How do you get your toddler to keep a bike helmet on their head without meltdown

[biskybat]

We have just bought our 16 month old a bike helmet so she can go on the back of the bike but she won't even let us put it on her head without throwing herself on the floor and howling. I haven't even worked out if it fits properly yet as she won't stay still for me to do up the straps. She keeps hurling it across the room shouting "no no no"

Is there any way of getting her to accept it happily or should I just be tough and let her tantrum...she has very good stamina and would probably keep it up whilst on the bike ride - not sure I want to subject the countryside to her noise pollution

I assume that you are wearing a bike helmet and not asking her to do something that you don't? I don't like wearing one but I got one-then you just say that everyone wears one. I am amazed at the number of families that I see out cycling and only the children wear helmets!

We do wear them but I've just realised we have been attempting to put one on her without showing her that we are putting ours on first. will try getting ours on and see if she will copy us...problem is at this age they are not that easy to reason with.

She may still hate it! I remember the problems of a sun hat! I think it is worth persevering. Seeing yours might help-although it could take a while.Have you tried getting her to look in a mirror and making it a game-pulling funny faces etc?

Dhe is a nightmare with hats too, we do do the mirror thing - she smiles and then a couple of seconds later she frantically yanks it off, getting more and more agitated. She hates being confined in anything be it pushchair, carseat or bike helmet

I was a little worried about how she would take to being a bike seat but we bought one and tested her out for 5 mins (minus helmet) and she loved it and all I could hear was giggling from behind me...she is not much of a laugher so this was so nice.

I will grit my teeth and if needs be will delegate this task to DH

My dd3 would only ever wear a bike helmet, no other hat. She did look a bit odd on the beach in summer at around 16 months

I would persevere and get her on the bike, all of mine loved being on the back of a bike at this (and every) age, she might realise that cycling is fun and so put up with the helmet.

fennel, hope you got some pics of her on the beach in it. God don't you love their contrary ways, I am finding DD's toddlerhood to be the most frustrating but hilarious time at the moment.

Ok am off to have another go, wish me luck...although the rain clouds do seem to be hovering ominously so we may be back quite quickly!

If she loves the bike and you take her off it the moment she takes the helmet off she might realise she can't have the fun without the helmet.

Just an update- DD screamed the place down but we managed to manhandle her into the helmet but as soon as she got on the back of the bike she started smiling and totally forgot about her helmet

We rode around for a while until it started raining and then came back. It was lovely, all I could hear from her was a soft aaahhhing sound which she makes when she is very relaxed and happy. The only problem was that she didn't want to get off the bike, cue another meltdown.

I don't know why but I just feel so happy that we have a new mode of transport which will be so much fun in spring/summer, I can't wait!

Glad she liked it. If she associates the helmet with fun you shouldn't have problems.

at your solution, biskybat - we've been trying to get 21m ds to wear any sort of floatation device in the pool but he won't have a bar of it. Being in the pool makes not one jot of difference

I was checking out this thread yesterday as DH had just bought a bike helmet for our 21 month old DS - and he wouldn't have it anywhere near him in the shop.
Fast forward three hours at home, we take it out of the box and DS grabs it and puts it on - and KEEPS it on ALL night until he goes to bed. He even ate his dinner wearing it. He would have had it on in bed too but I had to hide it .
DH think DS's change of heart is thanks to a little oby who was wearing a bike helmet on the swing next to him in the park. Thank you little boy, whoever you are!!
Our bike helmet is for him when he's on his new trike. He can't reach the pedals but it's a great little sturdy bike bought by his GPs and he loves it. Can't wait to take him out on it on my days off later this week
Good luck to the rest of you; maybe a trip tot he park will work for your DC too!

Phdlife....floatation devices are a whole other ballroom, Dd never lets us near her with one. We couldn't even manage putting her in one of those donut float things for babies when she was 6 months old. Not really surprised as I hated armbands when I was young as well. Perhaps we should start a new thread

Glad you boy likes his helmet gateau. We haven't quite got to the stage of actually liking it yet but no doubt I'll be posting a thread in the future entitled ' how do you get your toddler to take off their bike helmet for bedtime'

phdlife have seen some buoyancy vests in the JoJo maman bebe catalogue. They say they are perfect for children who hate armbands...are £25 pounds though

for £25 I'd want them to cook tea as well!

My dd had one of those swimsuits that have floats within them, they worked really well, actually she had 2, one from woolies and one from e-bay. They were great. She then progressed to a back float which took her a couple of months to agree to wearing for long but she saw the other children wearing them which helps. DD liked her bike helemt because its pink, but I also let her put a couple of stickers on it to decorate it which helped!

lol at fennel - my ds is exactly the same. He screamed and screamed the first couple of times we put it on (circa. 1 yr) but then suddenly there was a switch and it is the thing he loves most in the world . No idea what happened to make him change his mind.