Two summers ago, shortly before our now three year old turned two, my wife found a sit and spin at a garage sale and brought it home. Within a couple of months it turned into the toy of choice.
Once the girl mastered the basic spin, followed by the fast-as-you-can-go spin, she started using it for various stunts, such as the stand and spin. She would also lie on the base, on her belly, and push herself around with one hand while the other arm and her feet were extended so she could “fly”.Once she nailed this trick it became her go-to stunt. She was probably two and a half when she reached this master sit and spin level.
The girl’s little sister would sit and stare in complete awe while her big sister performed these daring acts. It was only a matter of time until the little one climbed aboard herself and once she did it was all over.
The little sister made her debut a couple of short months ago and got to spinning very quickly and hasn’t really stopped since. Little sis hasn’t managed any tricks yet, other than riding the toy as if it were a bull in a rodeo. She sits in the standard position and with one hand she grasps the wheel while the other is extended to her side at approximately eye level. She will spin with the one hand (her balance is pretty impressive) while watching her other hand. It seems like she does this to keep herself from getting too dizzy.
Our home now has two sit and spins and watching the girls duel it out is too much fun. For the youngest one the sit and spin has turned into a bit of a drug as the steady rhythm calms her occasionally. The same was true of the big sis for a time. She no longer uses it as a coping tool, but then again she was never the little sister. Hmm.
I have to admit that initially I was a bit concerned with how often little sis was spinning. I thought maybe the whole excessively dizzy thing was causing some kind of problem, or was a symptom of a problem. I don’t worry about this anymore. I think the girl just likes to spin and who can blame her when she has an older sister that is bustin’ some pretty serious moves.
Have any of your kids shared a similar fascination with a sit and spin or other toy?
A few resources:
Sit and Spin for infants – New toy from an old concept
Center for developing kids – The Vestibular System
Hi Chuck!! Yeah, because of the somewhat vast age difference of my kids, I have had a sit&spin around my house for the last friggin’ 13 years. It is, at times, cute. I love it that my 4 year old is still having fun with the thing. I, however, am ready to leave it out for the garbage truck. It’s always smack dab in the middle of my family room floor. Enough already!!
Hey Karen! – You know, I failed to mention that I run into one sit and spin or the other on a daily basis. Doing this in the middle of the night, while half asleep, has prompted more than a few expletives. We have a love hate relationship.
I loved the sit and spin as a kid. After reading your post, and seeing how much kids still like, I can’t wait to get one for my kids to get some energy out. I will need to get two because at 4 and 2, they are already very competitive.
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Oh, I remember the sit-n-spins–my little brother had one, and we had a ball. Never bothered us getting ‘dizzy’…we would spin around on our own and fall down dizzy, too.
Our church has some sit-n-spins, and my daughters love them. The smallest one doesn’t quite have the hang of it yet, but I know it’s only a matter of time! 
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Love the sit and spin. I used to enjoy it myself back in the day. If only they made them for adults. Of course, if any of us used it now it would make us barf. Amazing how kids can do something like that for hours and never get queasy. BTW, how old is your littlest? I’m trying to figure out when my son will be old enough to get one.
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@ suburbandaddy: It will be a good purchase for just what you mention, getting that energy out! Thanks for commenting.
@ Stephen Shores: I remember that too. Spinning with arms outstretched, eyes closed just waiting for that moment when the lack of balance takes over and fall to the ground. FUN!
@ SWC: You got that right! We visited an indoor carnival early this winter and I rode the tilt-a-whirl twice with the 3 year old. She couldn’t get enough but by the second time I was DONE. My youngest is 16 months old. She caught on quicker than her older sister but she had the benefit of being taught by a master.
I loved the sit -n- spin. My sisters and I would spin until we felt green. My son now has one and does the same thing.. Must be in the genes..
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We have that same model. My son can flip through the songs at lightening speed to get to the William Tell Overture. It’s the only song he’ll “spin” to.
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