4 Year Old - Need Helmet for 1St Time Iceskating?

I am with Candice M on this one. A helmet for ice skating. I think not. It is ice skating. This is not a dangerous olympic sport. My grandkids all ice skate and no one has ever worn a helmet or felt the need for one.

no I would not put a helmet on a 4 year old to go ice skating. My daughter took a class when she was 3. The whole class of 8 kids and not 1 kid was wearing a helmet. I've never even heard of that on ice skates.

I would. Most kids that age will be wearing helmets. If he wears one from the get-go, he'll be used to it. Of course I say that from the perspective of a hockey mom, whose kids wear helmets on the ice all the time anyway,

I'm a little amazed at some of these answers!
My youngest is four and we've been skating for the first time with older two this winter at a crowded rink here in PA. We've also been to several frozen lakes. And a roller rink. I also grew up ice skating and used to compete. I started at age three.
I have literally never seen a helmet on a child ice skating or roller skating. Not now, and not in the past. I had no idea people were doing this.
I'm amazed!
It can't hurt, but as a first time skater, he's going to be moving much slower than walking. It wouldn't be any different than running around playing with no helmet imo...

Yes. Our local rink requires them for skating lessons. Here in the frozen tundra I rarely see little kids skating without them. Many of them grow up to be youth hockey players so they need to get used to them anyhow. That might not be the case for your son, but it's a good idea. My younger son had to quit hockey because of multiple concussions and it is a horrible experience. Better safe than sorry.

ETA: A few posters have mentioned that they never used to wear helmets when skating as a kid. That's true of a lot of things. We never wore helmets when biking when I was a kid, but I don't bike without one now and don't let my kids do it either. We have a lot more information now than we used to about head and brain injuries.

Please do. Head traumas are serious and a lot of them can be prevented. I was at the rink with my daughter last weekend. Lots of little ones were in helmets and there were teens and adults flying by. I would do it just for that.

Blessings!
L.

Start as you want to finish. If you expect your children to wear helmets when they're older (& you're not right at his side), then that's how you should start.

Yes, use a helmet. I just buy multi-sport helmets that they can use for riding their bikes, but also use for skating, roller blading, skate boarding, ice tubing etc.

ETA: In my city all children taking skating lessons are required to wear a helmet. Many private rinks require children under the age of 16 to wear a helmet. City rinks recommend helmet use, but it is not yet mandatory. It is mandatory in some Canadian cities. Like bike helmets I expect skating helmets will soon be law.

Yes!
Helmets should be worn at all times!

If it were my four-year-old grandchild, I would definitely pop a helmet on the kid's head. A helmet is like insurance - you may not need it, but if you do need it, it's there and worth every penny! Do you have a bicycle helmet for your son? That might work well.

I probably would, especially if you already have a bike helmet.

It is not uncommon to wear a helmet in the beginning. I have seen plenty of kids knock their head on the ice. Since you are thinking of it and not going ice skating on a whim, why not.

I would just because it's smarter than not putting one on him. What if you both fall and you catch him on the head with your elbow or something. I'd err on the side of caution.

It can't hurt to wear a helmet. When I was little and my mom took me skating I didn't have a helmet. I think I was five. I was so excited to skate for the first time since I already knew how to roller skate. I stepped onto the ice, let go of the side, and slid out a little way. Then I moved my right foot and slipped backwards but didn't land on my backside. I landed flat on my back and slammed my head on the ice.

Every time we take our girls ice skating they wear a helmet. No concussions if possible on my watch when they're preventable. Same with roller skating. You don't have to be going fast and then fall. You just have to fall the right way.

Yes. The facility likely will rent you a helmet. Bike helmets are not at all the same as helmets used for other sports, so get the appropriate helmet rather than just putting a bike helmet on him. To avoid disappointing him if you get there and they say "We're out of helmets his size" etc., call in advance and check.

You might have him between you every moment, but it only takes a nanosecond for his feet to fly out from under him and for his head to hit the ice. It's so easy to get a helmet and save yourself the worry.

I would. The rink might require them anyway. My daughter was fine with a bike helmet but we had the full hockey helmet with face guard for my son. He was very skilled at landing on his teeth.

oh, please do.
lots of us grew up without helmets and most of us are okay. that doesn't mean it was smart. all the times i got on ponies without helmets, nothing bad happened. heather was a much better rider than i was, and always wore a helmet- except for that one time after her lesson, when she was just cooling her pony out. now she's dead.
skating rinks are hella hard, and however slowly your little guy goes, other people will be whizzing by. with sharp blades on their feet. and hard walls. and a hard, hard floor.
you'll look long and hard to find a more 'don't parent from fear' parent than i. but this is such an easy fix. put a helmet on the little guy.
khairete
S.

We are going to a ice skating party, and were told by the instructor to bring helmets, sweaters, and maybe even snowpants for extra padding.

My son plays ice hockey and he's required to wear a helmet/head gear. So I believe in the benefit of head protection.

However, he learned how to skate without a helmet. He's bonked his head a few times but he was so small and skated so s....l....o....w. that it didn't do any harm. If he were older, taller, faster - then maybe he would have suffered more head injuries.

Do what you feel comfortable while he's on the ice. Just a word of warning - try not to hold his hand once he gets his skate feet. Because if he falls, he might take you with him and you can cause serious injury if you fall on top of him. Best thing is to skate behind him and reach out and steady him only if he starts tipping one way or another. You can move him out of the way of any fallen skaters in his way or fast skaters zooming past him better if you are behind him. The sooner he learns to skate on his own the safer you both will be, and the sooner he'll gain his confidence on the ice.

Have fun!

yes. There are some older kids with helmet also. Once he gets good, he won't need it.