Conference moira::parenting

    Helmets for kids on bikes...
    
    I have a 3 yr old who has a new bike w/ training wheels. We insist he
    wears his helmet or the bike goes back to the store. He is OF COURSE
    the only kid in the neighborhood with a helmet and is starting to
    question why. I will not give in but I do need to buy another helmet
    for my 1.5 yr old who wants to ride the FP big wheel that sits fairly 
    high off the ground. I hear hockey helmets are a little bit "cooler"
    for the kids to wear and accept. Does anyone know if they are approved
    for bycicles, is there a phone number I can call to get more info on
    ratings of helmets?
    
    Thanks in advance for any help.
    Kathy

    RE:  -1
    
    Check Consumer Reports  (magazine) to see if they have a recent rating
    on bike helmets.  You could also phone them to try to locate
    information.
    
    A lot of kids in my area put stickers all over their helmets to
    customize them.  Maybe this would make him feel better about it.
    
    L
    

    This was discussed in the previous version of the conference.  Consumer
    Reports did a report on helmets, including ones for kids.  I think it
    was last spring.
    
    You mentioned something that came up in the previous discussion...
    Hockey helmets are NOT appropriate for bike riding.  They are designed
    for different kinds of impacts.
    
    Congrats for requiring your children to wear helmets.  No one in our
    family rides a bike without a helmet.
    
    Bob

Bike helmets are not required here.  My kids starting riding long before
helmets ever entered the scene.  They are now 11 and 14.  The school has a 
campaign to get children to wear them but I have NEVER seen a child with a 
bike helmet on.  Against such a culture, I have no idea how I could ever get
my children to wear a helmet.  I can't take their bikes away if they don't
because this is their transportation method to school (year round, rain, wind,
snow) which of course makes it even more desirable that they wear them.  One
less worry is that they travel on paved agricultural roads to school so there
is very little traffic but, still, a parent does worry :-)

Suggestions?

ccb

    Derry, a nearby town, instituted a program to promote the wearing of
    helmets.  McDonald's (or is it Burger King?) donated gift certificates
    as rewards.  The police stop kids who ARE wearing helmets and give them
    a "citation" which consists of the gift  certificate.
    
    L
    

    For related discussions, also see:
    
     79		Tricycles
    202		Child carriers on bicycles
    
    L
    co-mod
    

    We are an active cycling family.  Wife, 2 kids (ages 3 and 1 1/2) 
    Everyone rides with helmets.  We use a trailer behind a tandem for
    most rides. The children go into the closet and get their helmets when
    I say it's time for a ride.  No questions so far as to why others
    in the neighborhood ride without a helmet because:
    
    	o We set the example
    	o We read and show them pictures reinforcing (I ask my older
    daughter what is wrong with this picture (someone riding without a
    helmet) she notices it quickly.
    	o Cycling video's - role models such as racers
    
    There are a number of quality helmets available.  Bike shops are
    the ideal place to shop, especially those who will individually fit
    the children.  Prices are coming down and selection increasing.
    
    Set the example!

In our area, about half the kids regularly use helmets; the others do
not.  My kids always do.  My son (age 8) was not real crazy about
wearing it to and from school, in anticipation of getting teased,
but we found a black one with "neon" designs on it, which is apparently
cool enough for him.  The bike shop was giving away matching water bottles.

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours, the mother of one of Robbie's classmates,
was riding her bike and had an accident.  Bryan, her son, gave her quite
a scolding about not wearing a helmet.  The times they are a-changin'
Fortunately, she escaped with only some cuts and bruises.

Frank

    Bicyle helmets are designed to break on impact, and thus absorb the
    shock rather than transferring it to the head.  That is why they are
    made of styrofoam.  I don't know much about hockey helmets, but they
    seem to be made of hard plastic.  I don't think they would "cushion"
    the head in a fall from a bicycle as well as a bicycle helmet does.
    
    I've been a cyclist, and have seen people fall off their bikes onto
    their heads, with helmets on.  I shudder to think what would have
    happened if they hadn't had helmets on, but with a helmet, they only
    got a slight headache.
    
    Teaching kids that helmets are the "seatbelts" for their bikes seems to
    work. :)

I used to be a national class bicycle racer, back in the days when leather
helmets were required. Plastic helmets were few and far between and nobody wore
them. I took a header in a 35mph sprint when a lapped rider hooked me trying
to get out of the way. I landed square on the 1" thick forehead padding of the
helmet. This was the most protective leather helmet you could buy at the time,
not one of these skimpy jobs. I was out cold for 20 minutes with multiple
convulsions and siezures. After I came to, they rushed me to the hospital for
a catscan, which showed swelling but no damage. Ever since that accident my
short term memory has been really bad.

I never ride my bike or my motorcycle without a helmet, even when it's not
required by law. I get a lot of peer pressure when riding in non-helmet law
states but who cares. They have not been through the trauma of a head injury. 

Head injuries are serious business.

Chris

    
     Our kids are 6, 4, and 3. At first only a few kids in the neighborhood
    wore helmets, so our oldest didn't always want to wear one. But after
    we insisted that he wear on, and some other parents insisted to their
    children they wear one. Then the other kids seeing 2 or three kids with
    helmets on, also wanted one. It started a ripple effect. Now I rarely
    see a child on our street without one, and our 4 and 3 year olds never
    leave the garage without them. They see that their big brother has one
    so they automatically want one and put it on. Now they just put them on 
    then ride their biks out the garage. I've never seen them think twice
    about it, and we very rarely have to remind them.
    
    

Well - my take on helmets was no other kids in the neighborhood were wearing
them last year, I didn't wear one as a child and add some pretty good falls
and got away without a head injury - so what's the big deal.  Last year Amy
had training wheels on her two wheeler.

This year, there are other kids with helmets now and she has learned to ride 
without the training wheels.  I still didn't push the helmet bit UNTIL - she
wanted to ride in the street with the other kids.  Now our street isn't at all
busy and the sidewalks have our mailboxes on them. I consider this more
dangerous than riding in the street.  But my ideas changed this year.  I 
insisted that if she wanted to ride in the street, she must wear a helmet.

Well.....  she took a terrible spill - scrapes on elbows, knees, nose, forehead
AND the front of the helmet.  I hate to think of what would have happened if
she didn't have the helmut on.  The fall pushed the helmet back, but I believe
that if it weren't for the helmet, the head would have taken a serious knock.

    re: .12
    
    I'm glad she is going to be O.K.
    
    Now, please get her a new helmet.  The old one has done its job and
    needs to be replaced.
    
    Bob

    Our family is also very active in bicycle riding.  We all wear helmets
    and gloves.  My 4 year old son loves his gloves which save his skin and 
    keep the riding experience enjoyable.  
    
    Soon we will remove his training wheels and see what happens.  I plan
    on trying this on a grassy field with Jonathan wearing long pants and
    of course his helmet and gloves.

    
    Chris taught himself to ride for the most part.  We took off his
    training wheels, and he REFUSED to let us help him ride.  He pushed his
    bike around with his feet for about a week, getting the hang of
    balancing, and correcting when he tipped etc.  Then one day picked up
    his feet, stuck them on the peddles, and never stopped since!
    
    Jason took the more traditional approach, and with a little competition
    from his brother, has been riding since he was ~4 also.
    
    Geez, and I didn't have the courage to TRY till I was 7! (-;
    

This past week, while on vacation, we decided to rent bikes and use the great
bike path on Cape Cod.  My 7 year old has been using training wheels at home
and has been using a scooter for most of the summer (great for learning
balance).  We told her it was time to try a bike with no training wheels and,
though reluctant, she tried it and did just fine - for 2 hours she rode and
rode.  Now that we are home, she has ridden her bike every day and is gettng
more confident.

I recommend that anyone who has a child using a bike with training wheels try to
get them to use a scooter.  Both my kids used one just prior to going to
2-wheels and they both were very successful in a very short period of time.

    
    I second the suggestion for using a scooter!  They really develop
    a good sense of balance with it as well as how to put their feet
    down when coming to a stop.   Training wheels are nice to get 
    started with but after awhile, the kids count on them to help
    them around corners, etc.
    
    Jason (5 years minus 3 days) learned to ride his bike without the
    training wheels over the past month (oops - guess I should go to
    the milestones note!) after spending a couple of weeks on the 
    scooter.
    
    cj/

    At what age do kids typically get their first bike with training
    wheels.  My daughter is 3 1/2 and her tricycle is starting to get too
    small.  I was wondering if I should get her a bicycle now or wait until
    next spring/summer.

Lauren got one for her 3rd birthday.  She is pretty tall
so her tricycle was looking small.  She was very excited
about getting a "big" girls bike and used the ones at
daycare with confidence.  So we decided to make the
purchase.

She loved the bike at first and then...had a big spill. 
She has used it off and on.  She does well on the
bicycle but it definately requires more of her
concentration.  She tends to want to use it when the big
kids are out on theirs. Since her best buddy in the
neighborhood still uses a trike, she seems to favor that
"this week".

On the advice of the Toy's R Us manager we went for the
a bigger bike (it seemed like she test drove them all).
So she will be able to use it for quite awhile.

    My sons were both on bikes with training wheels by their 3rd birthday.
    My older son rode with no training wheels just before his 4th birthday.
    My younger son will be 4 in a couple weeks and I can see that he's also
    close to no training wheels.
    

    Shannon got her big girl bike for her 4th birthday (1/1/95).  She had a 
    blast picking it out and riding it in Toys R us (we wanted to make sure
    she could do it since bike riding weather was months away).
    
    The only sad thing that some folks might want to keep in mind, she
    could not understand why we couldn't take it home ( some assembly 
    required ;^)
    
    She had a tough fall (lost a fingernail from landing under the handle
    bars), but she has gotten back on and does quite well.  I think most
    kids are ready by 3.5 years, Shannon's prematurity still delays her 
    motorically.  (But catch her in the pool!!!!)
    
    I hope to take the triaining wheels away next summer.
    
    Beth

    
    I don't think 3 is too young for a bike, but I would go for the 
    smaller bike rather than the 16".  Learning to ride is tricky 
    enough without not being able to touch the ground
    not to mention the instability of the bigger bikes due to the
    center of gravity being much higher.  This makes the chances of
    a spill greater and the fall is longer from "way up there".  If you
    don't want the expense of buying a new bike for your child, consider
    getting a used one.  I got my sons first bike at a garage sale
    for $5.  It was a lovely pink 8*) I spent about $5 on paint and
    voila! he had a "brand new" red bike.  
    
    A good test as to what size bike to get:  The seat should
    be 1.03 times the child's inseam. 
    
    Good Luck and have fun!
    
    Pam
       

    
    We bought our son a 16" bike last year for his 4th birthday. He rode
    it last summer with training wheels but this spring he wanted to try
    it without. He didn't have much luck, he's on the small side and the
    bike was just to tall. We ended up buying a 12" for $5 at a tag sale
    and it took all 10 minutes for him to learn on it.
    
    He's now on his big bike but if he had to learn on it I don't think
    it would have been so easy or quick. 
    So like .22 said I think it's a lot easier for them to learn on the
    small bike but they do grow out of it quickly.
    
                         have fun,
    
                             Barbara
     
    smaller bike b

    another vote for the 12 inch bike.  We got Steven his first
    bike when he was 3.5.  When he was ready to move up to the
    next size, we were able to sell his old bike and get a new one.
    
    Go for the 12 inch, you can always sell it in the PARENTING notesfile
    when she outgrows it!  :-)
    
    	Linda

    Two weeks ago we purchased a 12" bike for Chris (2.5), and he's doing
    great with it. He had been using a F-P trike, but didn't quite get the
    hang of dealing with pedals that were in front of his body. We thought
    he might have an easier time with pedals that were closer to his center 
    of gravity, and we were right.
    
    He's asking to go riding much more frequently than he had with his
    trike. Part of this, I'm sure, is due to the novelty of a new bike;
    part is due to the fact that his brother Nick (5.5) is now riding a new
    20" bike w/o training wheels and he wants to (try to) keep up the pace,
    but a large part is that it's much easier for him to use than the trike
    is/was.
    
    And as someone said earlier, a 12" bike doesn't cost a lot (ours was
    $25 new), and can easily be resold if kept in decent shape. In fact,
    watch this space next season, as he'll likely graduate to his brother's
    'old' 16" bike...:^)
    
    Good luck...  

    Needs some ideas/help on how to teach by son (7 years old) to ride a
    two wheeler.
    
    
    Thanks
    Carla

I just taught my daughter (same age).  The major points that were helpful were
to teach her first how to put her foot down to stop the bike from falling over,
then teach her how to stop the bike, and THEN start working on riding.  She was
worried about falling, and the first few steps made her feel more confident. 
For the riding part, I ran alongside holding the seat, encouraging her to
concentrate on balancing and to KEEP PEDALLING.  She's doing pretty well now,
and is working on turning.

A friend had great success with his daughter (also 7) by having her cycle in
S-curves; didn't seem to do much for my daughter, but each child is different.

						Brian

    Someone told me last weekend that the only way her 3 kids learned to
    go w/o training wheels was ON THE LAWN ! She said that's how they
    overcame fear of falling on asphalt....
    
    I haven't tried this one yet.

    There's the plus and minus.  I tried learning in our backyard
    and it was hard with all the bumps and dips.
    
    					cj *->

    My 5 year old just learned.  I took him to a park, so he could begin
    the ride on a smooth slight hill,  Then as his confidence wavered he
    would ditch it on the grassy area so he didn't get hurt.  Within 1 hour
    he was tooling around the entire park, just like a pro.  And at a mich
    faster pace than I would have liked : )
    Sarah

    
    We couldn't do anything to get Chris to try to learn how to ride (the
    way WE thought he should!), and went back and forth many times taking
    training wheels off and back on his bike.  Finally we told him it was
    the last time we were taking them off, and weren't going to put them
    back on again - but he was SURE he wanted to do it.
    
    Again, we tried to teach him to ride, and he wanted no part of it, and
    was too scared.  So, we gave up, and he was happy to have us "gone". 
    He took his bike, and sat on it, and pushed himself around with his
    feet for a few weeks, and then one day (on his 4th b.day no less!) he
    picked up his feet and pedaled away .... and there's been no stopping
    him since.  Mr. Mountain Bike now, 6yrs later.
    
    By his explanation though, he needed to feel comfortable that he could
    "right" the bike if it started to tip, and that he was always in
    control of the bike.  We might have lowered the seat a little in the
    process of his learning, but either way, make sure that your child can
    comfortably touch the ground w/ knees slightly bent.  
    
    Jason went the more traditional approach of having us run beside him.  
    
    My boyfriend's daughter was humiliated by the neighborhood kids, walked
    her bike to the top of a gradual hill, got on, and to her surprise,
    RODE her bike!!  It's all an issue of confidence and determination.
    
    Either way - I'd ditch the training wheels, make sure the bike is the
    right size, teach the basic principles of a bike (stopping, turning -
    though w/ training wheels, that's probably old hat), and see how he
    does alone.  BTW - Notice that WITH training wheels, when they turn,
    they tend to lean OUT.  Without training wheels, you need to lean IN. 
    Make sure you explain that difference.
    
    Good Luck!
    Patty

    My 7 yr. old boy is also too frightened to try it without the training
    wheels, and we've suggested all sorts of safety nets to him.  But
    that's my boy, he'll have nothing to do with trying something new until
    *he* is ready, period.  Unfortunately, he has now waited so long to try
    two-wheels that he has pretty much outgrown the bike.  Why he isn't
    precisely fat, he is kinda chubby around the torso, weighs about 80 lbs
    at 4'3.5" tall, and he's had the darned thing since he was 4!
    
    M
    

    Has anyone used the bike attachments where the kid's smaller bike attaches
    to the adult bike...kid still gets to pedal...sort of a bicycle
    built for two ?
    
    I have seen them around and would like to rent one to try it out.

    	My 7 year old son Erik was stopped by the police while out
    riding his bike yesterday.  He even got a ticket.  Here's what it
    said:
    
    	Ticket
    Massachusetts General Law
        Chapter 85, Section  11B
    requires children under 13 years of age who
    operate a bicycle or who ride as a passenger
    on a bicycle to wear a properly fitted and
         fastened helmet.
    Because you have decided to be
    		BIKE
    	       SMART
    
    you are entitled to a free ice cream cone.
    
    Erik was wearing a helmet but his buddy Josh wasn't.  The 
    officer told Josh that it was important to wear a helmet
    (in a very nice way, I thought)  I thought this was great -
    I've been fighting the but Josh doesn't wear a helmet line
    for years.
    
    The officer told me that this was the first ticket he gave out.
    (not a lot of bike riders in our neighborhood - too hilly, roads are
    too narrow)
    
    My daughter Emilie spent an hour riding in front of the house trying
    to get tcketed, but no such luck :^)
    
    Elizabeth

    They've done this in our town for the last few summers. A uniformed
    police officer on a bike will show up and pretty much give out
    ice-cream cone tickets to any kid with a bike and a helmet. Of course,
    it always gets me when the kids that never wear helmets run inside and
    get hockey helmets and get tickets too.....
    Sue
    

>>    Of course,
>>    it always gets me when the kids that never wear helmets run inside and
>>    get hockey helmets and get tickets too.....

There are some bike experts who feel that a hockey helmet is safer for bike
riding than a bike helmet is.

						Brian

    an opinion question....
    
    I make my little one where her riding helmet when she is on her
    tricycle.  She/we ride on the sidewalks around our neighborhood.  She
    doesn't mind wearing the helmet....but she notices other little kids
    don't wear them.  I explained that she has to wear one, if she fell off
    she could hurt her head, etc.  She knows that mom/dad wear
    helmets....and when mom goes "long ride" she wears "funny wrist".  
    
    Do most of your little one's wear a helmet when riding a trike?
    
    thanks
    
    Kathi
    

    Mine are two and four, and I have them wear helmets on skates, in the
    jogging stroller when I run, and almost always on the trike and power
    wheels jeep.  Now the last two are probably not life-threatening
    situations but I am setting the stage for bikes and more serious
    skating.  My sister started it - she bought the trike as a birthday
    gift and gave the helmet with it.
    
    I also sometimes point out adults wearing helmets plus sports figures
    if we're watching TV.  Take a look at Mo Vaughn's elbow pad sometime - 
    very impressive. 

> There are some bike experts who feel that a hockey helmet is safer 
> for bike
> riding than a bike helmet is.

  I wonder if that's because the hockey helmets tend to stay on
better?  I've had the darndest time fitting the bike helmets.
  On the bright side, the new helmets we just bought fit very well.
They have an extra strap inside that helps to hold them on.

Ours have to wear a helmet when riding the trike, or the roller skates.   

When she (rarely) fell off of the trike, I made the point that she did not 
hurt her head even though it hit the ground because she was wearing her 
helmet.  That made a huge impression    

In terms of "but others don't", we tell her we don't care, that saftey is 
first, and that the rule in our house is that we wear them whenever doing X 
activities.   period.   No helmet, no riding or skating.  

>>   I wonder if that's because the hockey helmets tend to stay on
>> better?  I've had the darndest time fitting the bike helmets.

From what I remember, it's because the hockey helmet cover more of the back of
the head.

I agree about fitting bike helmets, they're tough.  I recently purchased a new
Bell helment for my daughter, though, and once I figured out how the lacing
adjusted, I found it *much* easier to fit than any previous helmet (including
some older Bells).  I think the manufacturers are addressing the problem.

						Brian

    re: .a few back
    I don't think I made myself very clear. These kids *never* wear
    helmets. They own them, they just don't wear them. They just go 
    dig them out so they can have free ice cream cones. Just doesn't
    seem right to me....
    BTW, I also found bell helmets for my kids and they do fit a lot
    better than some others.
    sue
    

    
    	re .40
    
>> When she (rarely) fell off of the trike, I made the point that she did not 
>> hurt her head even though it hit the ground because she was wearing her 
>> helmet.  That made a huge impression    
    
   No pun intended ??