Helmet People-Question on when to wear one?

[lula]

Dd (mostly) wears a helmet with her bike. She also wears one ice skating for lessons but not always when we go "just for fun."

Do you have your children wear a helmet sledding? What activities do you NOT have them wear a helmet even if other people do?

I am all for wearing helmets and we are working on wearing them more consistently. Sometimes though I feel the helmet thing has gone too far. I knew more people who fell out of trees than other injuries when I was young but having dd wear a helmet while she's climbing seems a bit odd. At some point life is a bit dangerous and I am trying to let dd be ok with a bit of risk but not going over the top. Does this make sense? Anyone else have these bizarre problems late at night?

[aeiouys]

When ds was younger (he's 10 now) he wore a helmet for alot of activities, (sking, skating, sledding, bike riding, skateboarding, rollerblading)
Now that he's older he won't wear a helmet when we go skating or sledding, but still wears it for everything else.

[honeybee]

I know what you mean... I can't see making ds wear a helmet while climbing on the jungle gym.

Ds wears one when on a bike, in a bike trailer, or on skates. Otherwise, I guess we'll see what comes up.

[Erin M]

My father and brother have both suffered tramatic brain injuries. They are both fully functional but not the same people they were before the injury. A head injury will change your dc's life. Of course our kids can't live in a bubble or wear a helmet 24-7. My policy is any activity that allows you to move faster than your own body can propel you requires head protection. This rule applies to dh and myself as well.

It doesn't take much to bruise the fruit - My dad's injury was from blacking out and falling backward on a concrete sidewalk. The people he was with didn't realize the severity of the injury and so he was not treated for over 24 hours. If your dc or anyone hits their head and seems out of sorts afterward please get medical attention immediately. An immediate trip to the ER would have saved my dad months of recovery and likely have signifigantly reduced the damage.

[mata]

My dds (6 and 3) wear them for biking and riding their scooters. My oldest also wears them for skateboarding and roller blading (plus additional pads.) We are in the minority around here-most kids do not wear helmets at all, at any age.

[lilyka]

our rule is anything that send them forward at speed greater than they could achieve on thier own. except for sledding but they do pretty tame sledding. and rarely with other children or in very controlled supervised environments.

[ma_Donna]

Riding a bike on sidewalk/driveway
Ice skating
Riding in bike trailer

Our oldest is just 3, but if he does get into roller skating, skateboarding, etc there will be a helmet on.

I think that it's actually NOT safe to wear a helmet when climbing. Since the helmet is larger than the head, it can get stuck and with the strap...

We also make sure the helmet fits properly and snugly. I cringe whenever I see a kid with a helmet front above the hairline and a loose strap - it's not going to do much. I also cringe at all of the very loose car seat straps I see.

[nonnymoose]

I saw a woman shopping last week at TJMaxx with her three children (2 boys, 1 girl). Both boys (probably 7 and 10) were wearing those wheeled shoes, and they both had helmets on. Go mom!
My son wears his helmet on his trike, in the bike trailer, and once when he forgot about the top bunk when he tried to look out the window.