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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask my DDs to wear helmets when they go out on their bikes?

229 replies

LackingInspiration · 03/09/2010 18:25

Because I'm starting to feel like an overprotective mother (and I so am not one of those!). All the other children in the street don't wear helmets, and my DDs are so good at keeping theirs on, but I know it annoys them.

The thing is that, unlike most of the decisions DH and I have made about parenting, we've just swallowed the standard advice about helments, without researching the ins and outs of them. So what's the deal?

Am I being overprotective? Or haven't I read enough research and arguments to make an informed decision?

OP posts:
blueshoes · 03/09/2010 21:27

Sanielle, I would suggest you read the article Riven posted further down.

blueshoes · 03/09/2010 21:28

I will tell them that helmets are necessary if they want/need to ride on a road.

Oblomov · 03/09/2010 21:29

one of the mums today forgot her ds's helmet. she is always late. has 3 dc and is pg. they came in their big 4x4 into the carpark. people walk or bike down a small walkway/lane, 150m, into the school ( is one of 4 entrances).
5 children and 3 mothers enquired as to why the ds was not wearing his helmet. from the carpark to the school. down a walkway/lane. honestly i tell you. its safety gone mad. have just discussed this with dh and he says its mad.

PixieOnaLeaf · 03/09/2010 21:31

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domesticsluttery · 03/09/2010 21:32

YANBU.

Mine are not allowed to cycle without helmets. DH and I also wear helmets to cycle, so lead by example!

MisSalLaneous · 03/09/2010 21:34

I have to admit that I regret getting lazy about ds's helmet. He has a balance bike (he's 2.5 years old), and we started off with no-helmet-no-cycling rules, but then I gave in when he protested a couple of times, and now he refuses to wear it.

I think I'll try and buy the most comfortable / best one and try again. I suspect the other one wasn't too comfortable, hence the initial complaints.

So, what helmit is the best for casual wear then at toddler age then? Having read the earlier links, I'll go for a round one. Any other recommendations, or is the Watts best?

(Oh, and pfb disclaimer - it's not necessarily that I feel he must have the best for the sake of it, but I think to make my battle easier comfort is essential, and as I'm going to spend money and effort anyway, I might as well get a decent one.)

Egg · 03/09/2010 21:37

Think I ought to go to bed. However there are still paths (made of concrete type stuff) and walls, fences and trees, and other people/bikes/scooters etc in parks.

As said before, I would rather they know that on their bikes they always wear a helmet, even if going at 0.5 miles per hour (as DTs seem to go on their bikes at the mo).

DS1 is already v fast on his bike age 4, and I am glad I didn't have to choose a time when he suddenly needed to wear a helmet due to his ability / speed on his bike.

PixieOnaLeaf · 03/09/2010 21:38

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Egg · 03/09/2010 21:40

Mis, I found with DS1 when he was young that as soon as I got him a helmet the same as the boy a year older than him who he thought was super cool, he wanted to wear it!

MisSalLaneous · 03/09/2010 21:42

Hmm ok, thanks Egg, I'll try that approach! :)

Egg · 03/09/2010 21:43

Oblomov. Am not getting at you but am genuinely curious, why would the mother you mention get her DC to bike the 150m from car park to school? Do they use the bikes during the day or cycle further on the way home?

Surely not worth it for her sanity to take bikes for her DC for such a short walk, if she has to pack them all into the car and drive most of the way there and then get them all out again (and put helmets on) etc?

Oblomov · 03/09/2010 21:43

pixie, i don't get the comparison.

MistsandMellowMilady · 03/09/2010 21:45

My DC wear helmets as DH and I trundle along at a maximum of 5 miles an hour on the cycle paths.

I wouldn't dream of going on the roads and I doubt that helmets would protect them in a collision. The bike thread we had a little while ago with many car drivers saying how they try to "punish" cyclists for daring to hold them up really scared me.

PixieOnaLeaf · 03/09/2010 21:47

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Oblomov · 03/09/2010 21:48

no egg, she does do this. she always runs late. and with 3 dc , her oldest ds rarely gets to ride to school, like ours do regularly. plus she said he begged and begged to ride with his new rucksack ( all the kids have green flat, school 'book bag' bags). and he was very excited about having a rucksack. that none of the other children have.

Oblomov · 03/09/2010 21:53

no pixie, i don't see that as the same. i question the risk to the child of cycling down the school lane. being on a road and needing a helmet is a bit different. i think we all wear helmets without actually questioning why.
i know you, pixe have been hurt. so that makes yo question the risk. but generally, for a population as a whole, what is the real risk here ? as a calculated risk. i wonder how big it actually is.
i think we are all a bit helmet mad, ott, to be honest.
say, people riding around on a green grass playing field. flat as a pancake. insisting their dc wear helmets. why ?

PixieOnaLeaf · 03/09/2010 22:08

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mummynoseynora · 03/09/2010 22:30

in my case - so they get used to riding a bike = wearing a helmet... otherwise as they get older you just have a battle on your hands to get them to start?!

Hulababy · 03/09/2010 22:36

In our house the rule is no helmet, no bike. Simple as that. Dosen't matter who it is (me, DH or DD) or how far. where we are going. If you are on a bike, you wear a helmet.

All the children round hre wear helmets too.

I don't insist on a helmet for scooting though.

Hulababy · 03/09/2010 22:40

13y child at the school I worked at fell off his bike, no helmet, hit his head. He died. It was said (advice from medical people related to his case) a helmet may well havesaved his life.

LilyBolero · 03/09/2010 22:40

Only read OP, am going to reply before reading the thread.

Yes, they should always always always wear a helmet. It doesn't matter if other kids don't, it is an absolute no brainer, they must wear them. The difference between wearing a helmet and not in an accident is the difference between a catastrophic head injury and walking away.

Oblomov · 03/09/2010 22:42

"Or they catch their foot on the ground and fall off."
and if they did ? so you had a scuffed knee or scrapped hands. a bit of a graze ?
so what.
nothing wrong with a good graze.

PixieOnaLeaf · 03/09/2010 22:43

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Hulababy · 03/09/2010 22:48

TBH, I'd rather be OTT and have DD always wear a helmet on a bike than risk the consequences of falling on a road without one. Likewise I would always wear one too - my DD needs me in one piece ideally too.

LilyBolero · 03/09/2010 22:50

An impact does not need to be fast or caused by a car to cause a horrendous and catastrophic head injury. Sometimes just falling off a bike (in a park for example) and hitting your head on a kerb or a rock might be enough to cause a serious head injury. Think of Natasha Richardson - I understand her ski-ing accident was not particularly spectacular or fast, but it was HOW she hit her head that did the damage, and a helmet could have made all the difference.