Frequently asked questions about child bicycle helmetsSee also:-About child bicycle helmets -Checklist when buying a child bicycle helmet Does my child really need one? The simple answer is yes. Laws now require helmets in many jurisdictions. This is because medical research has shown that a bicycle helmet can prevent 85 percent of the head injuries suffered by cyclists. Over 600 cyclists are killed in the U.S. every year, almost all of them as a result of collisions with cars, and 75 percent of them die as a result of head injuries. Eighty-five percent of them are not wearing helmets. Many thousands more suffer less severe but nonetheless debilitating injuries that are far worse than the physical pain caused by scraped skin or even broken bones. Your child may suffer permanent personality changes and learning disabilities as a result of a brain injury, and both of you will be aware of what has been lost. Common long-term effects include concentration difficulties, aggressiveness, headaches and balance problems. Imagine your anguish if this were to happen to your child. What does a child bicycle helmet cost? Helmets are sold in bicycle shops or by mail order from around $20, or in discount stores for $10 or even less. A good store will help you with the fitting of the helmet, and a good fit is essential for safety. A discount helmet may provide equally good protection, provided you take the time to carefully fit it on your child’s head. Helmets are cheap in relation to the protection they provide, so don’t hang around waiting for a sale. Will I have to buy a new one every year? No. Heads grow less than legs and feet. Many child bicycle helmets come with two or even three sets of foam fitting pads. You can start with thick pads and move over to the thinner pads as your child’s head grows. The fitting pads do not affect the impact protection of the helmet, which is provided by the firmer, crushable polystyrene foam (picnic cooler foam). Will my child actually use it? Yes – if other children wear a helmet, and their parents wear them, and if the schoolteacher tells kids how much good bicycle helmets do, and the child has picked one out that he or she really wants. If the helmet makes your child feel like a geek, if nobody else uses one, and if it does not fit well – then no. The child may however wear a helmet in these circumstances nonetheless if you have the necessary willpower to enforce the rule. Most people find themselves in a situation that lies somewhere between these two extremes, and you know your own child better than anyone else. Children seem to be most resistant to the use of bicycle helmets around the seventh grade, when they tend to have a powerful feeling of invincibility and they are subject to powerful pressures to be “fashionable”. The key motivator to get kids to use bicycle helmets is fashion, not safety. Try to use this to your advantage. Does my toddler need a helmet? Children of all ages need a helmet when riding a bicycle, but a toddler’s neck may not support the weight of a helmet. For this and other reasons, nobody in the injury prevention community recommends riding a bike with a child under one year of age. If in doubt, take the child together with the helmet to a pediatrician for advice. Child bicycle helmets require ventilation in hot weather, since the foam acts as an insulator and holds heat in. The shape of toddlers’ heads varies, so pay careful attention to the fit of the helmet. The helmet should sit level on the child’s head and should fit securely with the strap fastened. What about standards? Helmets for sale in the U.S. must meet the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standard and state that they do so on a sticker placed on the inside of the helmet. Outside of the U.S. you should be careful to look for a safety standards sticker that you recognize, like the CEN standard in Europe, or the AUS standard in Australia. None of the standards test the fit of the helmet, so make sure you try the helmet on your child’s head. Which helmet should I buy? There are a lot of good helmets on the market. Consumer Reports published an article in July of 2002 rating nine child bicycle helmets, with the Specialized Air Wave Mega coming out as Best Buy. You can purchase the report on their website or read it at your local library. You can, however, choose a helmet based on how well it fits your child’s head, and how much your child likes it – and on the price of course. What should I look for when buying a helmet? Select a helmet with a smooth shell in a bright color. Check to ensure it has a pinch-proof buckle. Place it on your child’s head, adjust the straps and pads or the inner one-size-fits-all ring, and then make sure it will not come off. When should I replace the helmet? Replace any helmet that your child has been using when involved in an accident. Impacts crush some of the foam. The helmet will then provide less protection, even though the damage may not be readily visible. Helmets soften impact, so children may not even be aware that they have hit their head until you examine the helmet for damage. Replace the buckle if it cracks or if any piece of it breaks off. Nobody will prompt you to replace your child’s helmet, so give it some thought. Can child bicycle helmets be used for other sports? The ASTM standard for cycling and inline skating is identical, so child bicycle helmets are fine for normal inline skating. There is no accepted standard for tricycle or scooter helmets, but child bicycle helmets should work well for these activities. Aggressive extreme trick skating and skateboard helmets have a different ASTM standard, which is designed for multiple impacts but of a less severe nature. Most child bicycle helmets are not designed for this, although there are a few that are. Some are certified to Snell’s N-94 multi-purpose standard, as listed on Snell’s website at www.smf.org. Skate helmets may not meet child bicycle helmet requirements unless they have a CPSC sticker inside. Helmets for equestrian sports have a unique design to protect against hoof impacts. Warning: No child bicycle helmets in playgrounds! In 1999, the first death was recorded in the U.S. involving a child bicycle helmet getting caught on playground equipment. There have been a number of other close calls. Be sure to teach your child to remove his or her child bicycle helmet before using playground equipment or climbing trees. See also: -About child bicycle helmets -Checklist when buying a child bicycle helmet |
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