Do your kids wear helmets when riding their bikes?

[debster812]

DS does wear his when he's around here with us. As he's 12 now, and goes off on his own, I can't guarantee that he always wears it when he's with his pals. However, I was pleasantly surprised, when he was at a friend's house, and I was out doing errands. I had received a call asking if he could ride with his pals to the local ice cream stand. I said yes, and happened to cross their path. DS and 1 pal had their helmets on their heads. 2 others had their helmets on their handlebars.

Obviously everyone has the right to parent their children as they see fit, but I do know that to us, it's something we've insisted on since his first trike, and hopefully he will continue to use. No judgments here, even though I feel I'm being judged for insisting on certain safety measures that others seemingly have great disdain for.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Yes it is.

I don't question how you raise your kids please don't question me, There is no chance my are going to get hurt. When they move on to bigger bikes then yes they will wear helmets

Wow! That's a big assumption there. I didn't question how you raise your kids but sorry you feel so defensive. If you are happy with your decisions then why should you care what others think?
I was simply questioning how you could know that your children will never get hurt riding on the sidewalk or the driveway. Where I live those things are made of concrete and asphalt. Both are very hard surfaces and if you fall on them you will most likely get hurt. Maybe it is different by your home. How would I know?
Good luck with whatever you chose to do.

 

[fairestoneofall]

Yes. Absolutely.

And with the way my DS rides, he will be wearing his for a LONG time.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

All the time and whenusing razor scooter as well

 

[LoveTheEars]

I voted for sometimes because my DD stopped wearing a helmet this year (she just turned 8). My DS also is not using a helmet this year but he had every year prior (he is 11).

It seems that there are no kids in the neighborhood this year wearing helmets. Not sure why. I think my kids feel awkward...

 

[honugirl]

Around where I live it's about 50/50. I think it's a law here. I know it is in Oregon. I hated when they put that law into effect because I actually had to wear one for awhile. Now I generally don't wear one. Can't do much more damage to my brain than my own body has done, so I don't really sweat it.

 

[belle&beast]

I do not judge people's parenting- that is not my place. I am a speech pathologist and have worked with people (kids and adults) with head injuries at different levels of recovery. I have never seen anything so sad as a young child in a coma from a head injury that could have been prevented- we were trying to use oral stimulation while he was unresponsive. If it can be prevented, I will do my best.

 

[Beavers5]

My kids, my husband and I all wear helmets each time we ride.

I would rather try to prevent serious injuries, then regret it later.

 

[boltfans]

Wow, it's really surprising to me to read how many people here do not wear helmets or make their kids wear them. I live in Washington DC and there are tons of bikers and I don't think I've ever seen one of them without a helmet. My kids freak out if they haven't finished putting on their helmets and elbow/knee pad and they think I'm ready to go. They literally won't get on their bikes without their gear (not that I want them too, but a couple of times I have asked them to move the bikes a few feet and if they're not walking them they'll actually gear up to get on the bikes). Luckily for me I think they're more afraid to get hurt than take the risk of not wearing all their gear.

My husband is an anesthesiologist who has been in the OR for numerous head trauma cases and there is NO WAY he would let any of our kids (or us for that matter) on an bike, scooter, or skates without a helmet on. It's simply not a risk worth taking. He's also completely fanatical about carseat usage and has dragged them for blocks to use in a 5 minute taxi ride because he's seen the effects of kids who weren't in carseats and were in an accident.

And FWIW for the posters who think their kids can't get hurt on little bikes, on driveways, etc., they can. My son is 2yo and has the smallest bike imaginable, like 9 inch wheels or something, and of course it has training wheels on it. The seat is on the lowest setting so he's what, a foot and change off the ground? We only ever ride on sidewalks or the park (paved areas usually, not much on the grass as it's too hard for him to pedal) so by that logic we should never be at risk. Well in May when we were riding through the park on the way to school (all sidewalks and the paved paths in the park, no streets) my son, who is not a speedy biker at all, turned to look at a dog walking by, allowing his handlebars to turn all the way to the left, which tipped him and his bike over. He was barely moving as he does the 'pedal, pedal, pedal backwards and get stuck' thing. He fell directly onto his head and left arm, scraping up his entire side of his arm (minus the elbow as he had a pad on it), but not a scratch to his head. Given how easily kids can get shaken baby syndrome, I can only imagine that seeing what happened to his arm, his brain would have gotten quite a bounce. And this is from falling from a very low height, at a very slow speed.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I'm surprised at how kid focused this is. I'm hoping that it is because many people feel that biking is a kid's activity. In our family, we always wear helmets when we ride - kids and adults. We often mock the families in which the parents wear no helmets but make sure that the kids are wearing them.

Still, I live in a free country. I think people should be free to wear or not wear helmets as they choose. You've got to leave a little room for Darwin to work. If someone doesn't share my views on safety, that's fine. I would like to see people pay a risk adjusted premium on their life and health insurance so that they bear the costs of their behavior, but that's a political subject and is taboo here.

We all face safety trade-offs all the time. I remember when almost nobody wore a seatbelt. I don't know anyone that doesn't buckle up now. People chose to smoke knowing full well that it is likely to kill them. People overeat with full knowledge of how dangerous obesity is. Some people drive instead of flying because they fear flying - even though they know that it is safer than driving. I'm sure that there are plenty of people that will be afraid to ride the monorail for a while after what happened last week.

A kid on a bike wearing a helmet is at more risk than a kid playing in his own yard. An extremist view would be that kids shouldn't ever take to the streets. It's all tradeoffs.

For me, some tradeoffs (wearing a seatbelt, not smoking, wearing a helmet) are obvious. I'm sure that there are those that insist on 5-point safety harnesses in their cars, staying inside on ozone watch days, and never getting on a two wheeled vehicle that think I'm way to unsafe just as there are non-helmet wearing, motorcycle riding, chain smokers that strike me as crazy. Everyone has to make their own judgment calls.

Of course, I still think that anyone that rides a bicycle without a helmet is an idiot. Then again, they may be just smart enough to know that some things are worth protecting.

Here is my oldest after a bike wreck while wearing a helmet. Not a pretty picture. No lasting damage. If it weren't for the helmet his little brother would probably be either an only child.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Well in May when we were riding through the park on the way to school (all sidewalks and the paved paths in the park, no streets) my son, who is not a speedy biker at all, turned to look at a dog walking by, allowing his handlebars to turn all the way to the left, which tipped him and his bike over. He was barely moving as he does the 'pedal, pedal, pedal backwards and get stuck' thing. He fell directly onto his head and left arm, scraping up his entire side of his arm (minus the elbow as he had a pad on it), but not a scratch to his head.

That showcases why helmets are always a good idea on bikes. It is very easy to hold onto the handlebars when you crash which often means that your head is the first point of contact. Protect what is important. If your or your child's head isn't, don't waste your time and money on a helmet.

 

[schmitty]

The reason you see kids in hospitals with bad bike crashes is because they are bad bike crashes. Most times kids fall and nothing happens, like what happened to the 2 year old. If my child was 2 I would make them wear a helmet because their head is still fairly soft.
By the look of the scrapes is looks like your kids fell on his face not temple. A full face helmet would of worked better. I broke my jaw recently and I was wearing a helmet. Just a skate lid but it didn't protect my face. Now when I do jumps Ill wear a full face. Its all about knowing when you need to wear a helmet. I don't buckle my seatbelt when I have to move my car out of the carport and I only text when stopped at lights or a sign.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Wow Mark! sorry DS got hurt on his bike, it most definitely would have worse without a helmet.

I voted all the time, all of my kids wear helmets when they ride bikes, scooters, skates and boards.
I don't ride so no need for a helmet LOL DH and I are in the market for new bikes since the boys can all ride 2 wheelers now. We will buy new helmets for both of us and for the kids. They are growing so fast they need new helmets every year, I think this is the first year we have not needed new ones yet.
DD3 also wears one, teach em' young. I figure we'll meet less resistance if we start her earlier.

Why we wear helmets:

1 - my bother (35 at the time) was riding down the sidewalk on his bike and fell off, I think he hit a frost heave or something where the concrete had split and raised up. Anyway, broke his collarbone and cracked his helmet in half. Better the helmet, then his head. He walked 2 miles home to get help. If there were no helmet we most likely would be without a brother or he wouldn't have been the same person.

2 - DH was a mountain bike racer. One day during a practice run he hit a tree root and literally flew face first into to a tree. Broke his nose, ripped a chunk out of his cheek, and a chunk out of his thigh. The helmet and a pair of Oakley sunglasses saved his life and his eye. He had to then ride 10 miles out of the woods back to the Navy base to get help.

Two very different circumstances both of which could have had drastically different outcomes if they had not been wearing helmets.

 

[Pikester]

I'm surprised at how kid focused this is. I'm hoping that it is because many people feel that biking is a kid's activity. In our family, we always wear helmets when we ride - kids and adults. We often mock the families in which the parents wear no helmets but make sure that the kids are wearing them.

Still, I live in a free country. I think people should be free to wear or not wear helmets as they choose. You've got to leave a little room for Darwin to work. If someone doesn't share my views on safety, that's fine. I would like to see people pay a risk adjusted premium on their life and health insurance so that they bear the costs of their behavior, but that's a political subject and is taboo here.

We all face safety trade-offs all the time. I remember when almost nobody wore a seatbelt. I don't know anyone that doesn't buckle up now. People chose to smoke knowing full well that it is likely to kill them. People overeat with full knowledge of how dangerous obesity is. Some people drive instead of flying because they fear flying - even though they know that it is safer than driving. I'm sure that there are plenty of people that will be afraid to ride the monorail for a while after what happened last week.

A kid on a bike wearing a helmet is at more risk than a kid playing in his own yard. An extremist view would be that kids shouldn't ever take to the streets. It's all tradeoffs.

For me, some tradeoffs (wearing a seatbelt, not smoking, wearing a helmet) are obvious. I'm sure that there are those that insist on 5-point safety harnesses in their cars, staying inside on ozone watch days, and never getting on a two wheeled vehicle that think I'm way to unsafe just as there are non-helmet wearing, motorcycle riding, chain smokers that strike me as crazy. Everyone has to make their own judgment calls.

Of course, I still think that anyone that rides a bicycle without a helmet is an idiot. Then again, they may be just smart enough to know that some things are worth protecting.

Here is my oldest after a bike wreck while wearing a helmet. Not a pretty picture. No lasting damage. If it weren't for the helmet his little brother would probably be either an only child.

Even though it's pretty much been raining every single day here in NH, I actually saw a motorcyle out on one of our few nice days with a woman on the back (a man was driving) not wearing a helmet and smoking a cigarette. I guess she was living on the edge. After all, she was in the Live Free or Die State.


For your DS. That looks like it was painful.

 

[mill4023]

I'm not afraid to say it.
Parents who don't make their kids wear a helmet ARE bad parents.

I've got no problem judging people. Anyone who says they don't judge is lying. Every day, we see things that people do and we judge them. Just because you don't speak out and tell someone what you think about them doesn't mean you aren't judging their behavior. Of course, that judgement is only my opinion and you are free to disagree.

 

[KAMLEM]

Of course, I still think that anyone that rides a bicycle without a helmet is an idiot.

Is it really necessary to start name-calling?

I'm willing to bet that most of you who say your kids wear helmets EVERY SINGLE TIME NO MATTER WHAT have young kids, otherwise you really don't know. I see many kids riding around town with their helmets hanging on the handle bars. Some of their parents probably believe that their kids ALWAYS wear their helmets. It gets much more difficult as your kids get older.

 

[happygirl]

I'm not afraid to say it.
Parents who don't make their kids wear a helmet ARE bad parents.

I've got no problem judging people. Anyone who says they don't judge is lying. Every day, we see things that people do and we judge them. Just because you don't speak out and tell someone what you think about them doesn't mean you aren't judging their behavior. Of course, that judgement is only my opinion and you are free to disagree.

I will thanks Do you know I rode bikes my whole life and had ton of bicycle wreck and never wore a helemt how in the world did I ever survive?

 

[mickeyboat]

I will thanks Do you know I rode bikes my whole life and had ton of bicycle wreck and never wore a helemt how in the world did I ever survive?

You were lucky.

 

[ticktock]

You miss the point. Everything is dangerous, some things are more dangerous than others. You use the proper protection when necessary. If you are doing jumps, riding downhill, or doing a race you need a helmet. If you are just cruising around the block you don't need a helmet.
The hockey player in your sig should be wearing a full face helmet to protect his face. I think playing hockey without a full face helmet, like a football helmet, is much more dangerous than riding down the street without a helmet.

My uncle was just cruising around the block when he hit a bump and fell, hitting his head on the ground beside the road. He died several days later in the ICU. He was 14.

 

[ticktock]

Is it really necessary to start name-calling?

I'm willing to bet that most of you who say your kids wear helmets EVERY SINGLE TIME NO MATTER WHAT have young kids, otherwise you really don't know. I see many kids riding around town with their helmets hanging on the handle bars. Some of their parents probably believe that their kids ALWAYS wear their helmets. It gets much more difficult as your kids get older.

I didn't vote because there wasn't a "when I'm watching" choice.

I'd like to think my uncle's death would have taught my DS 15 the dangers of just cruising around the 'hood helmetless, but I doubt it. He told me that he didn't wear a helmet the other day at a friends house. I will be telling that mother that DS isn't allowed to ride bikes when he stays over anymore. Other people don't have to live by my rules but if they won't enforce my rules for my child at their house then my child won't participate in those activities at their house anymore.