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

[blindasabatenburg]

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!!!

Poor you guys LackaDAISYcal - I hope his head heals up quickly. for you tonight!

You don't usually fall off a climbing frame into the path of an oncoming car. Get a grip, woman.

I bet you let your kids sit in the front seat, as well...

After spending two weeks in NICU where 3 boys died, two for not wearing helmets I will never let my children on a bike/ scooter/ skateboard without one. The NICU nurses said it was one of the most preventable deaths they deal with. (one boy was 5 on a scooter hit by a reversing van and the other 12 on a skateboard, just going down the road with his mate and he tripped backwards).

Eldest ds has just been through to tell me that a neighbour was killed yesterday when he fell from his bike. He leaves a widow and six children. No idea whether a helmet would have saved him but surely ant safety gear betters your chances doesn't it?

I think the jury's out on helmets for adult women cyclists (apparently drivers slow down if they can see a woman). My children wear helmets, though. I do not.

All the arguements being trotted out against push-bike helmets sound very much like the ones wheeled out ( sorry ... ) by the wind-in-ma-hair/bugs-in-ma-teeth bikers when the compulsory motorcycle helmet laws were coming in. A few decades down the line would anyone seriously argue that it was safer to ride a motorbike without one?

My 2 year old fell off his balance bike (hit a kerb and flew over the handlebars) with such force that the polystyrene part of his helmet separated from the casing, and was completely bashed / compressed. And he was fine. A few bruises, a scratch to his cheek. I am fairly sure that he would not have been fine without that helmet.

OP
Do what you like
but don't moan to us when shit happens

tie up your camel, THEN trust in Allah

YANBU so long as you don't mind their skulls breaking if they have bad accident rather than a helmet.

In my first or second year of teaching a 13y boy died as a result of not wearing a cycle helmet. He was knocked from his bike and hit his head on the pavement. The police were very clear that a helmet would have most likely prevented his death.

A teacher from the same school also had a nasty accident a year before. He helmet was smashed and cracked. He was inured slightly but his head was fine and he, clearly, survived a very nasty bike accident. He brought his helmet in to show the children at school.

A friend's DD fell off her bike last year/ She went into a railing. The helmet shows a clear dint at the front where the helmet hit the bars. The girl in question was still injured and had to have dental work, etc. and was clearly distressed, etc. But had she not had that helmet on, whilst cycing in a park, the consequences would have been far worse.

My 11y wears a cycle helmet. It is a simple choice here - no helmet, no bike. That goes for me, DD and Dh.

You are definitely being irresponsible. Head injury can lead to death. [Confused] Kids can go really fast on bikes and are not nessecerily very sensible.

They are not awkward to wear. I just leave mine on my bike. I don't need to give it any thought. I jump on my bike and put on my helmet. My kids (teens) do the same. It's a non issue.

There is nothing difficult, expensive or problematic about wearing a helmet.

YABU

My DC's have been raised that scooter/bike = helmet. It's a habit now to wear one. I wear one when riding a bike as well.

I have two horses as well and ALWAYS wear a body protector, hat and gloves.

Accidents happen. Fact.

Goodness, some of your responses are rather vicious!

I am not anti-bicycle helmets and of course I would not put my DCs in car without a car seat and seatbelt. Nor would I jump from a plane without a parachute, what a silly comparison...

I always thought that when they were older we would insist upon them wearing helmets on their bikes. I just felt that when they were small and riding their bikes out with us as we walked, they weren?t really required. Up until now, they have been on very small bikes with stabilisers, in the garden and at the park and riding so slowly that I felt helmets weren?t required. My eldest is now without stabilisers, so is much faster than before and so I have started to consider whether it would be better to use them. I certainly don?t ?actively oppose helmet use?. I did a bit of research on the internet and found that the articles were mixed and I wondered what the general consensus was.

Ivykate your link to the myths and facts about helmets is very interesting and does give me food for thought. Thanks for your constructive input!

...but OP, what is your actually reason for the kids not wearing helmets. They don't get in the way and they are not uncomfy. Even if the kids are going slowly if they fall off their bikes sideways, for example if they slipped off the edge of the kerb, then a helmet would really help.

I would, providing it's clear to your kids that a helmet does not make you invincible. Bike helmets are designed for low speed impacts and will resist a certain amount of force. They are great for the side impact cranial injuries. Not so great with motor vehicles.

There is some evidence that they can lead to extra injuries due to rotation etc. I agree with the poster who pointed out that neither a neuro surgeon or a policeman is normally qualified to have a view on cycle helmet effectiveness.

My two girls are always out on their bikes, they have to wear their hats, it is the rules. YABU x

iknowwhat I'm not sure what I can add to what I have already posted.

Until recently it was simply that I didn't see a huge risk of head injury when my DCs were on small (12") bikes with stabilisers and riding slowly. I have reconsidered this since my eldest rides without stabilisers, and in doing a bit of reading, discovered some research suggests that although helmets may reduce seriousness of a bump to the head, they may increase the risk of more serious injuries to the neck and spine. I found that the information I came across confused the matter.

I did post this point earlier but I think it got lost in the heated discussion.

This is an interesting point for anyone thinking, "we didn't wer seatbelt's in the 70's and we were all fine!

The risk of being involved in an accident and being hurt or killed whilst travelling on the roads has diminished over time.

1938, there were 314 casualties for every 100 million kilometres travelled while in 2011 there were 41 casualties per 100 million kilometres travelled.

For example, between 1939 and 1941 the number of fatalities averaged around 8,700 per year, over three times the annual number killed today.

Since the 1970s the number of road deaths has fallen considerably, from over 7,700 deaths in 1972, to 1,901 in 2011.

This info has been cut out from this page..

www.apccs.police.uk/fileUploads/APCC_Group_Emails/Road_accident_statistics.pdf

AYBU? Most people will think you are. You wouldn't play Russian roulette with a gun, but you are with your kids having a potentially life limiting brain injury the next time they have a little spill.

Oh, and if you aren't wearing one either, are you really happy with the picture of your children watching you die? Or seeing you every day unable to look after them any more?

It's your call OP!

I know this is really controversial but I hate it when people quote police and HCP (who cannot possibly know without detailed specialist forensic examination) that a certain persons life would have been saved or lost with or without a helmet . We can't know - and the head injury is not just a result of "direct" force but also indirect force of the brain being shaken within the skull. The way forces work on a brain in an accident are extremely complex. We need better research on what current helmets can / do prevent, and how they can be improved. I'm certainly not anti-helmet (I've already said I wear one as do my DCs as certainly don't think there's a significant downside and there is clear evidence they prevent more minor head injuries) but currently anecdotes are used as evidence and we need more than that to get the best quality protection.

My DS when he was 2 ad being looked after by my mum, ended up in A&E with concussion as he had fallen off his scooter and hit his head on a metal gate. He wasn't going fast at all. He had the mist enormous bruise, but thankfully was ok. Wouldn't have happened if he'd had a helmet on. She now puts a helmet on him.

Really not worth it OP. Put a helmet on them.

kickarsequeen Have you actually read my posts?

My daughter age 6 saw the result of a boy at her school falling off his scooter right outside the school gates, he cut his head open, blood everywhere, scar now goes from mid forehead to a couple of inches into his hair.

She came home and explained to her older brother and younger sister exactly what had happened. I have never had to tell them to put their cycle helmets on since.

I'm very sorry, but I think it a no brainer. A 6 year old could see it. Why not you?

Blindas, no I haven't read your recent pst because I'm on my ipad on the app and the last few pages have only just appeared, my own posts have only just appeared.

Well I am the OP so perhaps you should.