At what point should a child start to wear a bike helmet?

[StillStandingOnAMushroom]

Okay, so I know this is a contentious topic and I know there are a lot of strong feelings out there. Let me first tell you what I don't want. If you think your child should always wear a helmet from the moment they first get on a tricycle/ balance bike/3-wheeled scooter, then I know your point of view and I respect it, but it's not going to help me. Thank you very much for your thoughts, but I will very politely ignore you. So please mutter into your coffee about how irresponsible we are and leave it at that.

So our daughter is 7. She has never been one to push the physical boundaries, she's always been pretty slow and steady. We've never put a bike helmet on her, not because I don't believe in helmets - when we go mountain biking she will wear a helmet. When she goes horse riding she wears a riding hat. I think there are absolutely circumstances when a hat/helmet should be worn. But after researching helmet wearing for bikes it turns out that yes you're safer wearing a helmet if you have an accident but you're also more likely to have an accident if you're wearing one, because you think you're safer. When snowboarding, I fell so many more times when wearing a helmet because I was going faster and taking more risks. My head was safer because of the helmet, but my arms, legs, body not so much.

I want her to learn that she needs to take care of her head and her body before she gets too confident and starts doing all the crazy stuff. I think this is a really important part of teaching her safety. Kids under 12 don't really feature in head injury statistics with or without helmets. But. There is also a line where they start doing crazier stuff and going faster. At what point do you say okay they're now going fast enough that they need to start wearing a helmet?

My 2 year old toppled sideways off her balance bike while standing. She actually was wearing a helmet but it wasn’t tight enough so moved up her head and she had a massive lump on her forehead. We spent the whole day in A&E getting her checked out. Would have been unnecessary if her helmet had fit properly (learned my lesson there).

Obviously just make it a rule that any wheels (scooter, bike, skates) require a helmet and it will make life so much easier than having to make a judgment call and then explain it to a child.

If money are in the park outside our house, which is all grass, I don't enforce helmets.

When they're on pavements, they don't go on bike or scooter without a helmet. It's a non/negotiable.

This

Last year on holiday, DH was cycling very slowly downhill on a smooth cycle path. Walking pace and no more. A child unexpectedly turned across his path and he braked and went over the handlebars. Straight into the corner/edge of a post. He broke his face in three places, fractures from his eye socket down to his jaw. Severe concussion. Needed surgery via his skull to re-site his cheek bone and mend his jaw. Concussion lasted for 4 months. The dent in his helmet was phenomenal. Without it, the trauma would have been to his head rather than his face and he possibly wouldn't have survived, definitely would have been in severe trouble.

Wear a helmet? Always.

Adding on to my post about not enforcing helmets in grassy park - just looked out and all mine (aged 4-13) are wearing theirs in the park.

Even though I don't enforce it out there, they choose to because they know it's safer.

From the beginning.

as a student nurse i came across a kid who had come off his bike - not going particularly fast but went over handlebars and cracked his head. He was 8 & brain damaged. His parents lost their boy that day they made the decision to take him to the park to cycle on the path with them without a helmet on. I didn’t have kids then but i can still remember him so helmets have been non negotiable for me since the very first time they got on a balance bike - gets them in the habit. My 14 year old hates it as it’s not a fashionable look but accepts it as she too knows the risks.

car seats was my other big thing. Mine had extended rear facing which 14 years ago wasn’t as common & so many people called me weird. When they did turn forward they were in high back boosters years past all of their friends - couldn’t care less what people think of me when it comes to my childrens safety and i think your reasons about helmets causing accidents are ridiculous but your child your risk.

How ridiculous, how would a 1yo possibly have the comprehension to understand their helmet made them safer and so make riskier decisions.

My 4yo would genuinely have died without a helmet

Mine fell off on grass. Doctor said his damage would have been a lot worse without the helmet.

It's all very well saying her child her risk when actually it is the child that bares more consequences of a parent not choosing safety over whatever statistics.

Car seats were also my thing. My second child didn't use her older siblings baby seat as they had been improved in the 2 years since he was born and they were in high backs beyond others. I went by what I felt was safe, not getting them out of seats as soon as the law said. I never parent by committee so I did what I felt was best and right.

Never been out without one. And thankful for it as he misjudged a bend and went head first into a rock a few weeks ago.
He was cut up and certainly learned a lesson. Without the helmet he would have suffered a serious head injury.
I don’t agree that going without a helmet helps them learn.

I've tried to work a reply that isn't too rude or sarcastic but I genuinely can't believe this is a thread. Looks like (if the thread is genuine) the OP is willfully ignorant and negligent.

This isn't around can't, it's won't which is scary. Why wouldn't you make every attempt possible to keep your child safe if you can.

You can't eliminate all risk of harm but you can take reasonable precautions and a helmet every time they get on a bike or scooter is the absolute minimum.

From day one. Not because of the risk per se but because it's a good habit to get them in to whilst they're little. Saves arguing about it when they're older.

You’re misinformed.
The ubiquitous use of cycling as a mode of travel in the Netherlands has an ugly side: cyclist fatalists outnumber road deaths for any other mode. In 2022 alone, 291 cyclists died in the Netherlands, more than motorists or those who walked. Cyclist deaths represented 40 percent of the 737 road fatalities