Injured child, should I complain?

[HappyHen17]

Background is that I am a mother following a traumatic baby loss and several baby losses before so am extra protective, but....
Had a call from reception class that our 4 year old had a head wound and needed hospital treatment to glue it together. Turns out they had been on a bike without a helmet as no helmets are provided, I've emailed to check but it seems to be agreed by others that it is the case.
AIBU to expect a helmet per bicycle to be the rule
YABU overprotective, let them live
YANBU helmets are essential if providing bikes

Actual bike? Or a trike kind of bike. There’s no actual bikes in my kids reception.

there’s the ones with no pedals.

need a bit more info

YANBU.
Kids may get hurt doing kid stuff but they shouldn't get unnecessarily hurt like this. Requiring bike helmets isn't overprotective, it's normal protection.

I work in a primary school. Our reception children have pedal trikes and balance bikes. They are not allowed on them without a helmet. We have a massive bin full of helmets and they are well trained to pick one up if they want to go on the bikes, they hardly ever need reminding now as it's so strictly enforced.
YANBU and I would kick up a fuss.

I can’t believe people are voting that YABU!! Head injuries can kill FFS! My DD went flying off her bike after hitting a kerb and her helmet had a massive crack in it. She was luckily fine and we went to hospital to check her but I always think how that could have been her body. They are absolute BU, they took a risk and a child was injured. Are they trying to play it down OP?

They have pedal bikes and balance bikes, still
unclear what they were on but we make them
wear helmets at home regardless, as I’m sure a lot of parents do.

They were very apologetic, I was in shock and panic when collecting my child and just left, only later did I find out there were no helmets-unless you count you builders hats-and I have emailed but heard nothing yet. I was planning to call someone Monday but I always worry I’m being OTT because of my own anxieties and history.

What do you want to achieve by making a complaint? Think about it that way or it's just so much wasted breath.

I'd have a word with the school, ensure the Head teacher is aware of what happened and ask for a written undertaking that helmets are always worn in future.

Isn’t that basically the same thing? That’s pretty much how I was going to go about it.

Most parents make their kids wear helmets on bikes - even balance bikes. Why the school would choose a lower standard than the status quo is really odd. Of course they should have helmets if they have bikes - it’s a chance to teach the kids to be safe and avoid injury. Hope your DD is ok.

Complain, they should have helmets

YANBU at all! Don't second guess yourself with things like this. Your instincts are bang on. Your child got hurt in a safety breach. They should have had helmets for the bikes. You can protect other children by ensuring the school knows that this needs to change. If they don't have helmets, the children shouldn't be on the bikes (especially balance bikes, they have no brakes!).
I hope your poor LO is ok and recovers soon.

Bike = helmets.

It's the law.

I'd kick up a fuss

Our school has a nursery and the headteacher said we do not have helmets as a badly fitting helmet is more dangerous than no helmet. I've never read into this more but could be why they don't have them?

No it isn’t.

Are head injuries more likely from trikes and balance bikes than from running around in a playground?

Maybe they are, but it doesn’t seem obvious to me. They don’t go very fast and they aren’t very high up.

A badly fitting helmet can get caught and the strap choke a child, so I can see why schools might not think they would improve safety.

Ours is the same, no bikes of any kind without helmets. I would be complaining if it was any other way.

Where I live it’s illegal to cycle without a helmet. Was in the UK recently and was quite surprised to see kids cycling to and from school with no helmet. You might not get a second chance after you’ve head butted the road at speed.

I would absolutely expect a school to insist on helmets.

But they’re not going along the road at speed. They’re pootling around a playground on trikes and balance bikes. No faster or higher up than they might be when running around.

Isn’t a massive bin of shared helmets a problem with nits?

I was at a holiday centre last year and my youngest went on a balance bike session, every child had to wear a helmet so I imagine they have health and safety checked and the school have not. I would definitely complain in writing so you get a written response of their updated safety policies for all children. Next time another child may get a worse injury.

But they’re not going along the road at speed. They’re pootling around a playground on trikes and balance bikes. No faster or higher up than they might be when running around.

They still need helmets. You could be going 2mph in your car, you still need your seatbelt on.

My DS is not allowed to ride his scooter or balance bike without a helmet, ever.

Il be honest I remember bikes:trikes at my dc nursery/school don't remember seeing a helmet, never thought about it but wish I had now. Definitely complain, not to be difficult/kick up a fuss. But because it's a massive safety issue and by complaining hopefully something will be done about it. Ask if they have a risk assessment for the bikes too.

Is it the law? Not saying it shouldn’t be just didn’t realise it was

I will imagine what they’ll do now is just remove all the bikes. I get your point about it being dangerous without helmets (would always want my child to wear helmet on scooter, balance bike etc) but just cannot see how they can provide each child with their own individual, well fitted helmet and e ensure they are correctly worn. Those children are nipping on and off those bikes during play, also swapping whose turn it is every few minutes or so. It’s a logistical nightmare! As someone else said a badly fitting helmet is no use at all really.

I would be complaining. Even if they did remove the bikes/scooters. I would not be at all happy with my child on anything like that without a helmet.