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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to insist my kids wear helmets?

170 replies

Beastlyboysblog · 18/09/2016 18:01

It has been recently suggested that I am perhaps a little anal with the safety of my children's heads by insisting that they wear a crash helmet when they are on their scooters. I see other kids day in day out on the school run without them & I guess that's up to their parents but in my mind the scooters are no different to bikes and they can just as easily fall off them and crack their heads. I personally don't want to see my kids' brains all over the road if there's an accident. Is that really anal and AIBU?

OP posts:
Tessabelle74 · 20/09/2016 16:21

I make mine wear helmets after my eldest son took a tumble off his on the way down the hill from school and bumped his head. YANBU I'm my opinion

ThreeMusketeers123 · 20/09/2016 16:25

No helmet then no going on Scooters or Bikes. So easy to get injured.

SlummyMummyof3 · 20/09/2016 16:25

I also insist on my 3 wearing them for scooting as well as cycling. My daughter had a horrendous fall from her scooter when she was 3, splitting her lip and turning her two front teeth black. Luckily, they wobbled for a bit then recovered, regaining their whiteness.

In another cringeworthy Mummy moment yesterday, I forgot my son was going to a friend's house after school so got my daughter to ride his bike home, saying I would ride her scooter. I wasn't actually riding it I was pushing it at this particular moment when it swung round, I tripped over it and landed splat on the path in front of several Mums and their kids. To add insult to injury, my kids continued on their way home without even turning around to check I was OK. I have a skint knee and hand, but could easily have hurt my head too!

newlark · 20/09/2016 16:27

We've always insisted on helmets for both scooters and bikes and the wearing of them is now automatic. Both of mine have been saved from potential head injuries when scooting at speed, hitting a kerb/pothole/object on path and going face first over the handles. Quite different to running and the type of fall you have if you trip when you are more likely to land on your hands and knees rather than your head bearing more of the initial impact.

dragonflygirl1 · 20/09/2016 16:39

Having seen an appeal from a mum of a teenager in a coma after falling off her scooter, I would pass on her plea for children to wear helmets. Because they are holding on to the scooter, a bang on the head might be more likely if they fall, as they are less likely to quickly put their hands out to stop themselves. Or something like that.

Isitjustmeorisiteveryoneelse · 20/09/2016 16:40

Well then Slummy you should probably wear a helmet for the school run.

arrrrghhwinehelpswithteens · 20/09/2016 16:41

DD has always worn a helmet - on bike, scooter and skateboard.

DBruv was knocked off his bike by a car - helmet split but did it's job and he got away with mild concussion.

Neighbour always wears a helmet when he is out riding his bike, but has never insisted on his dgs doing so. Said neighbour is currently in a specialist hospital recovering from a bike crash, in which the only thing that saved his life was the helmet. Still in an induced coma while they repair the other injuries but family were told that without the helmet they would be arranging a funeral. DGS now wearing a (brand new)helmet to ride his bike.

DH and I always wear helmets when we're on the bike & regularly check the fit of DD's; she's on her third.

PPs - sorry for your loss Shabbs and Emma - glad your DD is recovering

ItGoesWithoutSaying · 20/09/2016 16:42

Rinoachicken:
I just couldn't get my head around the mum clearly trying to teach her daughter the rules of the road, how to cycle safely, but neither were wearing a helmet

Helmet wearing has nothing to do with cycling safely. It is an attempt to deal with the after effects of a crash - one that might be prevented by cycling safely. So the Mum in question was getting her priorities right.

DH has done some work with Primary Schools on cycle proficiency days. He's amazed how many kids turn up with helmets on and a bike without working brakes!

moggle · 20/09/2016 16:45

I hope that they hold onto their bikes when riding too dragonfly!

DD is only 22m and just learning to scoot so she is wearing a helmet as she's pretty unstable so far. But she goes very slow and doesn't have far to fall! I had thought I'd probably make her wear it and then maybe once she's at school see how it goes...
We would mostly be scooting along a canal so if she does get speedy, a lifevest might actually be a better bet (only half joking!). I suppose a helmet would probably help her float...

MammouthTask · 20/09/2016 16:47

Well having taken dc1 to A&E after a bad fall on the scooter (It would have been much less of an issue had he been wearing a helmet), I would say YANBU.

I did make my two wearing one until they were about 8~9yo and then cave in re 'no one is wearing one'.
Dc1 was 11yo when he hurt himself. (He is refusing to go back on a scooter btw...)

PopFizz · 20/09/2016 17:11

Mine wear helmets for bikes. Despite being teased on holiday, they still wear them. They're 13,10,8 and see me and DP wear them all the time too. Bikes = helmets.

Scootering, they wear helmets at the tracks and jumps, but not if we are just heading down to the shop.

givemushypeasachance · 20/09/2016 17:22

On the helmets being damaged by small knocks point - I cycle and signed up to a kickstarter thing on a helmet designed to be reusable even after a minor crash or dropping it on the floor. It's made from a different sort of flexible material rather than polystyrene so it bounces back rather than compressing. They're supposed to be shipping out this month, I'm looking forward to trying it. As a plus because of the flexibility they're semi-foldable and adjust to both child and adult size, so it can grow with you or be used between people with different head sizes (as long as you only want to use it one at a time!). I'm aware this sounds a bit adverty especially since I haven't even got it yet so I won't link, but it sounds promising. Google Headkayse if you're interested.

givemushypeasachance · 20/09/2016 17:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BabyBrownEyes · 20/09/2016 17:32

my son fell off his scooter and he hit a grate in the road and litterally went forehead first into the curb. He was still a little concust although he was wearing a helmet. Heaven forbid if he hadnt been...

Dancergirl · 20/09/2016 17:35

But how effective are bike helmets?

I think I read somewhere that cycle helmets have to have open sections to allow for heat loss but this reduces their effectiveness. Proper crash helmets are much safer but they are obviously not an option for cycling.

aspoonfulofyourownmedicine · 20/09/2016 17:57

Nope YADNBU. I used to work with a couple who's daughter went down some steps accidentally on her bike, fell off and damaged her skull and her brain swelled. She was super lucky to get away with the (serious) injuries she did have and was lucky it wasn't fatal. She wasn't wearing a helmet. A helmet would've saved her a hell of a lot of pain and operations......she may still have been injured but not as bad x

chicknquack · 20/09/2016 18:08

Ds's best friend in primary school's father was a doctor. He saw so many scooter injuries that his son was not allowed a regular scooter he had one of those three wheeled ones with two bars for feet (I don't know what they are called). He saw plenty of head injuries from them so he was made to wear a helmet and he urged me to have my kid wear one when scootering (he did anyway).

Helenluvsrob · 20/09/2016 18:16

Not sure with 3-4yrs old on scooters, they don't go fast and are always falling and bumping heads anyway. However it's a good habit to get into.

Bikes/skateboards /rollerblades absolutely helmet or no go.

Those that said " helmet on the road" yeah.... but actually off road is just as important. DD2s mate did an assembly in primary scool- at age 10 she fell of her bike in the country park ( off a wide plank bridge over a culvert - she went to a location 1m below the path level on her head onto a concrete pipe) her helmet split in two and she was OK.

BabyBrownEyes · 20/09/2016 18:45

Helen
you should see my 4yo scoot. schumacher has nothing on him..!
His school is at the top of a hill, bet you if i was to drive down the road alongside him but not break the speed limit 40mph dual carriageway (theres metal railings between the path and road for obvious reasons) He'd be at the bottom of the road before i was. I like to class myself as fit - I sprint alongside him!

Arborea · 20/09/2016 19:21

@babybrowneyes apropos of that, I understand that Doctors credit Michael Schumacher's helmet with saving his life, saying he likely would have died had he not been wearing one.

Justfoundmycoldteainmicrowave · 20/09/2016 19:42

I make mine wear helmets on scooters. LO's scooter often catches going up the low bit of the curb and unless I catch her would fall straight forwards onto her forehead. Plus I work in ICU and see worst case head injuries- don't let what other people think affect your actions, trust in your own safety, you are responsible for your children not them.

lmfc · 20/09/2016 21:16

Mine always wear a helmet when on their scooter. My rule has always been if it has wheels, you need a helmet. It was partly out of safety concern on the scooter (my son was a real speed demon from an early age) but mostly about laying down a habit that would transfer easily when it was time to ride bikes.

rasscal · 20/09/2016 21:21

BeastlyBoyBlog please don't listen to others and be anal about it! I literally a week ago today had the trauma of my 7 year old son falling in the bowl of our local skatepark as he tried to do a trick on his scooter WITHOUT A HELMET!!! He knocked his head and side of face and boys in skate park with him, moved him out the sun as we awaited an ambulance as he had a concussion and was in and out of consciousness! Every mother's worst nightmare, seeing your child almost lifeless and non-communicative!!! Thank God that after 24 hours later in hospital, a CT scan and lots of prayers, he was okay and back to his normal self! But every time I re-live the experience, I shudder to think that it could have been so much worse!!! My son and ALL the other boys in skatepark had no helmets on... and besides trying to wrap my son in bubble-wrap, I now cannot stress enough the IMPORTANCE of wearing Helmets to every parent I meet!!! I think more should be done about bringing awareness of the safety of helmets as It really does save lives! x

BuffyFanGirl · 20/09/2016 21:22

YANBU but I do hope your child's helmets are fitted properly. It bugs the hell out of me when I see parents letting their kids ride around with poorly fitted helmets. Whether they are are too big, too small, chin straps too big or the biggest annoyance, not covering the forehead and only covering the back of their head. That helmet is gonna do jack squat to save your kids head/life and will probably do more harm than good.

Ankleswingers · 20/09/2016 21:22

Lots of my DS friends have scooters and ride them without helmets.

My DS always wears a helmet ( he's 5 ) and as a pp says, no helmet, no bike or scooter.

YANBU