To take make my kids wear skate helmets when they go ice skating?

[Somethingsosimple]

Open air skating today with 2 dcs age 11 and 9. The first time but wondering if to bring helmets?

They're compulsory for children under 10, in the rinks and the pop up ones, in my City.

If not do a bit of teaching on falling. Decent gloves so they'll put their hands down automatically etc.

@bearfoxbear does casual skating count as a sport though? I thought it was more things done at speedlike ice hockey or skiing that were dangerous.

I wouldn't be choose between helmets or wrist protectors, why not both?!

Also - I have been both hit in the eye by a firework and suffered hand lacerations from an ice skating injury as a child - still scarred in my 40s!

Like others said, it's really common in the US for younger kids to wear helmets, mine did until they got more proficient. My DD fell skating and split her chin and needed stitches (not that a helmet would have
helped in this instance, just to point out how easy it is to fall and not get your hands out in time and how hard the ice is).

I think we're actually quite lax in this country when it comes to helmets for sports (I see so many kids cycling on the road with no helmets) and I think back to the first time I went skiing and didn't wear one. I totally would now since seeing my husband fall skiing and hit his head, and it cracked the helmet in half

Anyway, in theory yanbu, however they will probably be the only ones there wearing one. I guess it depends on how they feel - will they refuse to skate if you make them? How experienced are they?

You never see kids skating without helmets in countries that practice these winter sports, eg. Canada. It never happens. Adults, if they’re confident skaters, but never kids.

Have you any idea how badly hurt you can be by falling backwards and cracking your head on the ice? Concussion is the least of it. My kids play ice hockey - they don’t allow them on the rink without a helmet.

Seriously, put one on!

Age 12 l fell backwards while ice skating. I have been skating since age of 7 so not a newbie. I was unconscious for a few minutes, suffered memory loss, did not know who l was, where l lived and did not recognise my DM. I don’t think it is so silly to wear a helmet these days.

My work college had to have reconstructive face surgery just before Christmas after he fell forwards on the ice and smashed his jaw and cheekbones.

When l was young those wearing helmets cycling used to be ridiculed.

YABU. I feel like you are more likely to break an arm / leg than crack your head open.

Also I doubt kids that ice skate for fun are going to have less injuries than the pros at speed.

I'm in Sweden and here nobody goes on the ice without a helmet.

Well can they skate? If not they should have one, especially if they are clumsy. But if they are experienced skaters it’s not really necessary.

But if they can’t skate they’re going to be moving slowly.... if they can they will be going fast, significantly increasing the damage if they do fall (which is always a possibility on a public ice rink no matter how good you are at it).

Never thought of getting a helmet myself, but probably more necessary that those who parents put helmets on their 2-3 year olds when scooting (which wasn’t a thing when mine were that age only 5 to 8 years ago!). where the risk seems to me to be little different to running.

The way things are heading, it wouldn’t surprise me if kids were made to wear helmets to play in a playground in the next ten years or so....

I've seen children wearing helmets at ice rinks, I think it's quite sensible.

Have to laugh at the posters saying as beginners they aren’t likely to go fast and so won’t bang their heads!

As I say, I’m a skater. When I’ve been on a public session, 5/10 I’ve seen beginners fall and hurt their heads, thankfully not badly usually. 10 - 15 year olds are the worst for it, they try to run before they can walk. Usually, the falls are caused by them shifting their weight backwards, having locked knees and a very straight spine/lots of tension in the neck. I also seen beginners not even skating, just stood still away from the barrier, then suddenly fall over because their sense of balance became disturbed. Accidents do happen very easily. It’s usually through stupidity (beginner trying to skate backwards filming friends on iPhone), showing off and over confidence.

I agree that helmets should be used, but they aren’t popular in this country. ALOT of coaches have their own little ones wear helmets until they are confident but again most of them aren’t from the UK.

The way things are heading, it wouldn’t surprise me if kids were made to wear helmets to play in a playground in the next ten years or so....

Sounds like a good idea, in fact kids should always wear a helmet as you can never be 100% certain they won't fall over, every activity carries a level of risk.

50% of kids wear them at our local rink and you can hire them there.
At first I was a bit surprised as I hadn’t seen it before but it makes sense. Especially as after being there for 10 minutes I fell backwards trying to hold my daughters friend up and ended up with concussion and a healthy osteopath bill over the following weeks.
Should have let the friend fall- kids bounce
Adults definitely do not, they crumble

20 years ago no one wore helmets for skiing and now everyone does.
I think it will become the norm although I’ve never seen it in the UK.

The way things are heading, it wouldn’t surprise me if kids were made to wear helmets to play in a playground in the next ten years or so....

Don’t be ridiculous. You hardly need to be moving at speed to slip backwards on ice. When running/walking we usually fall forwards with the opportunity to break the fall with our arms. Very little opportunity to do that if you slip backwards.

Helmets are a good idea. What if someone lost control while someone was lying on the ice after a fall, and that person then slammed their ice blade into their head? They should be compulsory!

My mum did this to me when we went skating with the school etc. All other kids weren’t wearing helmets and me and my sister had helmets, knee pads and elbow pads. We both got the piss ripped out of us and I felt like a right plonker.
However saying that I understand now, as a mother, why she did it! It is dangerous and could cause serious damage. Your child will not thank you for it now but will maybe understand when they are older 😂
Maybe take helmets and see how you feel when you get there.

This is an interesting one if you compare the potential risks with those of cycling or skiing.

15 years ago, when we started skiing with our kids, hardly anyone wore helmets. Nowadays, you would countenance skiing without.

I suspect helmets for ice-skating will become the norm in the future - probably after some poor people suffer horrendous bangs to the head.

Of course. You are being sensible.

It’s like these idiots that let their kids hurtle along helmet less on scooters next to roads. Gives me chills.

You are being very sensible and I would do exactly the same. All this bullshit of how they are unlikely to hurt their head if they fall- how does anyone know which way someone will sustain a potential injury??

Have fun

@AllTakenSoRubbishUsername

School trip to Lake Louise - someone slipped over on the ice, wasn’t wearing gloves, someone immediately skated over their hand and cut off fingers. Very unpleasant. Gloves and helmets!

My two DC skate regularly and wear helmets. I think mostly because they've learned to skate as part of an ice hockey team it's more of a 'normal' thing than you'd usually see at an ice rink.

I wouldn't let them ski or snowboard without a helmet and of the three sports we do most in winter, I'd say ice skating carries the most risk. More people ought to put helmets on their DC.

YANBU - this is DS after a fall on the ice without a helmet in summer. The lump on his head was there for months, he had a scraped nose, nose bleed, and cut his lip too. Helmet would have prevented the head injury at the least. I will never forget the sickening crack of his head hitting the ice.

He was lucky not to have any damage other than minor concussion. Head injuries are just not worth the risk.

I gather that the most common injury on ice is a broken wrist, as people often fall backwards and put their hands out to land.
But I would imagine knee injuries are also common.

I always made my kids wear cycling helmets when ice skating. The one time I didn’t dd fell backwards and split her head and had to get stitches. Youngest is 12 and We font wear them anymore skating but do wear wooly hats.

We lived somewhere cold for a good few years and it was normal for kids to wear helmets if they were little or learning. I would get them to wear wrist guards too if they have comfortable ones. I knew someone who broke both wrists ice skating.

If you are more concerned about their street cred then at least get them to wear really thick wooly hats.

If the ice is slushy then they won't go so fast and it will be softer.