The toddler is from one to three years old but can vary slightly on either side. These are the years when young ones learn new things every day, constantly discovering stuff about life and themselves physically, like learning to walk, speak, and be involved in many more activities which help in the better functioning of the body as well as mind in the long run.
Biking is one of the most common activity kids of this age group learn. Starting from support wheels and then gradually moving on to two wheels is a whole journey on its own, combined with excitement, being afraid to fall, and eventually learning to balance.
Why wearing a bike helmet is important?
The head is meant to be protected at all stages of life, given its necessity to the entire human body and young age, because the skull and brain often need to be protected. The injuries individuals endure at a young age can result in lifelong issues. Now, these issues can either be neurological or purely physiological. Still, in any case, it is best to provide caution to the wind as much as possible at the early stages of the human life cycle.
According to a study, the helmet worm by kids helps in the prevention of over 60 % of head-related injuries and drastically reduces fatalities by about 73 %. The developing brain needs to be preserved on any variation of pedals.
Toddler biking helmets:
There are a lot of parents who need their kids to burn up some energy by riding on a tricycle or a bike. Once on the bike, it has already been established why The toddler bike helmets available in the market are in abundance in terms of color and quality.
Stuff to look for in the helmets:
Before buying a bike helmet for a toddler, keeping some key points in mind is important. Some of those major points are as follows;
- Lightweight – The weight of the helmet needs to be light enough for the toddler to manage it conveniently without any hassle. It also ensures mobility and relieves any strain from the tiny necks if it were to be there.
- Ventilation – This feature will make sure that the toddler is not sweaty by the end of the bike ride.
- Fit – A proper fit will ensure that the brain of the kid remains protected at all times.
- Padding – The softened inner padding in the models takes the snugness of the helmets to the next level, and even as they grow up, the helmets can be adjusted by changing removable pads.
- CPSC – CPSC stands for Consumer Product Safety Commission. They put several safety benchmarks to provide the quality standard for bike helmets.
- MIPS – Multi-directional Impact Protection System is a new technology used in newly manufactured helmets that absorb and distribute the impact evenly.
Finding the best fits:
The helmets being used on a bike riding by toddlers need to be an appropriate fit for the toddlers, and given the several components present on the helmet as well as placement of the same, a person can confine to the following points if they are looking for perfect helmet fits;
- Position – The helmet should fit flat on the head of the toddler and not inclined, about two or three fingers above the eyebrows.
- Side straps – The side strap should form a V shape under and a little in front of the ears of the toddlers.
- Buckle – It needs to be centered right under the chin.
- Chip strap – The helmet needs to be tightened to the point that there is no more than one finger-width gap between the chin and the chin strap.
- Measure – The most accurate size of the helmet can be measured by using a measuring tape around the head of the toddler, and this will allow the parents to get the perfect-sized helmets.
- Test – A final test needs to be done by placing the helmet on the head of the toddler and when the straps are fastened. Once that is done, make the toddler open and move their mouth. It should tighten the helmet, and then the helmet should not go back and forth while the toddler is traveling on unstable terrain.
Choosing the best bike helmets for toddlers:
The helmets can be bought in a variety of ranges in terms of quality, manufacturing material, design, and much more. There are several categories under which one can decide to choose, most of them are mentioned below;
- MIPS-certified toddler helmet – These helmets are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and when it comes to the safety of the head, it is ahead of every other type of helmet because of their MIPS technology.
- Durable toddler helmet – There are a lot of helmets in this category, all of which take a lot of usages to go out of work completely, which is a testament to how these helmets can last. However, it has been found that some helmets under this category are a bit shallow for the big heads of toddlers.
- Toddler helmet with fun designs – A toddler most easily gravitates towards exciting and fun designs, and this is precisely what the helmets under this category provide. They are comparatively higher in price, but whatever can make a toddler wear it is worth it.
- Budget-friendly toddler helmet – As this category suggests, these helmets are built for toddlers to outgrow sooner rather than later, but these can be pretty handy for short-term usage. Being super lightweight also adds merit to these helmets.
- Adjustable toddler helmet – Often, it can be not easy to find a helmet that fits the ever-developing head of toddlers, but that is not the case with these adjustable toddler helmets, which are built to fit the head of the kids. The auto-fit system installed in these helmets helps automatically adjust with tension wires attached to the internal basket of the helmet. Additionally, they are breathable and do not pinch the skin upon being put on.
These helmets are available in multiple designs and colors, some more so than others. That being said, it is of paramount importance to keep in mind that the sizes and the pricing of each bike helmet category differ, and the toddler and the parent choose to pick which one they prefer buying.
Certain intangibles to be mindful of:
As a toddler, the kids may not want to put on the helmet for unreasonable reasons, but the parents have to ensure that the kids get their skulls and brain protected at that young age. The best way is to install this habit of wearing safety gear from a very young thereupon, as they will inhibit it in themselves as they grow up.
Another thing is to wear a helmet; this will encourage the toddler to do so because they tend to copy their parents a lot at such a young age. Not letting the kids take up the bike without the bike helmet is another great way of establishing the goal of disciplining them so that they do not pick up the bike without the helmet, even behind the back of their parents.
Final takeaway:
When choosing which helmet to buy, safety is the first thing that comes to mind, and that is how it should be. After that, one would look into the comfortability, adjustability, and exterior designs and the cost of the same. So being wary of all these factors will very well lead one to buy a great bike helmet for toddlers.
