Question:
Do your kids wear bike helmets?
Jessica
2007-09-07 22:27:31 UTC
I bought my son his first "real bike" today....and along with it i bought a helmet, which also came with knee and elbow pads. I plan on him wearing the helmet and at least knee pads...maybe not the elbows...his dad says this will make him a "sissy", and that boys shouldnt wear helmets. My son is 4, im not about to trust him to be 100% safe on a bike, and as close of an eye as i keep on him, we all know it only takes 1 second for something to happen...is it uncommon now a days to wear one? Is it "uncool"? Do your kids wear one? Why or why not? Thanks!
23 answers:
anonymous
2007-09-07 22:59:51 UTC
Okay, he's FOUR. I would not ever let my child (four or any age), (Girl or boy) on a bike without a helmet. A four year old is not a pro biker. He's going to fall and scrape his knees and hands, and get himself hurt a bunch of times. But if he's not wearing a helmet, he can fall on his head and either bust it wide open and end up in the emergancy room or end up dead over it. Any parent will make their children wear a helmet, unless they just don't care what happens to them. No, wearing a helmet will not make him a "sissy", it will save his LIFE. That's just as ignorant as saying "boys shouldn't ride motorcycles with helmets, because it makes them 'sissys'". If it does, I would rather have a "sissy" son than a "dead" son.

Explain that to his dad.
Annie
2007-09-08 12:12:21 UTC
Tell your husband that being a sissy is not nearly as horrible as head trauma. Even just scrapes from the pavement on his face could lead to plastic surgery and grafts and will leave some level of scarring.



My kids...and my husband...all wear helmets. Not only becaue we know it is the safe thing to do, but because it is the law. We lived on a military base when the kids began to ride bikes and it is mandatory there. Kids or adults that were spotted riding bikes or skateboards without helmets often had the bike taken away until a parent came to pick it up with a helmet in tow. Adults were reported to the chain of command. It sunk in quickly. Now we live off base and it is still the law for the county we live in. Check to see if it is law where you are. Then tell your husband there is no choice...either he wears the helmet when he rides or there is no bike.
serenity23232
2007-09-08 05:36:27 UTC
I don't have children of my own but I am a nanny with a 3, 5, and 7 year old and they are absolutely expected to wear helmets while riding their bikes and rollerblading. It is understandable for kids to not want to wear their helmets (the 7 year old is reaching that point) but I think that it is imperative when the kids are young and just learning to ride/skate. Once your son gets older and aware of what is cool and uncool he most likely will not want to wear the helmet, but at 4 years old the only way he would know that the helmet is uncool would be hearing it from someone else so I think that until he masters his bike riding and gets negative feedback about his helmet I would encourage it.
Rachel
2007-09-08 06:01:32 UTC
well do you want to take care of your brain damaged son for the rest of your life then put him in inadequate state care when you die?

Where I live in Australia it is the law that all people must wear a bike helmet or face large fines. Helmets save lives. You can get some pretty cool ones and i cannot believe in this day and age that your husband has this idiotic idea that it will make him a sissy. How does your son surviving a bike accident without brain damage make him a sissy.
Shelbi =)
2007-09-08 06:38:57 UTC
I wore a helmet and knee and elbow pads when I was younger. Actually I got in a wreck and the helmet saved my life (or I would have been mentally handicap) on a road I had lived on for 9 or 10 years. In the high school I go to we have a class called outdoor recreation and we ride bikes. We are required to wear helmets and its not embarrassing to me.
anonymous
2007-09-08 10:19:55 UTC
I think the coolness and the expectations about bike helmets depends on where you live. That said, I think it is incredibly important for kids to grow up knowing that you don't get on a bike (or a scooter) without a helmet on. My kids (17 and 11) have always worn helmets and everyone around here does except really stupid kids who put them on (sometimes) but, don't close the strap which makes it obviously useless. Please teach your child that wearing a helmet is just something you do when you ride a bike. Period. My neighbor (an adult) just fell off her bike and hit her head and the helmet broke. If she hadn't had her helmet on, her skull would have cracked. Helmets save lives and reduce serious injuries and kids are totally willing to take them for granted if they grow up using them with no questions asked. Some things are not about whether they are "cool" or not. Teach your child by example, wear a helmet yourself, and don't allow them to make poor choices about such obvious safetly issues.
HappyThoughts
2007-09-08 05:43:49 UTC
I'm disappointed that the majority of kids in my neighborhood don't wear helmets. I make my three year old wear hers on her tricycle, and it's a good thing. She's wiped out on it before.



My daughter now makes her dad wear his helmet. In our state, it's actually the law that anyone under 16 must wear one. My dad made me use seatbelts in the car when it was uncool, and I developed a lifesaving habit. Wearing a bike helmet is just that, a lifesaving habit.



You know, every wife, at one time or another, has to figure out how to get what she wants from her husband. If you can't talk him into thinking the helmet is a good idea, find out if you have a law in your area, or bargain with him on something. It's important that you both require your child to wear a helmet, every time he rides. Good luck!
Lilly
2007-09-08 05:37:21 UTC
If you live in California, all kids under 18 have to wear a helmet. The pads are optional, but that's up to you. Hundreds of bucks for broken bones and bandages or wear the pads and tell dad to stuff his sissy talk. Mine wear helmets and pads even when on their kick scooters. Those pads have prevented many scrapes and bumps.
derangdlilmonkey
2007-09-08 05:44:16 UTC
HELMET!!!!!! No matter the age. Is a must unless you want to spend each and every waking moment at his bedside in the Icu, watching his little body all limp and frail, hooked up to a million monitors, and hoping for a sign , just one sign, maybe an eyelid flutter, or a finger moving, just wishing that at the moment he could breath on his own. I know it sounds harsh, but accidents do happen, and alot of us think they are little how fast can they go on their bike, and if they did fall how far of a fall, they will be ok, but its the things we don't think of, that do it, what if a car comes barreling down the street and hits him, perhaps you don't get to him in time, say you just turned to say hi to the neighbor, and bam!!!!!!!! To be honest sometimes it doesn't even take a huge hit, our little guys and girls are precious and they are still growing. Cool or not they should be protected at all times. Heck, im a young mom with six tats. I love anything from rock, punk, funk, country, hip hop... I loved going to shows and raves, I lived the cool life to the fullest, I married a hot Marine that flew in helicopters daily, I know cool when i see it, and i make sure cool is on my sons head each and everytime he rides his bike :) So, put a helmet on that kid, make sure wears a seatbelt, and teach him how to protect himself. Its awareness and thats always cool!!!! :)
momof3boys
2007-09-08 05:34:32 UTC
Men always seem to say stuff like that but then if you son gets seriously hurt he won't like being to blaim. Yes my boys are 2 and 5 and they both have helmets, elbow and knee pads to wear when they are riding their bikes or wearing their rollerskates. They like them and I encourage them to wear them. They have safety classes for young kids to take and cops and paramedics tell the kids just how important the protection is. It won't look uncool if it saves your son from harm. It will however look uncool on your husband if your son becomes injured because he didn't want his son being "uncool".
TM
2007-09-08 05:41:34 UTC
My son is 6 and he is made to wear his helmet when he is riding his bicycle, scooter or skateboard. I don't think it makes him a "sissy", I would rather him be safe than sorry. If something would happen to him by not wearing his helmet, I would feel guilty for the rest of my life.
sharon h
2007-09-08 05:39:22 UTC
My kids are 11, 9 and 5 years. I insist they wear helmets and proper foot protection when they ride their bikes. I am an RN and I have seen first hand the devastating effects of head injuries. Please.. Helmet their heads!



We live in a relatively rural area and this summer we allowed all three to ride their bikes up the the local beach (their very first such outing alone). We reminded them to ride in the bike lane, single file and sent them off. When they got home my daughter came in with a little fake frown "we got stopped by the police" she said and broke into a big grin. They all got little cards that they were "caught being good" from our local sheriff and they were coupons for a free ice cream cone at McDonald's! It was one of my proudest parenting moments and I immediately took them all out for their ice-cream.
*Charli* Mamma Di Gemini's
2007-09-08 05:38:50 UTC
My two year old twin boys wear helmet when we go out with their trikes, usually on the bike track. They actually like their helmets. We put sicker all over them. They know if they want to ride and they need their helmets outside.



If his partner thinks they are 'uncool' take him down to the local hospital for a look. He will be gluing the helmet to your 4yo head!
mum to 3 precious little girls!!
2007-09-08 05:37:38 UTC
you need to slap your hubby up the head my girl wears a helmet every time and i mean EVERY time she doesnt wear the knee pads though we only have grass and even if wearing a helmet was "uncool" i would still make her wear it . It is your job as a parent to make sure he does so good on you and a big thumbs down to the dad
Lydia
2007-09-08 20:35:51 UTC
Yes, always did. Contact your local govn't department, and you'll be able to get the stats on how much safer kids are when they wear helmets. Your husband is wrong...

Nothing wrong with a helmet for boys - there are really cool ones out there.

What's not good is a cracked skull and a brain injury....
anonymous
2007-09-08 05:43:01 UTC
Always a helmet. It is the law here.



Mine never worried with the extras as a few bumps here and there tended to teach them to slow down.



Our rule is No Helmet then No Bike.
anonymous
2007-09-08 11:37:27 UTC
"Mom that sucks." "It's uncool." "Nobody every wears one." "It is so stupid."



Anyone with kids who ride bikes know all of theses words.



Wearing a helmet protects their heads. 80% of head injuries can be avoided in cycling accidents if the rider was wearing a helmet. It also protects our pocket books. The ticket for a child under 16 not wearing a helmet here in Ontario is $140 I believe.



If they are caught by me riding without one, they lose their bikes for a week.
Mr. Knowitall
2007-09-08 05:34:22 UTC
I'd rather my son be a sissy than dead! Make him wear a helmet! HE'S 4!
Janaya Y
2007-09-08 05:39:02 UTC
well the only kid i have is my bird ......and he cant ride a bike. but if he could then i would most defently want him to wear a helmet a pads!
anonymous
2007-09-08 05:30:36 UTC
Well, you've got a few choices here...



A) Look uncool.



B) Wind up with a brain damage.



C) Wind up dead.



So, which one would you choose?
Glinda W
2007-09-08 05:35:04 UTC
ABSOLUTELY!! and now my grand kids wear them. If you can prevent a head injury why wouldn't you?
*mRs.GaBrIeL*
2007-09-08 05:31:27 UTC
yep my kids wear one
anonymous
2007-09-08 05:32:49 UTC
yes you should


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