Bicycle helmet for a child, how do we fit the helmet?

iceniequee

Ok my daughter is 4 years old and we are having a hard time with her bike helmet. It is a âtoddlerâ size helmet but my daughter is a bit big for her age (same size as the average 5 ½ year old). I know that helmets are supposed to fit âsnuglyâ but we are having a hard time getting the dumb thing to go on her head all the way! She is also having issues with the chinstrap; I know that is supposed to be snug as well but it cuts across her neck at a funny place and it irritates her skin because she has eczema. The real problem is this: I have only been able to find toddler sizes and adult sizes⦠arenât there sizes for children? Also what is the best way to keep the chinstrap from irritating her skin? Is there a way to figure out what her helmet âsizeâ would be?

Any advice would be great! Thanks for taking the time to read and answer.

Answer
Search around....there are plenty of "youth" sized helmets available. If you can't get the toddler helmet onto her noggin, don't force it. lol. Not only will that drive her crazy, but in the event of a crash it could actually hurt her instead of protecting her.

Any bike shop can get one for you if they don't happen to carry youth models. If you check http://www.jensonusa.com , http://www.nashbar.com , and http://www.pricepoint.com they should have a few to pick from (I'm positive that Jenson does....too lazy to check the other two but they normally have the bases covered).

To measure properly for size, just use a flexible sewing tape measure or a non-stretchy piece of string.....circle her head with it just above the eyebrows and measure it. Check the description on the helmet you're interested in and it should show the range of sizes it will fit. A helmet that fits her shouldn't irritate her skin if you adjust the straps properly. If her eczema makes that an issue, you could make some little tubes to cover the straps...maybe some microfleece or something soft like that.

Hope this helps....and good on you for caring enough about her safety to get advice! too many parents are so lazy about this...I cringe at some of the kids I've seen riding mtb trails without helmets or with really poorly fitted helmets. All it takes is one good crash.....

What States Have Bicycle Helmet Laws?

McCann

Answer
Eleven and younger
Louisiana and Pennsylvania require bicycle riders below the age of 12 to wear a helmet.
New York has enacted a law that requires children between the ages of one and 13 to wear a helmet and children under the age of one are prohibited from riding a bike altogether.
Fourteen/fifteen and younger
In West Virginia it is against the law for anyone 14 years of age and younger to ride a bicycle without wearing a protective helmet.
The following states require bicycle riders below the age of 16 to wear a helmet: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island and Tennessee. The District of Columbia also has an ordinance permitting children 15 and younger from riding without a helmet.

Seventeen and younger
It is against the law in both New Jersey and Massachusetts for a bicycle rider under the age of 17 to ride without a helmet. Additionally, Massachusetts prohibits any child under the age of one to ride a bicycle at all.
The following states require bicycle riders below the age of 18 to wear a helmet: Delaware, California and New Mexico.

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How many people actually make their children wear helmets when riding a bike?

bicycle helmets children image

DevilsAdvo

My husband and I never wore them as a child (nor any of our siblings and friends)and we all turned out fine.
For the ones that make their children wear them, do you wear them too?
I'm not against it. We had a discussion about it with some other parents and wanted to know other people's opinions. We found that a lot of the parents that make their children wear them, won't wear them because they're "dorky".

Answer
Haha. I Never wore helmets for anything when I was a child. Dirt bikes, quads, whatever. A bicycle was the least of my parents worries. I will not make my child wear a helmet. If he wants to fine, but I will not force him. I think it would be completely hypocritical to make him. Honestly what is a little half helmet going to protect if he gets hit by a car? Not a damn thing. Or if he falls on his face? Again, it will protect nothing.

How can I get my husband to wear a helmet?

trisha

Our 7 year old just learned how to ride a bike so they go biking together and I think my husband is setting a bad example by not wearing one. He's 28 and grew up without wearing helmets and has always refused to use one when I've asked.

Answer
First off he does not want anyone telling him to wear a helmet. Male pride gets in the way everytime.

Ask him if he will wear one for the child and don't tell him too. They make some really cool helmets these days so he would not have a problem finding one to fit his personality. Flames - colors - designs etc...

The fact is, there is way more traffic these days than when he was growing up. It is not a testament to his riding abilities or the cool factor he needs to be concerned with, it is all the idiot drivers out there which he cannot control. This is why he should wear one.

Maybe if you present it in such a way as not to degrade him or his manhood, he would be more likely to do it. Let him know you are concerned for the child and the example he is setting for him.

I assure you, the more you push it the less likely it will happen! Be methodical in your approach. Find statistics on bicycle accidents in your area and present them to him in a way that demonstrates the stupidity of those around him. Let him know you are not concerned with his actions but the actions of others which may cause him to crash or be run over.

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What is the California state law on riding bikes with helmets?

bicycle helmets children image

thename's

In California, is it required by law to wear a helmet while riding within neighborhood zones only?
where can I find an online source that has more information on this?

Answer
Hey Thename,

Anyone under the age of 18 years of age has to wear a helmet while riding any bicycle, scooter, skates or skateboard on any PUBLIC roadway, highway, bicycle path or street. The key word is Public. If your neighborhood is located on a private roadway then the law does not apply on private land. Here is the California Vehicle Code section:

21212. (a) A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard, nor shall they wear in-line or roller skates, nor ride upon a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or standards subsequently established by those entities. This requirement also applies to a person who rides upon a bicycle while in a restraining seat that is attached to the bicycle or in a trailer towed by the bicycle.

(b) Any helmet sold or offered for sale for use by operators and passengers of bicycles, nonmotorized scooters, skateboards, or in-line or roller skates shall be conspicuously labeled in accordance with the standard described in subdivision (a) which shall constitute the manufacturer's certification that the helmet conforms to the applicable safety standards.

(c) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, for use by an operator or passenger of a bicycle, nonmotorized scooter, skateboard, or in-line or roller skates any safety helmet which is not of a type meeting requirements established by this section.

(d) Any charge under this subdivision shall be dismissed when the person charged alleges in court, under oath, that the charge against the person is the first charge against that person under this subdivision, unless it is otherwise established in court that the charge is not the first charge against the person.

(e) Except as provided in subdivision (d), a violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than twenty-five dollars ($25).

The parent or legal guardian having control or custody of an unemancipated minor whose conduct violates this section shall be jointly and severally liable with the minor for the amount of the fine imposed pursuant to this subdivision.

(f) Notwithstanding Section 1463 of the Penal Code or any other provision of law, the fines collected for a violation of this section shall be allocated as follows:

(1) Seventy-two and one-half percent of the amount collected shall be deposited in a special account of the county health department, to be used for bicycle, nonmotorized scooter, skateboard, and in-line and roller skate safety education and for assisting low-income families in obtaining approved bicycle helmets for children under the age of 18 years, either on a loan or purchase basis. The county may contract for the implementation of this program, which, to the extent practicable, shall be operated in conjunction with the child passenger restraint program pursuant to Section 27360.

(2) Two and one-half percent of the amount collected shall be deposited in the county treasury to be used by the county to administer the program described in paragraph (1).

(3) If the violation occurred within a city, 25 percent of the amount collected shall be transferred to and deposited in the treasury of that city. If the violation occurred in an unincorporated area, this 25 percent shall be deposited and used pursuant to paragraph (1).

Added Ch. 1000, Stats. 1993. Effective January 1, 1994.
Amended Sec. 6, Ch. 674, Stats. 1996. Effective January 1, 1997.
Amended Sec. 1, Ch. 475, Stats. 2002. Effective January 1, 2003.

Kimber

What are the government proposed limits on "high risk" citizens?

towwwdothe

considering health care?

Will bungee jumping be covered? Will persons required to take specific classes and receive certification for certain sports? And will parent be put in prison for not providing their children with bicycle safety helmets which accidents cause increased cost for the community to take on as a burden?

Answer
No, no and no to answer your questions.

FACT - the USA spends more on healthcare PER PERSON than any other nation on the planet.

FACT - the US has higher death rates for kids aged under five than western European countries with universal health coverage.

That means that a dead American four year old would have had a better chance of life if they were born in Canada, France, Cuba, Germany, Japan etc, all of which have universal health coverage.

I think the last link is of most use in addressing your concerns.

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