AIBU?
...to not make my 5 and 3 year old wear a cycle helmet?
blindasabatenburg · 02/06/2013 11:39
Am I failing to protect them sufficiently? Nobody wore helmets when we were kids and I don't recall anyonr suffering a serious head injury, though we all came off from time to time.
They could just as easily fall from a climbing frame at the park, but nobody would insist on a helmet for the park!!!
busymum1 · 02/06/2013 11:41
Your decision entirely but I remember when I was ten a girl from round the corner was cycling along a pavement and a van came out of a driveway and hit her and it was her helmet that stopped her having a more serious injury as she landed on her head on the bonnet. She only sustained a broken arm but was told without her helmet it may have been a head injury too.
frogspoon · 02/06/2013 11:42
YANBU to not make them wear a cycle helmet if you don't want to.
But if you come back here in 6 months telling us that your child died or has significant brain damage as a result of a cycling accident in which they were not wearing a helmet and expect us to give you any sympathy or support, then YABU.
Rainbowinthesky · 02/06/2013 11:42
Parks have special stuff to stop serious injuries. I know of people who didn't wear helmets and had head injuries. I think you are installing poor habits from a young age. Falling off a cycle is dangerous because you are travelling at speed and banging your head on something like concrete. So yes you are bu and not protecting them sufficiently.
orangeone · 02/06/2013 11:45
Please make them wear a helmet. In the 1970's (I.e. when I was a kid, and you are right people didn't) my cousin was knocked off this bike when cycling on the pavement and a car swerved at only just over 30mph and hit him. The resulting head injury killed him outright.
Your kids your risk, but having watched my extended family ripped apart by grief and guilt following the death of my 6 year old cousin, it not a risk I will be taking with my children.
orangeone · 02/06/2013 11:46
Please make them wear a helmet. In the 1970's (I.e. when I was a kid, and you are right people didn't) my cousin was knocked off his bike when cycling on the pavement and a car swerved at only just over 30mph and hit him. The resulting head injury killed him outright.
Your kids your risk, but having watched my extended family ripped apart by grief and guilt following the death of my 6 year old cousin, it not a risk I will be taking with my children.
BobblyGussets · 02/06/2013 11:46
Nah, your choice.
DS goes out on his bike (he's nearly 10) without; he's in and out of the house all day, so would be difficult to be on him all the time to put it back on when he's taken if off after popping in . If he's doing any road cycling with us, they both wear one.
Mine don't on scooters either and I always feel the flinty looks off the "safety parent" types. They could have an accident, but they probably won't.
flowery · 02/06/2013 11:46
Don't understand why you would not?
Mine both wear helmets and have done since day 1 on scooters and bikes. The biggest reason at such a young age is to get them in the habit of bike=helmet, rather than because it is likely to save them from major injury.
Getting in that habit from day one means that as they get bigger and start going faster, there's no point at which I have to say "now you wear a helmet." I want it to be automatic, which it now is.
What are you reasons for preferring them not to wear one?
Fakebook · 02/06/2013 11:49
I saw a woman fall off her bike when getting off the curb outside Dd's school about 3 weeks ago. She had a 2 year old at the back and I saw her head bang on the curb as she fell. Luckily she had a helmet on and she cried for a few minutes but there was no obvious trauma. I saw her again the next day and the girl was fine.
If she had not had a helmet on, I can only imagine what would have happened.
Put a helmet on them.
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