Ski Helmets for Kids? Really? - Page 2

[myk]

you know i never really thought about it until this year, but having talked to a pediatrician friend of mine.. she's told me horror stories. my kid doesn't ski but we do take her tobogganing and i remember going down that same hill and getting quite the bonk when we hit a bump and careened into the path of another sled. we never used helmets, it just wasn't done in those days.. same goes for biking. now i wouldn't dream of letting my kid ride a bike without a helmet, so it really only makes sense that she wear a helmet for other winter sports. i don't have a ski helmet but i did get her a hockey helmet.

[TiredX2]

Both of my kids wear helmets when they are skiing and we are surprised to see a child on the mountain without one.

It is not just a matter of their skill (as others have mentioned) but they are so *small* compared to a lot of the other people out there.  If they even get hit slightly they will go flying.

[emilysmama]

OP, thank you so much for posting this and raising the awareness.  I too have been out of the loop of winter sports, and never even thought about it. Of course I remember the high profile skiing deaths in the news, and it makes complete sense not that I think about it.

So where do I buy one? Recommendations?  Links to online vendors?  Chain stores that might be near me? (i.e.  would Dick's Sporting Goods be good?)  Suggestions of what to look for?  Even better, a specific helmet that you like?

One of the PPs mentioned in passing that they are warm?  That was going to be my first question.  How to keep the head warm while wearing helmet with/without warm hat?

We don't ski or snowboard, but here in Michigan, we love occasionally sledding.  Do you think a helmet would be a good idea?  How about the iced toboggan run that I am currently too chicken to go on?

[Alyantavid]

My kids use helmets for sledding, if it's more than the 2 foot mounds they make in my yard.  We have a small local sporting goods store here that sells them, but any place that carries skis, snowboards, etc will have them.  I would assume you wouldn't have much trouble finding a store that carries them in Michigan. :)

They do keep heads warm, somewhat.  Dh complained the last time they went that he was getting cold and there are those really thin hat type of things you can wear underneath (sorry, I'm totally blanking on what they're called) and they should sell them at the same place.  I don't know that one brand is better than any other, my kid's is a Red though.  Just make sure you take the kids with you so you get the right size. 

[coyotemist]

I grew up horseback riding, never wore a helmet unless I was jumping.  At 25 or something, my horse saw a deer in the woods and started bucking.  I sat on the first 6 bucks, the 7th I slid sideways, the 8th I hit a tree.  It took me 6 months to fully recover.

We wear helmets riding, snowmobiling, motorcycling, bicycling, and definitely skiing.

[pixiekisses]

Oh yes, my kids wear helmets for winter sports. My two oldest also snowboard, and they wear back protectors as well. Everyone I know who snowboard does.

The kids have thin wool hats that they have under the helmets.

Living on the ice berg, it's too cold to not have hats on, but the thin wool ones we have are no problem.

[leighi123]

Ds didnt wear one last year when he was just starting out,  but this year he is skiing on green runs (intermediate) and the easier black runs (advanced) so people ski really fast, b/c he is only 3 and 25lbs he is tiny, he is easier to see with a helmet on and I feel its nessisary in case someone crashes into him (happened once already).  He has fallen a couple times jumping off stuff and slid a ways once, so Im really glad he has it. 

I had a helmet on and still got a minor concussion snowboarding (I am not very coordinated), and they said it would have been much much worse had I not had one on.  And that was falling going pretty slow on a flat area.  I chipped the bones in my wrist really bad and got a blood clot b/c of it, so even a minor fall can cause damage. 

I even had him wear it for sledding, most kids had them too.  When I was maybe 10 I went sledding on that hill and hit a car at the bottom (they park along the highway there), and there are a couple trees so I thought it was a good idea! 

He wears a "buff" under it which is a thin but really warm tube shaped thing that you can make into a hat or a hat/neck guard or use as a scarf, its a cool thing and works well without messing up the helmet fit.  He was plenty warm in 14 degree weather even when we got caught in a blizzard and I probably wouldnt be taking him skiing if it were much colder. 

EVERY kid in ski school has to have a helmet, and some resorts anyone under 18 has to have one.  at least 1/2 of all the adults seem to have one (I dont, but I plan on getting one), and all but a few kids had them.    A 4-5yrs ago I was a ski instructor and only a couple kids had helmets and no adults did, only ski team kids really wore them.     When I learned to ski (age 3) no one had helmets.  I also didnt have a carseat (and I'm 25, so there were carseats around when I was little!), but things change, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. 

Plus ds thinks his helmet makes him look cool. 

[gealach]

I worked one ski patrol shift yesterday, for only about 4 hours, at a tiny hill, on a not-busy day, and ended up treating two probable concussions.   Wear a helmet.   Just always wear a helmet.    

[Britishmum]

I never wore a bike helmet when I was a child. Nor did I sit in a car seat. But my kids sure as heck sit in car seats, wear bike helmets, and wear ski helmets when the ski or snowboard. Times change, we get more aware of dangers, and safety gear becomes more easily available and more commonly worn. We also wear our helmets for ice skating, which was unheard of when I was a kid.

[leighi123]

Levi skiing with his helmet on:

http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u218/leighi123/baby/December%202010/?action=view&current=MOV05778.mp4

Covered in snow after a fall in the first pic, that could have been his head!