Big Dog Truck

Ruff Ride

• What: Little Tikes Big Dog Truck Ride On and Walker
• When: 12 months to 5 years
• Why: Multipurpose, wide age range appeal
• Where: Amazon

My parents got this Big Dog Truck from Little Tikes for my youngest child more than a year ago, when he had just turned two. He talks about it all the time when we’re not at their house, and watches over it possessively whenever we are there. At ages six and seven and a half, my older kids, despite being well beyond the target age range of two to five years, still love it, too.

The truck features a dog, who can “eat” by virtue of a red spinning pronged wheel near the surface in the front. The truck includes three rock colored and shaped balls to consume. The rubble pops into a compartment under the seat, which my kids also love to fill with food from their play kitchen, books, or anything else they can shove in there. As an added bonus, they can sit on the lid to prevent their siblings from gaining access to items like beloved stuffed animals or other favorite and not-so-favorite items.

Kids steer with their feet, as it comes with no actual steering mechanism. My son asks to see his “dog truck” on FaceTime or Skype on a regular basis. His siblings both ride on it and chase him or have him chase them on it when we visit. It has a large handle on the front that provides a place to hold on, and also doubles as the handle to open the lid to the storage compartment underneath. The same handle can flip up and lock in place to create a walker for kids just getting upright. It makes seven different noises, though I can’t really distinguish between most of them, and lights up in a way that’s only really noticeable in a dark room. Luckily, you can remove the batteries, or never insert them in the first place.

A hole in the back means kids can put the balls or anything else that fits down into the compartment without lifting the lid (or dumping crap on the floor to see if the truck will pick it up). We’ve only used ours indoors, on both carpet and hardwood floors, and it rolls smoothly on both. I don’t think it would work well on gravel or other outdoor surfaces, but haven’t tried it.

Pulling on the large lever next the seat not only activates the noise and sounds, but also dumps the contents out behind the truck for even more entertainment. If you need a ride on toy or even just a beloved belonging for your child, enlist grandma and invest in this truck.