Last year our oldest grandson, Jakob, turned two. As my husband and I discussed what we wanted to give Jakob for his birthday, it became obvious that we didn't see eye to eye.

My husband wanted to buy him one of the 12 volt battery operated ride on toys, specifically a Peg Perego Polaris four wheeler. You know mothers (and by default grandmothers) look at things differently than dads do, and I worried that he was too young, the recommended age was 3-8, and that he would get hurt.

I thought we should buy a smaller ride on toy that was powered by a 6 volt battery. Despite my protests, my husband bought the 12 volt four wheeler ride on, and even though it was hard to admit it, I was mostly wrong.

I say mostly wrong, because one of the 6 volt powered ATV's would have been a better size for him.

Jakob's legs were just a little to short to reach the pedal so he had to kind of sit one sided, so his foot could touch the pedal. My husband solved that problem by attaching a small block of wood to the pedal with zip ties, and Jakob has been happily four wheeling ever since.

He has amazed me with how quickly he learned to judge distance and learned things like when to turn and how to navigate around trees and parked cars. With a few exceptions, he drives like someone who knows what they are doing.

If you have considered buying battery operated ride on toys for your grandchildren, I would say go for it. Your grandchildren will enjoy the vehicles and you will enjoy watching them have fun.

There are a few things you need to know before buying battery operated ride on toys. As I mentioned, there are 6 volt and 12 volt ride on vehicles.

There are also 24 volt ride on toys. The main difference in the toys is the size of the vehicle and the speed the vehicle will run.

Generally, 6 volt ride on toys will have one speed which is around 2 MPH, 12 volt powered toys have a low speed of 2 to 2-1/2 MPH and a high speed of 5 MPH and 24 volt battery powered ride on vehicles also have two speeds with the top speed being around 7 MPH.

We started Jakob out on the low speed and that is just right for learning to ride as you can walk along side them to make sure they are safe.

The one downside to the slower speed on the Peg Perego Polaris (and I assume is true for other 12 volt ride ons), is that only one back wheel pulls. This means the child will need a push from time to time when they get stuck in small dips or in gravel.

Once Jakob gained confidence and was navigating pretty good, we let him ride at the high speed. When both back wheels are pulling, he doesn't get stuck as often, although it can still happen.

All of the ride on vehicles I have seen come with a battery and a battery charger. Initially the battery needs a charge of 18 hours. After that,the battery should be charged after each time the vehicle is ridden.

The battery charge lasts for several hours of riding fun. It doesn't last as long when you use the top speed, so you might want to consider buying an extra battery so you can have one with a full charge all the time.

The only problem we have had is with the Peg Perego battery charger. Within a couple of months, our battery charger quit working. I don't know if this is common or if we just got a bad charger, but chargers are available if you should need a new one.

Jakob is approaching his third birthday, and has spent many happy hours riding his Peg Perego Polaris four wheeler. We live on a farm and one of his favorite things to do is ride his four wheeler along side PaPa on his four wheeler as they check on the cows.

While these toys aren't cheap, I can say that overall, they are well built and worth the money for the enjoyment they provide.