Does Your Child Religiously Wear a Cycle Helmet and Pads

My boys are not allowed to ride without helmets, if they get caught doing so they lose bike or scooter privileges for a time. I only have them wear knee or elbow guards when learning a new skill.

Definitely the helmet, every time. My son is almost 2 and just to get him in the habit we put it on him every time he even gets on his tricycle. That might seem crazy to some people, but my theory is that if it becomes a habit from an early age then it won't feel like a restriction later in life -- kind of like wearing seatbelts. We just know it is something that goes along with riding in a car because it has always been that way.

We don't do pads though.

Mu five year old son ALWAYS wear a helmet while riding, even my two year old wears one on her tricycle. EVERY TIME. Elbow and knee pads though, that's a little excessive!

We just recently went camping in VT and a quick bike ride to check something out landed us in the hospital. My son went over his handle bars and his face got all messed up. I did not see what happened but I heard the scream and the dad that saw what happened was all shaken up when he walked my son to me. We had to go to the hospital just so he could get checked out because there was so much blood and the camp ground didn't have the facilities to properly clean him up. The plastic part of the helmet was so scratched up that it went down to the styrofoam and the styrofoam was scratched up. It looked like someone held the helmet and scraped it on the ground a few times, if you can picture that. That accident could have turned out so much worse if he wasn't wearing his helmet.
I wouldn't go as far as the pads every time, but yes a helmet is a must. Bones, cuts and scrapes can heal, but a head injury is forever.

We have a rule "If it has wheels, the helmet is on or you don't ride." Period. It takes one bump on the head to get a brain injury.

My son wears a helmet but never pads~ I will protect his head but if he scraps up his knees and elbows once in awhile it's no big deal, that's what kids do~

We are guilty and do not. We have them, but you are right, most of the time they just grab the bikes and go. Granted, my kids are only 3 and 4 so they basically are going up and down 2 or 3 houses and that is it.

Eager to read others responses.

My sons ALWAYS wear bike helmets and never have I even thought about putting them in pads. I, personally, think skinned up knees and elbows are part of growing up.
Quick story. I used to nanny for a family that lived up a driveway, probably about 1/4 mile long too. My two boys and the little girl and boy i nannied would always play outside and run around. This driveway went to their house, that's it. One day, I THANKFULLY had the children inside and a car came blasting up the driveway and did a U-turn to get back down to the main road. Had I been outside with the kids, or had they been riding bikes, they would have been hit! I often think back to that and say, well, they could not wear their helmet and probably be fine, but I can't control what everyone else does. What if someone came down your driveway that didn't belong there or was lost and they hit your son? It's just something to think about.
So, we always do helmets and have never done pads! I will be interested to see if anyone does pads anymore!
L.

Just FYI most bike accidents happen in drive ways. My boys are 8 and 3 and ALWAYS wear a helmet. No helmet = No bike. Also check your state laws here a child under 16 MUST where a helmet. One of my friends' sisters was hit while riding her bike she had a very long rough recovery and it was not known for a while if she would even pull through if she had not had a helmet on she would have been dead at the seen. I don't go through bother with elbow and knee pads (I might if they were into doing tricks) but a helmet is an absolute must.

We insist on a helmet but not the rest of the pads. We will let our kids ride their scooters on the back porch without helmets (not enough room for bikes) because they can't go very fast due to limited space; however, if they will be riding them down the street, helmet goes on. Our son fell when learning to ride his bike and totally scraped up his chin and hands. No pads would have saved him in those spots. Just part of bike riding.

I am with you on thinking helmets are a real pain. Trying to get a helmet on a girl with ponytails or anything in her hair is a nightmare (and 9/10 we have to take everything off her hair, leaving her hair a mess). Not to mention, they're just plain hard to get on tight enough. But I understand the necessity of using them, so we do it.

I wouldn't make my kids wear pads and I am probably the most protective mother I know. I make them wear helmets at all times though. I have seen first hand the devastation of a head injury from falling off of a bike.

I'll echo: helmet yes, pads no. IMO some scraped knees and elbows are part of being a kid.
Good luck!

I don't make my 7 year old wear pads anymore but he is not allowed on his bike without his helmet, even on the driveway. Cuts and scrapes are a normal part of growing up I think, but not head injuries. With his head we can't be too careful. He just hangs the helmet on the handlebars so the spontaniety is still pretty much there, I know what you mean about the pads though :)

Helmet, absolutely, everytime without exception. Pads? Not so much. Falling off your bike and scraping your knee is almost a childhood rite of passage, isn't it? All 3 of my kids have done so, as have my husband and I, and pretty much every other bike-riding person I know. But falling off your bike and hitting your head? That's a real danger. They only need to fall and hit their head badly once for some real life-changing repercussions...and it can happen even on a driveway. So yes to the helmet, always, without fail, everytime.

Always a helmut, never pads.

PLEASE please please make your kids wear helmets!!!! remember it's their brain that they are protecting!!!!

my good friend in college died from a bicycle accident. she was not wearing a helmet. it's such a simple thing! it takes two seconds to snap on. i don't let my kids go without helmets, and they are very used to it.

i don't feel strongly about elbows and knees... they heal pretty quickly and it's not too serious. and it's really annoying to put those things on.

In our house, helmets are a must everytime, even with the scooter. But the pads, we don't do so much any more. We did when they were younger like 3 and 4. They are 5 1/2 and 7 now. Things are different now compared to when we were kids (I have to remind myself of that fact pretty often),so I try not to use that reasoning. With texting and cell phones and the shear fact that people don't pay enough attention to kids and driving, I would force the helmet thing. Thank the MIL for the pads and have your son wear them at least when she is around, or he leaves the driveway.

Well... I don't require pads on their elbows and knees anymore because I feel they would recover fine if they did crash. Yes, it might take awhile for the wounds to heal, but I think they (at 8 yrs. old) would be okay in the end. However, protecting the head with a helmet is a MUST. EVEN IF IT'S TO RIDE THREE HOUSES DOWN AND BACK. (My child wiped out last year on the sidewalk in front of MY house. Yes... she had some blood on her knees but her head was fine due to her helmet being on.)

I would not want to take the chance on having my kid have brain injuries due to the fall. I know some moms who say... "Oh... he/she just won't wear it for me anymore." I want to say... "Come on, it's for HIS/HER own good... he/she won't put it on, then fine, NO BIKE riding for you!" I don't have a "battle" at all with my kids on this issue because it's been a habit since they began riding many years ago.

My daughter's teacher sent home an article JUST yesterday about this and hopefully after reading the artile..... (Mayor gives helmet all the credit), the parents who are lenient will change their thinking.) The mayor's front wheel bumped tires with a rider in front of him and that caused the mayor to be thrown to the ground. He broke four ribs, and his collarbone, and puntured a lung. The side of his face that hit the ground was heavily scabbed. The good news is that TESTS PROVED HE HAD NO BRAIN INJURY..... good thing this man WAS wearing a helmet. (The article was in The Daily Herald... mayor's from Elk Grove Village, Illinois~ just in case you want to Google/search it.)

An actress (Natasha.... ?) died two or three years ago from falling down on a bunny hill while skiing. My neighbor's aunt DIED years ago in her 30"s when she fell off her bike and her head hit the concrete curb on the street.

With facts like the three I mentioned above (and I know the statistics for injuries/death are high on this topic too), I will continue to make my 8 yr. old twins wear their helmets. I wish more moms would reinforce it because the older they get, I see less kids wearing them. Hopefully mine will not put up a fight in the future because their friends don't have to wear theirs. I'll have to trust that they will wear theirs and continue to be a good role model myself and wear my helmet. Yes... I went out and bought one a year ago because I thought I really need to practice what I preach! (Yes... it seemed weird wearing one at first since it was the first time I wore one since I was born! I was one , like most kids back then, who just jumped on our bikes and took off for the day riding with friends.) Wearing helmets just goes with the territory.... you bike ride, you put your helmet on .... just like you ride in the car..... you put your seatbelt on. Simple as that!

Have a great day!

I have a 5 year aold and a 9 yr old. The youngest on training wheels and the oldest an "offical" independent biker. They have separate rules. The youngest must wear a helmet if he is even thinking about riding. The oldest must wear one if he has plans to leave the driveway. They have never worn elbow/knee pads or wrist guards. We reserve those for skateboarding and rollerblading. Would the pads make then safer on their bike? Sure. Absolutely. But (am shrugging my shoulders here) but so would telling them they can't ride the bike at all. Bikes and the wipe outs they cause are (within reason) and sort of rite of passage of childhood. My friends and cousins all have that one story...That one huge wipe out that we talk about with awe.

I don't make them in the driveway. Anywhere else, yes.

Well where we live on a military base we will get fined largely if my kids don't wear their helmets while riding.

I think the issue here is safety. Do you want your kids to be safe? At least wearing a helmet will help insure no damage to the brain if they do happen to fall over. I would at least MAKE them wear the helmet.

I did not wear a helmet or pads growing up in the 80's.... but I do understand fully alot of trauma to my body could have been prevented if I did wear helmet and pads. I have scars from my bike riding years.

My daughter is almost 13 and religiously wears her helmet. Even when other kids don't. We never made it an option for her, and now she continues to follow that thinking. I think the knee/elbow pads are really only good for a little while, when they are learning and falling. They don't really protect you from much.

I'll just leave it as no, not always.

Yes, the kids always wear them. She has some crashes during BMX races and they just do it themselves. Ages 7 yr. old girl and 3 yr. old boy.

Helmets always... pads if there's any freestyle going on... but not for regular riding.

I am from NJ and its the law to wear a bicycle helmet for children. Yes my kids always were a helmet and I do also. I remember when I was a child ( I am 42 yrs) a child in my development had a head injury from falling off her bike and she was never the same after that. It really affected her she had trouble with her speech and had learing problems.
Why take the chance.

Yes my son religiously wears a helmet when riding his bike. It's not an option. He always wore knee pads when he was learning bc of falling so often and getting scraped knees. He does not wear them anymore bc he does not fall much any more!

This is going to sound odd but check with your insurance policy. The reason I say that is depending on what it says they can refuse to cover any medical costs if your child isn't wearing proper gear.
For us on bikes they have to wear their helmets and my boys know it. If it is a skateboard or other similar item then it is the whole thing of helmet,pads and wrist guards. My older son hates it but he follows the rules on that.

My kids wear a helmet from the first time they sit on a bike. Every single time. No questions, no areguments. Even with training wheels. Its just not a risk I'm willing to take with my kids. We've never made them wear pads, but depending on how stable your son is and how coordinated he is, it may not be a bad idea until he masters the bike.

My nine year old son always wears a helmet. He also wears knee and elbow pads but that is his choice not mine. I myself woudln't force him to wear the pads if he didn't want to, but the helmet is a must!

no, my daughter hasnt worn pads since the training wheels came off.

id like to wrap her and her feelings in bubble wrap, protect her from scrapes and bad people, but a line must be drawn

helmet yes, pads never

My kids wear a helmet without fail (whether I'm watching or not) or they have to walk the bike/scooter/skateboard home and loose it for the next week. Sounds pretty tough, but in CA there is a law about kids under 16y having to wear a helmet, and all it takes is one bad fall with the head hit and the results are pretty terrifying. (We're on a cul-de-sac but still get the occasional lost driver.)
Now pads... we almost bought a set of pads for our younger boys who spent this summer really learning how to ride without training wheels because they skinned up thier knees and elbows pretty bad a couple times. But when I had the extra money to go buy them pads, I decided against it since they hadn't fallen off the bikes in a couple weeks (instead of every other day like the first part of the summer). I might eventually go buy pads/wrist guards for them if they really get into riding the skateboard, or if my daughter really starts pushing for a pair of rollerblades....
Honestly I would let him decide on the pads, but continue to push the helmet. My kids will jump off their bikes with helmets left on to have nerf gun battles and then jump back on to race around. Their helmets almost never come off thier heads - even if they leave the bike in the neighboor's driveway to go into thier house to play! I would think the pads would just get left on too...

going without a helmet is NEVER an option. Pads, who cares, scraped up knees and elbows is part of life but brain damage is irrepairable. If you catch him without a helmet, he MUST come in and not ride, that should not be an option. Good luck!