For Parents: If your child owns a bicycle....

[ZachnElli]

So sad, but a good reminder. Reminds me to get my son a new one, I think he needs an adult size one now. Make sure they fit too!

As a side note, we are moving and dh was driving through our new neighborhood (we close in month and it's a cross country move). He saw a bunch of boys riding bikes around our son's age and I asked if they were wearing helmets, he said yes! I'm so glad I'm not the only "mean" mom in the neighborhood!

 

[CEDmom]

Not only does DD wear a helmet and she's still on a tricycle but I wear one as well. I think this is one of those instances where it's important to practice what we preach.

 

[chichihoney]

i always wear my helmet. In my old neighbor hood my kids their don't wear one. if they don't wear their helments to ride their bikes they get grounded. i always like to wear helmets

 

[robsmom]

My 93 yo grandmother always buys the helmets! Well sort of. My Mom and Dad like to buy their grandchildren new bikes as birthday presents as necessary. Since my grandmother does not shop, my Mom has taken to getting a bigger helmet as the present from "grammy". I would never let my kid rid without one.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

My kids have been wearing helmets since they were 18 months old. I see kids who start out wearing the helmets and then the parents go inside and the kids take the helmets off. A few months back a girl took off her helmet when she was skating and she hit her head and died. If she wore her helmet she would be alive today. Her parents also made her wear a helmet all the time, but most kids take them off because they don't think they are cool. I hope my kids keep their helmets on when they grow up.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Wait until they get in middle school / junior high. As posted above, all of a sudden everything you've drilled into their heads about safety and using common sense goes right out the window. It never ceases to amaze me what little peer pressure it takes to have kids start making the wrong decisions.

My DD (11) start hanging out with a new friend that I noticed never wore a helmet. My DD would ride away with her helmet securely fastened and I just kept thinking to myself: "I bet she takes it off the second she is out of sight". When my DD came back home (still wearing helmet of course) I told her I was concerned that she might not be wearing her helmet 100% of the time she is riding her bike. At first she said "Of course I do". All it took was making eye contact and I knew everything I suspected was true.

We had a very long talk about making the right choices and not doing something just because a friend does. All I can do is hope is worked as I will be following up on this and she knows it is not an empty threat when I tell her the bike will be "gone" if myself or anyone else sees her not wearing a helmet.

Somehow I don't think this will be the last time we'll have to talk about peer pressure.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I agree with all of the above but just want to add my 2 cents- I work in a toy dept that sells bike helmets and It bugs me when parents look at cost more than fit. Spending the extra 10 bucks to get the one that really fits the kid well vs the one that doesnt fit as well will be returned 10 fold when the helmet does what its supposed to in case of an accident vs having one that doesnt because it was a loose fit.

There are many charts online to help pick the right one if its not clear- a child with a fitting helmet will usually be more willing to wear it than one that doesnt have a good fitting thats too tight or too loose and becomes "bothersome"-

-em

 

[TEENEE]

The rule in my house is, if it has wheels you wear a helmet. It gets harder to enforce when kids get older. I see many kids riding around with the helmet on but not strapped. When school started this year the police officer at my sons school let them know who was boss. If he caught them riding to school with no helmet he offered them a helmet or a ticket, it was their choice until he ran out of helmets. I told my son if he gets a ticket for not wearing his helmet he's paying it, not me.