Bike Helmet Question

Is this the right place for a question like this? I don't know where else to go. My 4 year old is getting a bike for Easter and I need to get a helmet for her. We've tried a few on her, but she insists they're too tight. I'm sure they're supposed to be snug, but she insists they're "crushing her head".

How do you tell if you've got a good fit?

Thanks, Amy
Kaylie (12/15/02) and Teagan (12/29/05)

She may just not be used to the feeling. My dd doesn't like her bike helmet at all, but I explained to her that it's for her safety, just like I did about carseat safety. I told her if she fell of her bike and her head hit the ground without a tight-fitting helmet on, she would be badly hurt.

A "good fit" in my mind is one that fits the shape of the child's head with no gaps and can be tightened properly.

If you can find a girly one, I bet it would go a long way in convincing her and making her forget about the tightness.

FWIW I HATED helmets as a kid, young adult, and even today, it's still a problem. I was a serious long distance biker when I was a teenager, so it really scared my parents that I never wore a helmet. But I survived (sigh).
I have thick hair and there's never enough cooling so I'd get very claustrophobic wearing one. I also felt as if they threw off my balance and hastened a nasty crick in my neck. So yay. But I haven't biked since I moved here and probably won't just due to safety issues. If I do, I'll suck it up and wear mine.

But the real problem I've always had fitting a helmet is the shape. Usually, they're made in a circle. My head is more oval and I could feel it crushing against my forhead and just above my spine in the back. Since the pressure points were always on the front & rear, unless they were stuffed with padding or tight on the chin strap, they'd tip from side to side like a rowboat. Yuck. Thankfully, there's more of a selection these days and I have on that fits the shape of my oval head.

Different helmets have different shapes and that's what you have to look at to find the right fit. There should be room to grow, but the space should have some sort of padding that velcros to fill the current gaps. Center on forehead, not pushed back on the head. Straps are a pain to get right, but she needs to be able to open her jaw comfortably and turn her head easily. If it's set correctly on her head, they'll exist like a pre-crash pretensioner.

Sometimes a bike shop or internet will provide a better selection. A bike shop should have someone showing how it's supposed to fit correctly too.

An illfitting helmet is torture. I ended up ordering dd's online. I can't remember the manufacturer off hand, but if she's in a fall/collision with something or when she outgrows it, they'll exchange it for credit on a new brain bucket.

hth with some suggestions, but seriously, listen to her opinion. If it fits properly, it will be comfortable and she'll wear it correctly even out of your sight.

good advice so far. all i can add is, try to find one with EPP foam instead of EPS foam. i believe only the cheap ones still come with EPS. the EPP isn't brittle like EPS and won't crack. i've seen some helmets with EPS crack with normal use, not even experiencing a fall or collision.

Any suggestions for older kid? We are having such a hard time with convincing 11 year old to wear a helmet. It's always been a must for bike riding, roller-blading, etc and it wasn't a problem until about a year and a half ago. DD thinks it makes her look "dumb" and "like a baby".

The unsettling thing is almost no kids her age wear helmets around here. There is only 1 child at school that I've ever seen with a helmet and it's not even buckled! School policy is that all bike riders wear helmets, but it obviously isn't inforced.

I absolutly stick by the helmet rule, so she chooses to miss out rather than wear it. She has a new bike from Christmas 2005 with tags still attached since she won't wear a helmet.

Any ideas??

Hmmm, with an older child, that's a rough one. As I said in my post, I was the exact same way, but this was over 25 years ago. Materials & styles have changed so much, that it's so much easier (and complicated) finding a comfy helmet.

If I remember correctly, a roller blading helmet at that age should be much different than a biking helmet. Which is it she wants to do most? Bike? My suggestion would be to lookup serious biking websites. I just found these in moments.
Biking.com
BikeMag
Pedal Pushers Online
And start discussing how many riders have helmets in photos. Find out why she's so resistant -- fit or fashion fears? Perhaps she can look herself to find ratings & coolness factors. She might be too old and wants a plain serious biking looking helmet. Don't focus on safety too much unless you want to get the eye rolling atchya I didn't look but there might be some kid focused articles to help you out.

If she's more into something like roller blading, then online search and locate those interests on the web for the same type of discussion. Also find out groups or stores nearby that support these activities. A good bike shop might have schemes to outwit a tweener

If you go out on bike rides or rollerblading and wear helmets that will help her to get confident in being different. Then she can roll eyes at her friends and say ---"my mom's such a geek, she wears a helmet and makes me do it to." But secretly, she'll likely get a thrill out of it

good luck. It's not easy getting an 11 year old to cooperate. I remember being one and I'm not looking forward to dd hitting that point either

Michael didn't like the way they fit either, until we found one that dials on the back to tighten. It is also an oval shape instead of a circle. We had to go to a bike shop since all of the ones in walmart, target, and any other store were all round. His head is huge (ok, it's really in proportion to his body but he's big for his age and his head is like 21" around!). We tried on helmets from all of the sizes but none of them fit like they should have. The adult ones were most comfortable but didn't fit the way they should. The guy at the bike shop was really helpful and found one that fits him perfectly! I think it's actually a small adult size that I didn't see anywhere else, but again, being oval really helped!!

I also have one for my DD that tightens at the back with a knob, my DD's head is large like her dads but more large front to back so it was difficult to find a good fitting one. The toddler helmet I bought first never fit! So I think the one I have is a youth size.

Re: the 11 yr old, go to a bike shop or a hardcore cycling mag and let him/her pick out their own helmet.. Some of them are very cool looking, they can be expensive but hopefully one will be found that isn't babyish. When I was 11 and refused to wear my helmet my parents took my bike away until I agreed. It didn't take me long to find a helmet that I liked and wear it.

Hope this helps.