Trikes and Ride-Ons - Helmets required?

Kat_Shoshin

New member
So, I know that this is OT, but not that far off, so hopefully it is allowed.

Wheeled ride on toys in the yard
Tricycles
Riding to the park in a wagon

When does a child need to have a helmet on? Where are the statistics for injuries on this?

My kids always wear a helmet on a real bike (with training wheels and without),
but the ride on toys are a little grayer you know?
 
ADS

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
If we're outside and it has wheels, my kids wear helmets. Besides the safety factor, it's a good habit for kids to get into.

You might also have state laws/local ordinances on the matter.
 

hrice

New member
My kiddos do not wear helmets on their tries and scooters on our back deck. They go about 1 mph and are only a few inches off the ground. We don't have a wagon but I would not have them wear a helmet in one if we were on a walk. I'm assuming however that this is a deep wagon with seats in it.

My oldest is required to wear a helmet on his bike. Pads are up to him. My LOs do not have real bikes yet but will wear helmets when they do.

Life jackets are a requirement of mine when around a natural body of water. I am a little bit of a freak when it comes to water though. I will not let my kids in the ocean past their knees. It drives my husband crazy. I figure they can splash in the ocean and Swim in the pool :)
Swimming in a lake is ok with life jacket on. On the same token I do not put "floaties" on my kids in a pool. My husband was a swimmer and coach and hates them because they keep kids upright which is the opposite of swimming. We teach our kids to swim early. Our oldest was a fish at 3.
 

Pixels

New member
Our family's rule is that if it has pedals, helmets are required. Ride-ons don't leave our property, so the helmet law doesn't apply to them.

In this state, on private property helmets aren't required (unless required by local law/ordinance), but on public property helmets are required for anything that is foot-powered, so that would include ride-ons and tricycles, but not riding in a wagon or stroller.
 

Baylor

New member
My kids have to wear helmets on bikes and tricycles. I don't make them on the ride ons.
They have no scooters or skates but they would have to wear them on them too.
 

Kac

Ambassador - CPS Technician
When it comes to kids I babysit, they must wear a helmet to ride bikes, scooters, tricycles, sit on things, battery operated cars, etc. Wagons make me super nervous, so I just stay away from those. While babysitting (5 years ago) a 18 month old, she stood up in the wagon and was SO close to falling out. Thank God I turned around right when I did. If we go for a walk, we go in the stroller.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
An Aurora said:
Oh yes, I should add, in the wagon they do not wear helmets, but they are buckled in.

Yes, that.

Also, as far as ride-ons, I'm not generally terribly concerned about them in terms of safety, but we have a steep, short driveway, so I'm a little more paranoid than usual. Also, like I said, I like the idea of getting kids used to helmets as toddlers. Make it part of the culture early on.
 

Kat_Shoshin

New member
See that's my question. The law is only concerning bikes and trailers etc.

But if you require helmets on ride ons - why not indoors?

I was just wondering if anyone had any inside data and injury reports on these types of activities with which to make an informed decision...
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
When i did my research a couple years ago, it was very very difficult to find actual statistics and information. I too would love actual information versus just vague fearmongering.
 

petriescz

New member
For our family, if it has wheels then you must wear a helmet. As for not while in the house, my kiddos ride their ride ons in our house and my son has even been riding his new training wheel bike around our house inside. He can't get up any speed or go down any hills so I don't really worry about him. He's much more likely to get a head injury playing chase inside with his brother. I haven't made my kids wear a helmet in the wagon but it has belts. We treat it like the stroller.

http://www.helmets.org/stats.htm
Thislink has some data about bicycle deaths and helmets.

http://www.bhsi.org/playgrou.htm
This one talks about remembering to remove the helmet before playing on playground equipment, tree climbing etc...
 

SavsMom

New member
My daughter is 3 and always wears a helmet when out on her trike....shoot she is actually wearing it at the table right now :)
 

CrunchyMaineMama

Senior Community Member
My DD wears her helmet (and knee/elbow pads) on her trike, scooter (3 wheeled) and balance bike (rode for the first time today!) Our wagon has seatbelts and she's always buckled in while in it. She didn't wear a helmet when she rode the little plastic ride-ons with no pedals that she has now outgrown.
 

henrietta

Well-known member
In our house, helmets are required for trikes, bikes, scooters, skates, skate boards...and I require knee/elbow pads for all but the trike (not far to fall--it's a low rider). I don't require helmets for the toddler ride on toys--they are very low to the ground, don't tip easily, and usually rode in the grass on level ground or in the house.

As for the knee/elbow pad thing--my cousin's daughter fell off her bike a year and half ago. She did not have her elbow pads on and broke her elbow, which was bad enough. Worse was that she had an injury so severe that it damaged nerves, bones, blood vessels, etc, and required a pretty major emergency surgery. She *was* a star basketball and softball player. It's taken over a year to regain mobility in the elbow, and it is still not fully useable. Those pads are worth a lot! ;)

henrietta
 

Kyras_Mama

New member
At our house if it has wheels and you propel it yourself, you wear a helmet. Older dd never really had a ride-on toy before going straight to her balance bike but younger dd was on a little plastic 4 wheeled ride-on you pushed with your feet for a while and she wore a helmet on that. I figure it doesn't hurt to get them in the habit BEFORE it's really a big risk! We also wear helmets (different kind from their bike ones though) for sledding.
 

NVMBR02

New member
My kids wear helmets on bikes, trikes, scooters and skates. I don't make ds wear his helmet on his big wheels, or dd2 on the small nonpowered ride on toys we have. We don't have any powered ride on toys of our own but the kids need to wear helmets when they are riding on them as well (several neighbor kids have them). They do not need to wear a helmet in the wagon (ours doesn't have seats or seat belts).
 

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Tricycles, scooters, etc., yes, helmets are required in our family. For ride-ins like those funny little red cars with the yellow roofs that they push with their feet, no, I'm not that picky about those. Motorized ride-ons, like the mini-SUVs for kids that go about 2 mph and get recharged in the garage also need helmets.

We have a steep driveway and one day my ds was riding, in control, on his tricycle back and forth across the driveway. A car driving down our street spooked him and he lost control and sped from about 1/2 way down--probably 10' and did a header into a bush at the bottom of the sidewalk. I'm convinced his helmet did its job that day.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
southpawboston said:
So they wear them in the car, too? ;)

Well, helmets OR appropriate restraint systems. No matter how hard I try, I just can't get a Nautilus to fit on a scooter.
 

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