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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to not make my 5 and 3 year old wear a cycle helmet?

472 replies

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!!!

OP posts:
PatPig · 02/06/2013 11:39

YANBU, but brainwashed people will be along soon to insist it's akin to child abuse.

dinkystinky · 02/06/2013 11:40

Please make them wear a helmet. I wouldn't get on a bike without one - its a basic precaution as they can go a lot faster on a bike than on foot etc.

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.

PatPig · 02/06/2013 11:41

BTW I sometimes see children who have cycled to the park wearing their helmet on the climbing frame. This is actually very dangerous. See "Dangers of recreational helmet use in playgrounds" by K. Triebl, S. Dittrich, H. Nöres, J. Mayr

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.

BoundandRebound · 02/06/2013 11:42

Yes

It is protection for when they fall

Like knee pads when roller blading

Why wouldn't you want your children to be protected?

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.

AtYourCervix · 02/06/2013 11:42

Nobody I knew got shot through a windscreen but I still wear a seatbelt in a car.

trixymalixy · 02/06/2013 11:42

Climbing frames have soft rubber underneath usually.

When I was a child we didn't have to be in car seats.

YABU

OwlinaTree · 02/06/2013 11:43

Wear the helmets. It's like car seats. We didn't bother when we were kids, but now people are more safety conscious. It will probably never happen, but you never know.

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.

PatPig · 02/06/2013 11:46

Children are more likely to suffer a head injury when walking, so for consistency all those insisting that they should be worn when cycling should ensure their children also wear walking helmets.

Otherwise it's just arbitrary, non evidence-based paranoia.

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.

orangeone · 02/06/2013 11:46

Oops posted twice. Stupid phone - sorry

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?

Smartieaddict · 02/06/2013 11:46

YABU. When we were kids there were less cars on the roads so less risk. It is so so easy to stick a bike helmet on them, why on earth would you not?

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 02/06/2013 11:47

Why on earth would you want to take that risk with your kids? It could save their lives.

Confused

YANBU, I guess. It's your decision. But I think the way you are looking at this is idiotic.

PatPig · 02/06/2013 11:47

orangeone, that kind of death is just as likely to happen to a child on foot. Why are they not told to wear helmets?

McNewPants2013 · 02/06/2013 11:47

stop being an idiot and get you children to wear a helment

Rainbowinthesky · 02/06/2013 11:47

Patpig- have you got a link for that re walking? Would be interesting.

forevergreek · 02/06/2013 11:49

Why wouldn't you? They are going fast along likely hard ground

Mind you ours wear them on scooters too as I just thought that's what you do

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.

amigababy · 02/06/2013 11:51

if you took them for horse riding lessons would you expect the riding school to offer them riding hats to wear?

Bobyan · 02/06/2013 11:52

Everyone smoked near babies when I was a kid and I don't know of any smoking related cot deaths. However I won't be allowing anyone to light up near a newborn...