Spring is officially here and with that comes the time for the kids to play outside. I know for our family this means it's time for our kids to start riding their bicycles. Bicycles are a lot of fun, especially when the proper safety is taken to ensure kids are protected from injury. Our two oldest (3 and 5 years old) grew quite a bit over the last year, so we know it's time for them to move up in the size of bicycles they ride as well as get bigger sized helmets. For the first time, I found myself wondering "What is the right size bicycle for them? How do I know if a helmet is the proper fit?" I decided to do a little research and this is what I have found.
*The information in this post is cited and based upon my internet research. Please use your best judgement when choosing a bicycle and helmet for your child. This post may contain affiliate links which help us run this blog. Thanks for reading!
Bicycle Sizing:
The easiest way to size a bicycle for your child is to take them into the store, But, sometimes it's even hard to tell because you never know how much they will grow in a year and if they are too big/or small for the bike they are on. Also, it takes time to go into the store and start trying out bicycles and lots of stores like Target don't have the little kids' bikes put together or available to try out. Personally, we needed to figure out the size without taking the kids in, so I found this really helpful bicycle sizing tool on ebicycles.com.According to our children's heights and genders, our 3 year old should have a 14" bicycle and our 5 year old should have a 16" bicycle.
where you can find the perfect size for anyone in your family and also do your shopping! Easy and convenient!Helmet Sizing:
When our kids started riding tricycles and scooters, we made it a hard and fast rule that they must have a helmet on at all times. It's such a simple thing that takes just a second but can save their life. To us, it was a no-brainer and for our children it's become a natural thing. One of the hardest things was figuring out if a helmet properly fit our kids' heads. We would buy the ones that were for their age, but they always seemed too small for their heads (our kids have giant heads)!HealthyKids.org (recommended by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics)) provides the following guidelines about proper helmet fit:
- A helmet should fit squarely on the top of your child's head and cover the entire forehead (about 1 to 2 finger widths above the brow).
- The helmet should not tip back at all or tip forward over the wearer's eyes when pushed or pulled.
- The chin strap should also be snugly worn.
- The front and rear straps should form a "Y" below and just in front of the ears of the wearer.
Additional Tips:
- Do not buy or use previously used helmets unless you know they haven't been in an accident and don't show signs of wear and tear.
- Replace your helmet if straps are showing signs of fraying or are worn. Manufacturers recommend replacing every 3 years.
- Do not store your helmet in the trunk of a car or somewhere with extreme heat as it can damage the helmet.
- Children should wear helmets anytime they are using a scooter, riding on a bicycle (theirs or an adults), riding in a bike trailer, or riding on any other type of bike/scooter/motorized riding toy.
Amazon has a helmet sizing guide
that will help you pick out the right sized helmet for everyone in your family. Remember, if you expect your child to do it, you should be a good model for them and wear one yourself. Your well-being and safety is important too!
I hope you enjoyed reading this and it will help you pick out the right bicycles and helmets for your children this year!
Feel free to share with your family and friends so they can also have this information for their families.
*The information in this post is cited and based upon my internet research. Please use your best judgement when choosing a bicycle and helmet for your child. This post may contain affiliate links which help us run this blog. Thanks for reading!
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Thank you for this information! My son is getting his bike first helmet pretty soon, and now I know what to look for.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! Thanks for reading!
DeleteI have been reading about how to choose balance bikes on the internet but always missing helmet part. This post is really awesome. Thank you for this post :)
ReplyDelete