What Is the Best Child Bike Helmet?

How to Pick the Best Bicycle Helmet for Your Child?

All cyclists need to wear a protective helmet when they are out on the road, bike path, or mountain trail, but this safety equipment takes on a new level of importance when it comes to the topic of children. It is no secret that children can be quite prone to mishaps that lead to all kinds of bumps and bruises.

Bike injuries can also be quite common with young people. This fact adds emphasis to the importance of wearing a bike helmet. Current statistics demonstrate that children from the age of five through young adulthood are the cyclists most prone to bike-related injuries.

As much as sixty percent of bike injuries are sustained by young people in this age range. Statistics also show that serious head injury risks can be reduced by as much as eighty-five percent when a child is wearing a high-quality bike helmet.

These points illustrate why it is important to emphasize the importance of wearing a helmet to your child. Some things that you can do to encourage the use of a helmet include:

• Start them wearing a bike helmet from an early age
• Make sure that you are setting a good example by wearing a helmet when you go out cycling
• Allow your child to help in the process of picking out a bike helmet

As has been established, bike helmets are important for young cyclists. Picking out the best bicycle helmet for your child is also highly important. Some key considerations include:

• It is important to choose a bike helmet that is the right size for your child
• Choose a helmet that has a safety sticker from the Consumer Products Safety Committee – CPSC.
• Make sure you are choosing a bike helmet that is designed for kids
• There are specific helmets that are available for children that are age two and under

What Size Helmet Should My Child Wear?

It is important to discuss sizing when determining what is the best child bike helmet. A bike helmet that does not fit properly will not provide the maximum amount of protection that is offered by one that does.

When your child’s bike helmet does not fit correctly, it can easily move from side to side or end up sliding back on their head. This dramatically reduces the helmet’s ability to work effectively. To ensure that you choose a bike helmet for your child that fits them correctly, you should follow these suggestions:

• Ensure That the Helmet is the Right Size for Your Child’s Head – It is important to ensure that the helmet you choose is the correct size for your child’s head. You can determine sizing by using a measuring tape to measure their head circumference. You will want to measure around their head by going just over their eyebrows. This measurement will help you in selecting the appropriately sized helmet. You then need to consider the following steps.
• Check the Snugness of the Bike Helmet – The snugness of the bike helmet is key. The helmet must stay in place rather than moving around on your child’s head. Many children’s bike helmets will come with helmet pads that you can use to get the correct snugness. It is also common for helmets to have a rear fit dial that will assist you in getting the right snugness.
• Check to Ensure That the Straps are the Correct Length – When the side straps on your child’s bike helmet are correctly adjusted, they should form a Y shape just below their ear. It is also important to tighten the chin strap so that it is snug but not overly tight. A good rule of thumb is that you should still be able to fit a finger under the strap without difficulty.
• Periodically Check Your Child’s Bike Helmet for Fit – It is important to periodically check the fit of your child’s bike helmet both during a cycling run and over time. Children will often pull at their helmet and its straps and can throw off the fit. The fact that children grow quickly also means that it is important to ensure that your child has not outgrown their current helmet.

Beyond these points, it is important to teach your kids the importance of taking care of their bike helmets. You also want to note that a helmet that has been through a crash might need to be replaced. This can be the case even if there is no obvious damage.