best toddler balance bike image
Heids
In his own baby seat on the back of my bike ?
Answer
There is no set rule for this but most biking experts will recommend waiting until 1 year of age. This is because infant helmets are only made for and tested on children 1 year and up. Younger children may lack enough neck muscles to support their head and the extra weight of a helmet. Even if they are riding in a bike trailer it still requires good muscle control and balance to keep themselves from jolting around in their seat too much.
You should NEVER let a child ride on a bike without a helmet. Even if you are not used to wearing one it is very important that your child does... they are much more fragile than adults and the statistics on bike related injuries and deaths for children clearly show this. If you don't wear a helmet yourself you should start. I never did until I started taking our 1 year old on bike rides. I wanted to be a good example and actually after a few times I really didn't even notice the helmet anymore.
One more note: make sure you read the instructions with your helmets carefully to get a proper fit. When it comes time to fit one on your child it will help to do it in front of the TV or other distraction since it is not the most pleasant experience for a toddler to feel like they are being poked and tugged at (once it is adjusted they will get used to it quickly, though).
Good luck and happy biking!
There is no set rule for this but most biking experts will recommend waiting until 1 year of age. This is because infant helmets are only made for and tested on children 1 year and up. Younger children may lack enough neck muscles to support their head and the extra weight of a helmet. Even if they are riding in a bike trailer it still requires good muscle control and balance to keep themselves from jolting around in their seat too much.
You should NEVER let a child ride on a bike without a helmet. Even if you are not used to wearing one it is very important that your child does... they are much more fragile than adults and the statistics on bike related injuries and deaths for children clearly show this. If you don't wear a helmet yourself you should start. I never did until I started taking our 1 year old on bike rides. I wanted to be a good example and actually after a few times I really didn't even notice the helmet anymore.
One more note: make sure you read the instructions with your helmets carefully to get a proper fit. When it comes time to fit one on your child it will help to do it in front of the TV or other distraction since it is not the most pleasant experience for a toddler to feel like they are being poked and tugged at (once it is adjusted they will get used to it quickly, though).
Good luck and happy biking!
Can anyone recommend a baby helmet to soften falls?
tonymonton
We got her one, but she won't wear it because it falls over her eyes. Any suggestions?
for those of us who don't see the wisdom in fall protection, try this.. Fall head first onto a hard floor. If you still don't understand the trauma this causes to a baby, repeat until convinced.
Answer
I have been a mom for 28 years to 4 kids who are now 28, 26, 23, and 10. I am also grandma to an almost 12 month old grandson who has been working to perfect his toddling skills for about a month. Additionally, I have provided child care in my home for 20 years. Unless your baby has a medical condition necessitating a helmet a child who is developing at a normal rate does not need one. Falls and the accompanying bumps, bruises, and cuts are part of the learning experience and while I won't say never, I will say will rarely cause any permanent or long-lasting damage. I have never heard of a child with a permanent injury as the result of a normal childhood fall. Truthfully, most of the falls will cause various facial injuries rather than head bumps anyway. Right now I have my almost 1 year old grandson sitting on my lap with a bump above his eye that he got earlier today when he fell against a toy while practicing his walking skills. It caused a few tears, but some snuggle time and a kiss to make the "owie" better and he was up and trying again. One of my 2 year old daycare children has a scratch on his check no doubt received over the weekend in some toddler mishap. When babies are learning to walk they will naturally put their hands out to balance themselves and thus to catch themselves so they are not landing with a full impact on their heads/faces on the floor nor will they fall straight back, but usually fall on their well-padded little bottoms. In my many years of experience with infants and toddlers, the only child who needed a helmet was not for safety reasons but was a molding helmet to help with plagiocephaly, which is the misshapen head that some infants get. I am sure that you love your daughter very much and want to do what you can to protect her, but a helmet is really unneccessary unless she is riding on the back of your bike in a child seat or in a bicycle trailer. ADDED: It is just a part of life that babies fall while learning to sit or walk. The majority of the time it is not their head that hits the floor first. While learning to sit simply place pillows around her while she practices the balance skills she needs. While learning to walk, most falls are backward to the bottom. Frontwards falls are usually absorbed by the torso and the arms. Bumps to the head are typically not caused by falls but rather by running into something such as a door knob, a coffee table, or the kitchen table.
I have been a mom for 28 years to 4 kids who are now 28, 26, 23, and 10. I am also grandma to an almost 12 month old grandson who has been working to perfect his toddling skills for about a month. Additionally, I have provided child care in my home for 20 years. Unless your baby has a medical condition necessitating a helmet a child who is developing at a normal rate does not need one. Falls and the accompanying bumps, bruises, and cuts are part of the learning experience and while I won't say never, I will say will rarely cause any permanent or long-lasting damage. I have never heard of a child with a permanent injury as the result of a normal childhood fall. Truthfully, most of the falls will cause various facial injuries rather than head bumps anyway. Right now I have my almost 1 year old grandson sitting on my lap with a bump above his eye that he got earlier today when he fell against a toy while practicing his walking skills. It caused a few tears, but some snuggle time and a kiss to make the "owie" better and he was up and trying again. One of my 2 year old daycare children has a scratch on his check no doubt received over the weekend in some toddler mishap. When babies are learning to walk they will naturally put their hands out to balance themselves and thus to catch themselves so they are not landing with a full impact on their heads/faces on the floor nor will they fall straight back, but usually fall on their well-padded little bottoms. In my many years of experience with infants and toddlers, the only child who needed a helmet was not for safety reasons but was a molding helmet to help with plagiocephaly, which is the misshapen head that some infants get. I am sure that you love your daughter very much and want to do what you can to protect her, but a helmet is really unneccessary unless she is riding on the back of your bike in a child seat or in a bicycle trailer. ADDED: It is just a part of life that babies fall while learning to sit or walk. The majority of the time it is not their head that hits the floor first. While learning to sit simply place pillows around her while she practices the balance skills she needs. While learning to walk, most falls are backward to the bottom. Frontwards falls are usually absorbed by the torso and the arms. Bumps to the head are typically not caused by falls but rather by running into something such as a door knob, a coffee table, or the kitchen table.
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