Buyer’s Guide: 12 Gifts for Your Little Gearhead in the Making

(Image/Summit Racing)

Parenthood is an equal-parts rewarding and challenging experience—one fraught with questions and no easy answers:

“When should we start setting aside money for Susan’s college tuition?” (Assuming your child is 5-years-old or younger at the time this story was published, we’d suggest June 2007.)

“How can we ween Mikey Jr. off of pacifiers without causing distress?” (Earplugs.)

“At what age is it weird if Henry can’t recognize the difference between a 1/4- and 3/8-inch drive teardrop ratchet?” (You have to ask? Monster.)

Automotive enthusiasts have their own unique set of parenting challenges. For gearheads with a fantasy of passing down their love of cars to their children, figuring out exactly when and how to integrate them into the hobby can be daunting. How much is too much too soon? If little Sarah is three months removed from learning to walk she probably won’t be much help with putting that new intake manifold gasket in place, but it doesn’t mean you can’t start prepping her for a life behind the wheel and in the garage.

This holiday season is a great time to start, and our friends at Summit Racing Gifts, Clothing and Memorabilia have a wide variety of battery-powered riding toys, play sets, and other kids’ toys designed to instill and nurture a passion for cars, without being obnoxiously noisy…probably…maybe. Don’t focus on that. Just know that all of those sirens and flashing lights may serve a greater purpose than driving you insane.

These are a dozen of our favorite toys for tomorrow’s gearheads.

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