toddler helmet

[zambenini]

ok, this is going to perhaps be controversial, but i haven't been using a helmet for my boy in the baby trailer under the thinking that its better not to have additional weight in the event of a crash, such that there is more inertia for a neck-snapping type injury. i went this way following some other parents who heard as such, that helmets might be worse for such injuries.

well, my boy has always been very strong and not at all floppy even when a small infant... always had a strong neck, and so i think it's past time for a helmet. He is 16 months old now.

do I want MIPS? not MIPS? other things, apart from fitting his noggin?

[Hellgate]

I rolled the Burley when my son was an infant. I always had his in a helmet and strapped in the center of the trailer to protect him.

MIPS, no MIPS, I can't say one way or another, but I feel a helmet is a must as their skulls aren't solid yet.

[Jad]

I've got an 18 month old who currently enjoys leisurely kick bike cruises through the house. By spring, she may well be ripping, which oughta be fun. For what it's worth, we haven't put the helmet on when we tow her during XC skiing, and we haven't towed her with a bike yet.

We have a Baby Nutty Nutcase helmet for her, but it isn't MIPS. For $20 dollars more, I suppose I can see the appeal. Here's what seems a fair write up:

https://rascalrides.com/mips-helmets-kids/

[cribbit]

The weight of a helmet isn't anywhere near enough to add injury-causing mass.

The most important thing with kids helmets is snugness. They will find ways to put the darn thing askew, rendering it useless.

[benb]

Yah this is the argument the anti helmet Harley crowd uses, its been thoroughly debunked.

Burley lists a minimum age/weight for the child if you’re observing that then your child should be plenty strong.

We bought our son the Specialized toddler helmet it was great. He’s 6 now and has a Bontrager helmet. Both are really nice quality on par with adult helmets. Definitely confidence inspiring.

The burley design is great I always felt safe with my son in it. The hitch is great even if you crash the trailer can stay upright.

[VoyTirando]

I take my 2-year-old daughter to preschool most days on the bike, about 15 mins of mostly-protected bike lanes through Brooklyn, NY. We've been biking to places here and there since she was about 18 mos. old. At 8:30 a.m. there are always walkers, dogs, runners, commuters, other bikes and kids out, and even though the lanes are protected, there are always distracted people or downright idiots to look out for. And squirrels, of course! Plus, there are holes, cracks, water, sticks....

So, the helmet is mandatory, not just for my daughter, but for me, too. As long as we're dressed for it - last week, it was 23 degrees and we biked - it's the best way to get around and spend fun time together. We use a Nutcase helmet with a cow pattern that she picked out. She sometimes wears it around the house for fun, too.

[Jaybee]

My 4 and 6 year old (who go to PS and K on the trail-a-bike) use a Nutcase helmet also. Ours has an outershell made of a whiteboard-like material, and it came with markers so you draw your own designs. They like it, the only issue is that it isn't adjustable, so my 6 year old will be looking for a new helmet in 3-4 months, probably.

I would say the most important things with a toddler/pre-school helmet are:

1) snug fit, so it actually works if needed.
2) comfort, so they actually want to wear it
3) color/design, so they actually want to wear it.

Another thing if they are in a Burley or similar trailer, make sure the helmet doesn't interfere with the seatback. No one wants to have their head pushed forward for any extended period and being uncomfortable will end your dad-biking adventures quickly.

[danesgod]

My son wears a helmet in the trailer and in the rear seat. That being said, much like rock climbing has "no fall zones" (times when you realize a fall would result in a catastrophe), I consider riding with a child a "no crash zone." I am confident that a crash with a toddler would be a disaster. My style of riding with a kid is reflected in that.

All that said, we did a 2 week tour in France and my son didn't wear his helmet at all because it didn't fit and he wouldn't keep it on. So make sure it fits and is comfortable.

[benb]

It's mostly a no-crash zone for sure but at least with a Burley vs a child seat or open trail-along the child is not necessarily getting hurt if the rider crashes.

Not all crashes involve a truck running you over...

I never crashed with the Burley but I did have the bike fall down when stopped and the trailer did not flip at all.

It's more of a PITA but I always felt like the Burley was the safer option. We never used a seat but we did use a WeeHoo for a little bit when my son got old enough to be outgrowing the Burley but not quite ready to just ride on his own. The WeeHoo was a lot of fun but definitely felt more dangerous for him. No protection against stuff falling over, more stressful to load/unload, and you have to worry about the child getting hit by flying objects/debris. Financially the Weehoo was a waste though as he learned to ride without training wheels so quickly we were done with it in under a year... he was doing 5-10 mile rides as a 5 year old @ 8-9mph.. slower than with the Burley or Weehoo but a lot less hassle and more satisfying.

The high mounted bike seats do at least get the kid out of the way of road debris somewhat.

[danesgod]

I never crashed with the Burley but I did have the bike fall down when stopped and the trailer did not flip at all.

It's more of a PITA but I always felt like the Burley was the safer option.

That's also happened to me, with a chariot couger II, didn't flip at all.

I absolutely agree that the trailer is safer than the seats, either front or rear. That being said, my kid likes the seats better, he can see more and talk to me.

The trailer is also MUCH more expensive than the seats.