Do your kids wear bike helmets? - Page 2

[elmh23]

Yes, all the time even though she's still riding a trike that daddy has to push. The reason: in my town there is a law that requires children on any bike (even a trike!) to wear a helmut or you could be given a fine. Since the helmut is cheaper than the fine, we went out and bought one. I figure at the very least, it'll get her used to it. (My town is kind of going crazy with the behavior changing rules!)

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by mamabohl

anyone have any tips on getting your child to wear one? My son says it's too tight when it's on correctly so he will either wear it all loose and unsafe or not at all. He only has a scooter and I don't really see any reason for a helmet with a scooter...but I really want him to get used to a helmet when he starts riding a bike.

No helmet = no riding. Period. Every time.

Get one that fits fairly tightly on the head, and then put it on so that there's a finger's width under his chin. The ones that have a V strap (so the straps to the front of the ear and behind the ear, and then come together) generally fit better and are more stable than the other ones.

[AngelBee]

All of the time or they may not ride their bikes.

[Mary-Beth]

Yes all the time.
My dh is a triathlete and spends a great deal of time on his bike.
He has crashed and actually cracked his helmet. If he didn't have it on it would have been fatal.
The fall happened at a low speed, near home. Not going 25-30mph on a ride somewhere.
The kids wear it because we insist on this and they see us follow this rule as well.

[forthebest]

Totally yes! My ds had to go to ER for stitches on his chin when he had a very nasty fall off his bike, I wished I had got him the full-face helmet like I was going to but at least he had on a regular helmet, which saved his head. The bike he had was a suspension bike and it just springed him off, I felt really bad. A helmet is an absolute must for on the road.

[angie3096]

I am very anal about the helmet thing. Even in the yard, even on a trike. Don't want to wear it? That's just fine sweetie. You don't have to. But you can't get on the bike.
I equate riding the bike without the helmet to riding in the car without the carseat. It's not an option. Ever. It has nothing to do with the law or with getting a fine. It's that I've heard too many bike crash horror stories from people that I personally know. She also has to wear her helmet when she's on the horse, even if the horse is tied up and not moving. Don't like the helmet? Fine. Stay away from the horse.

[peilover010202]

dh is a triathlete, so it's been very important for us to lead by example and start early. dh and I only ride with our helmets and ds1 started wearing his helmet at 12mos (when I read that their neck muscles are strong enough to support a helmet for short periods.) ds1 knows no helmet = no riding. There is no option. ds2 is now 12mos old, so we've been slowly getting him acclimated (which has been more difficult! )

And, only recently have any of the neighbor kids starting wearing them (told their mom they wanted a "cool" helmet like ds1's!) But, there are many more that don't.

[PeacefulSeams]

MY DS has to wear a bike helmet at all times. I live in Washington and they can actually ticket you if your child is not wearing a helmet. It's a state law.

My DH was pulled over yesterday because my niece had no helmet on (it was forgotten at home) and was given a warning about the helmet law.

Plus, my DS is a clumsy and he usually falls off his bike at least once while riding it.

[AbbieB]

Up till now, no helmet. DD has a trike. She has one. We don't make her wear it. She tried it a few times and had a hard time with it, the thing really effected her balance and vision.

I do not know how I will feel about it as she grows and gets going faster on a bigger bike.

My sister had a major head injury from an auto accident in her 20's. I remember talking to the doctor with my Mom and us getting into the subject of helmets. You know what he said? The only thing helmets do is keep your head/face looking good. It does absolutely nothing to prevent damage to your brain. I was really struck by that statement.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with making it a rule. I do think that it is worth it to save a person from stitches and things like a crack on the head from a rock during a fall.

[MilkbarMom]

My girls wear them for every activity that involves wheels (bike, scooter, etc) and on horses.

For those moms that said the helmets did not fit good, I have to stress, a GOOD helmet makes all the difference. Get one that adjusts to fit the head, it usually had a little dial in the back or it squeezes tighter. The helmet shoudl fit snugly without the straps even on yet, that way it does not shift while they are riding. It shoudl also come down on the forehead, not be worn high up like a baseball cap. And always make sure the strap is on to keep the helmet on.

[guest^]

I voted yes 100% of the time. DH is a retired professional racing cyclist, so after my share of witnessing life-threatening crashes, I made a mental note to alwasy have my dc wear one. We've made it pretty simple-if you're on the bike,scooter,skates,etc..your head is protected. Period. I must say it PmeOff when I see pro. cyclists not wearing them. Yes, I know it's not a certainty that they will keep you alive, but they will help, ecspecially at the speed our DC go.

mp

[angie3096]

Originally Posted by AbbieB

I remember talking to the doctor with my Mom and us getting into the subject of helmets. You know what he said? The only thing helmets do is keep your head/face looking good. It does absolutely nothing to prevent damage to your brain. I was really struck by that statement.

I am so sorry to burst your bubble, but I do believe that doctor was talking out of his rear.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/tbi...preventing.htm

http://www.biapa.org/site/c.iuLZJbMM...ain_injury.htm

http://depts.washington.edu/hiprc/pr...meteffect.html

And here's a quote from the next one: It is abundantly clear from the injury prevention research that bicycle helmets reduce the frequency and severity of traumatic brain injuries and death by approx. 85%.
Here's the link:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...Story/lifeMain

I could go on but my fingers are tired.

[wombatclay]

All the time, no exceptions. I was side swiped by a car while on my bike when I was 19...I was knocked out for a minute, pretty cut up, and my helmet was cracked. I can only imagine what would have happened if I hadn't been wearing a helmet. Our local sport shop has a wall of broken helmets and busted pads...

Helmets are the rule for us...cycling, climbing, skiing, whetever. It's just part of the equipment.

[mommato5]

Mine only ride in our yard (all grass) so no helmet.

[artgoddess]

Originally Posted by AbbieB

My sister had a major head injury from an auto accident in her 20's. I remember talking to the doctor with my Mom and us getting into the subject of helmets. You know what he said? The only thing helmets do is keep your head/face looking good. It does absolutely nothing to prevent damage to your brain. I was really struck by that statement.

I think the doctor was full of it.

[grisandole]

Moving to the new family safety forum My kids do wear helmets, it's the law here in CA!

[tboroson]

I couldn't really vote, because your choices were too vague. My girls *always* wear a helmet when biking on street or sidewalk. They don't always when riding at a playground or at our house.

[kblackstone444]

Originally Posted by MilkbarMom

For those moms that said the helmets did not fit good, I have to stress, a GOOD helmet makes all the difference. Get one that adjusts to fit the head, it usually had a little dial in the back or it squeezes tighter. The helmet shoudl fit snugly without the straps even on yet, that way it does not shift while they are riding. It shoudl also come down on the forehead, not be worn high up like a baseball cap. And always make sure the strap is on to keep the helmet on.

Very good advice, but I'd like to add to that... sometimes an adjustment to the child's hairdo helps, as well. My little girl LOVES when I do her hair- one braid, two braids, one ponytail, two ponytails, high braids, low braids, hir bpnytail, low ponytails, etc. When she first got her bike (two years ago), I was finding out that, if I gave her a hairdo, for example, two high ponytails, the bike helmet would not fit and therefore, she would fuss about wearing it (and Hubby would often give in- "Oh, she's just riding down the sidewalk.") Now, on days I know she's gonna be riding her bike, we'll make sure her hair styled low so that the ponytail holder is where it doesn't interfere with the helmet.

[Clarinet]

We always wear helmets. Adults included. They even wear their helmets when they are in the bike trailer.

[kuhlmom]

Yes, we ALWAYS wear helmets. My husband and I do too. We also wear them for skiing, scootering, skateboarding, really most everything faster than walking... you can never be too safe (especially with your HEAD).