in un-reasonable risk of death or serious injury. Basicaly they said that only the person involved can make that decision for themselves and when they turn 18 - they are welcome to do that. The anti-ATV groups are using the youth accident issues as a springboard for the same kind of decision.

I think we all come pretty close to agreeing that a 6 year old on a 50cc machine isn't to much - or to little. But when they are 8 they want something bigger and faster, now its a 125, At 10 its 400. We all see it. And thats EXACTLY where we run into trouble. Children on adult sized ATV's. That one issue alone is what is fueling the well funded and well represented anti-ATV groups.

Now I know that will not sit well with many of the icons of contumacy in here that are trying to make up for their not being picked for the debate team - but the numbers keep increasing and there is coming a day when you have to put a chain around the kids quads if something isn't done to stop it.

I choose to share the facts about the problem.

 

This whole thread started with a member who was looking for a safe quad for his 4yr old sons. I have a 4yr old and can tell you that he handles his Polaris 50 just fine. I have a lot of rules and restrictions that go along with him riding it too.

He can only drive on flat ground, he must wear his safety gear, he must be supervised at all times and his throttle is set to a safe speed. I am sure firedogger will be putting similar restrictions on his sons. He wrote to us looking for the best quad to fit his kids. I think his inquiry is a good responsible start!

The basic riding skills I am teaching my son now, is the foundation to a great rider later. He loves to ride and he always follows my instructions.

I do realize that there are several thousand ATV accidents a year, but most of those accidents are due to un-supervised children, children on too large of a quad, lack of safety gear, lack of proper training and driving an ATV Drunk (for adults.) I bet if you took the statistics for injuries on a bicycle or trampoline, you would come up with similar numbers to injuries on an ATV. For every irresponsible rider out there, there are at least 100 more that are responsible. Please don't put us in the same category as the irresponsible ones!