[Closed] How to get a toddler to wear a helmet?

I never put a helmet on ours in the trailer. Even if you did somehow roll it, they have a seatbelt and a steel cage.

Make sure you are wearing one yourself!

the number of people i see making the kids wear them without doing it themselves is massive!

Lead by example 🙂

No hat, no trailer.

do you wear one too? See if he wants to be like dad? Why doesn’t he like it?

Don't take him in it unless he wears it. Worked for us with various things. If he wants to do something, and really enjoys it, but there's a requirement attached from your side, then if he doesn't meet that requirement, he doesn't get to do it.

Basic rule of child management in our house 😀

Duct tape, lots of it...

Who’s the boss, you or kid?

No helmet no trailer.  As above though if a trailer with roll cage why add weight to their head?

You could try a reward type system. So have a sticker chart and he gets a sticker every time he puts it on. 10 stickers gets a little pack of sweets or something. So positive incentive rather than "no helmet no ride".

Personally we never made ours wear a helmet in the trailer, but always on her own bike or bike seat. This was probably a bad idea as we did have A&E trip when my wife a) forgot to attach the trailer to her bike properly and b) forgot to use the waist strap. You can imagine what happened when the thing unhitched at speed. The only positive to this was it's given me the ultimate come back to any of my wife's critique of my parenting.

We tried saying no helmet no trailer and he agrees to wear lne but still wont let us put one on lol (he doesnt really understand what he is agreeing to)

I had a helmet on. We even got mummy to put a helmet on also which he thought was awesome until his came out

I feel like people are judging me for taking him out without one but but you are quite right i could tip him upside down and he wouldnt fall out

We've never had ours wear one in the trailer, its got a roll cage and body harness so don't see the need.

I would suggest that if they can get the helmet off then you need to fit it properly or get a better fitted one.

Haha every cloud and all that Tom

I think i have a few comebacks like that already however i end up appologising when i use them ha

Aye, no need in the trailer, however it does help getting them used to it when it comes time to ride the bike.

Is it a Squid Lid or a dope ass sick Troy Lee pisspot?  could be crucial

Don't bother. I managed to flip our trailer on its side with both kids in.  Neither one hit their head.

Had they been wearing helmets then I'm certain my daughter would have smacked her head (she was on the side that hit the ground) due to the helmet increasing the effective size of her head.

IMO, it's safer for them not to wear them.

For a two-wheeled bike trailer it's less important, but  eventually you'll need to tackle it for a tag-along or a real bike...

One option which costs money would be to take them to the shop and let them choose their own "super cool" helmet. Once they've got a bit of buy-in on the process, the argument soon goes away and you'll need to ask them to take it off at bed time! I know it's a bit of money, but kids helmets aren't super expensive and I remember my son picking out his helmet (it had crocodiles on it) and being really pleased with it.

One thing I would say (which perhaps contradicts others above) is not to give in and let them ride without a helmet. Ignoring the obvious safety reasons, I think it's really important that kids learn that certain things which they are told to do are non-negotiable - give in to them once, and a precedent is set for arguments over such things in the future. The other is that helmet wearing is a really good habit to get them into early. I don't think my kids have ever not worn a helmet on the bike - it's just part of the kit you need, no less than tyres and saddles - and I think it's a really important thing for kids to get used to doing from a really early age. Even when they are messing about on the campsite, I notice that mine now put their helmets on automatically because they simple wouldn't consider doing it any other way.

Good luck!

Is it a Squid Lid or a dope ass sick Troy Lee pisspot?  could be crucial

All joking aside, this could have something to do with it...

Our daughter refused to wear the first helmet we got her; with retrospect it is too heavy & a bit large for her. We stupidly bought it without trying it on. I think her refusal to wear it was just down to it being plain uncomfortable.

We replaced it with A Uvex helmet that is way lighter, has a nice design on, has a similar strap/restraint system to a decent adults helmet & she wears it without question.

Also, when your son sits in the trailer with his helmet on is the seat back pushing it forwards or otherwise making it uncomfortable? Perhaps the fact he refuses to wear it has more to do with being uncomfortable for him, than an outright refusal to wear a helmet?

Yeah, I was going to suggest taking him to a shop and letting him try out one or two that he likes. That way he might think of it more like his own 'hat' that looks fun to wear, as opposed to a tool that he has to wear.

I never made our wear a helmet in the trailer, rolled it once and I don't think she even woke up!  I reckon a helmet could actually be quite uncomfortable in the seat as they wont be able to rest backwards easily against the head rest. They were always properly strapped in though.

As they get older it has always been a no helmet, no bike rule.  It is the one bit of parenting skill that seems to have worked in our house.

How did you all roll the trailers?!

Ok settled i think you are all correct that he needs a new helmet but for the time being i think ill not use one in the trailer. Cheers everyone

Rolled our quite a few times. Tree roots or berms are good way to do it. As long as you're not going too fast and have remembered to strap the child it in it's all fun and games.

Berms! What type of riding have you all done with a trailer?! Ive only down the side of the canal and middlewood way (flat wide and smoothish)

I rolled mine when I forgot that I only had one child in it rather than the usual two, and she was sat on one site rather than in the middle as she she should have been (I had dropped off one child and been lazy by not moving second child over to the middle)

Sharp left then sharp right.  It was a Burley Honey Bee which is quite narrow for a two child trailer which probably didn't help.

Had I been on my game, I reckon I could have steered a bit to the left when the wheel lifted up, found the balance point, and then pimped on down the road with the trailer on one wheel.

Yes sorry that was kind of my point…. my lad  had a little problem with helmets, so we let him choose a new one. He went with iron man, so we now refer to him as iron man whenever he puts it on. he loves it

Never bothered with a helmet when any of our 3 were in a trailer. We then just made them wear them further down the line, as they have a bit more understanding. We have always got them to choose their own helmets. I can only recall one strop from the youngest and this resulted in a return home, but seemed to nip it in the bud. Obviously, this tactic is easier employed if the trail is 5 minute's from home, and not on your main family hol etc

OP

Show the kid a photo of TJ and explain that this is how they will turn out if they don't wear a helmet.

😉

Wear it at other times not just when you go riding to 'normalise' it a bit. Mate used to sit and feed his toddler breakfast with both of them wearing lids 😛

put the helmet down and they will probably put it on themselves.  My kids have worn helmets since day one probably because they have seen me wearing one.  They won't ride their bikes or scooters without putting one on now.

Has he associated the helmet with a bad experience? I’ve watched far too many people click the strap on and catch the kid’s neck in the clip. All you need to do is it your fingers under the clip as you fasten it.

(Spent years putting climbing helmets on wee kids and this makes a big difference - always used to make sure new staff did same)

Rachel

Has he associated the helmet with a bad experience? I’ve watched far too many people click the strap on and catch the kid’s neck in the clip. All you need to do is it your fingers under the clip as you fasten it.

Did this to my daughter when she was 18 months old while rushing to get out of the door and she still won't let me fasten her helmet up for her, even last Friday when I needed to adjust her straps.

She'll be 12 this year...

if I rolled the kids trailer I imagine my wife would remove bits of me...

we don't make them wear helmets in the trailer but we do on the bikes / weeride.  luckily we haven't had any protests....

Its funny the different perceptions to risk people have - I'd never put my kid in a trailer without a helmet, but then I guess he doesn't mind it at all - started young and he has to wear it 5 times a week to get to/from nursery on the cargo bike so he got accustomed to it pretty quickly - he even gets it out and puts it on (not the strap) when he wants to go for a ride!

In a trailer you have to lean your head back.  So helmets that have a bit sticking out of the back it's awkward as hell.  Some companies (Specialized notably) make toddler helmets differently, with smooth backs for this reason.

Make sure you try and figure out what the issue is though.  I see many parents just trying to force their toddlers to do stuff as they scream, without making much effort to try and figure out what the problem is.  They usually have a legitimate grievance, but they get angry when they are ignored and forced.  Which is reasonable, I'd be pretty angry if someone was trying to force me to wear something uncomfortable and not listening to me.

I put helmets on my kids from the start with a trailer, because a) if it ever rolled a rock or tree stump could intrude into the passenger space via the canvas walls, but mainly b) cos it's habit forming.  Bikes means lids.

Who’s the boss, you or kid?

Authoritarianism breeds resentment and conflict.

Subsequent challenge is to get it to sit (and stay) in the correct position rather than tipped over the back.

Agree on the buckle-nip point - it's a mistake you'll make once but only once...

Authoritarianism breeds resentment and conflict.

About some things, perhaps, but children also need to learn that certain things are not negotiable. When I shout sharply for mine to stop it's usually because they are in immediate danger (e.g. a car they have not seen on a road crossing) and I expect them to obey me immediately, without question and save the discussion until after. No, I don't use the same tone to tell them to turn the TV down (well, not always anyway!) but my kids understand that there's a difference between things that are up for discussion and things that are not. Call it authoritarianism? Perhaps. But it's how we do things and I, personally, feel my kids are better off for it, as they know where they stand. Same goes for wearing safety gear on bikes. There's no room for discussion or debate there, so we don't have it and noone falls out.

I am involved with a group of parents at a local cycle club who regularly take children as young as 7-8 out road cycling so from the very youngest age they understand how to be safe when riding in a group of cyclists on shared-use roads. Is there room for fun on these rides? Yes, of course there is! They chat with their friends virtually the whole time we're out and have a great time riding their bikes. Is there room for horseplay or ignoring instructions given by the adult riders? No, absolutely not. The one requirement for these rides is that the kids must be capable of listening and acting on instructions for the safety of themselves and the whole group. Want to be a "free spirit"? Do it somewhere else and on someone else's watch.

Subsequent challenge is to get it to sit (and stay) in the correct position rather than tipped over the back.

A lot of this is about the helmet type and fit. Stick to helmets that have an adjustable plastic webbing for the back of the head as this helps enormously when it comes to keeping the helmet more or less in the right place. Then go through the strap setup methodically so that they have the correct positioning to ensure that the helmet can't push backwards and that the chin strap is secure enough without being overly tight.

IMHO, the absolute worst sort of helmets are those skateboard-style ones that just have a couple of straps - they never stay put and the smallest tap on the front will knock them off the head, no matter how carefully the straps are adjusted. I'm pretty sure they are next to useless from a safety point of view.

Call it authoritarianism?

No.  Authoritarianism means 'do as I say because I'm in charge'.  An alternative is 'do as I say because there's a good reason I'm saying it, and here's why'.  If you don't have a good reason, perhaps you then need to re-think why you're saying it 🙂

Shocked at all the people saying kids don't need one due to the rollcage.

Yeah cos like rally cars have roll cages and the drivers there  sure don't wear helmets.

Do you wear a helmet when driving in your car?  I don't as I don't see the need for one but presumably you do?

I also don't see the need on a bike and wouldn't make a child wear one but that is a different discussion.

See my comment above.  I flipped the trailer on its side and my daughter didn't hit her head.  Had she been wearing a helmet her head would have hit the ground (I've yet to find a helmet for a toddler that doesn't double the size of their head).

In a trailer, kids are safer without the helmet (provided they're strapped in).

Could you find a local priest to ''ave a word'?

Do you wear a helmet when driving in your car?  I don’t as I don’t see the need for one but presumably you do?

No of course I don't. But I also don't know anyone that has rolled a car, whereas in the thread above it appears that a huge number of us have rolled trailers.

Sheesh

Shocked at all the people saying kids don’t need one due to the rollcage. Yeah cos like rally cars have roll cages and the drivers there sure don’t wear helmets.

Looking forward to your tales of (a) your policy of ensuring that you and your passengers always wear helmets in your car and/or (b) how you go to Tesco drifting through pine forests at up to 150mph relying on pace notes, etc etc.

If I was daft enough to tow my kids down alpine black runs in a trailer while I was getting a load of air and generally going full tilt I'd put helmets on them. For bimbling round fire roads and whatnot, it'd be utterly pointless.

Ok I'll keep this really simple.

How many people here have rolled their kid's trailer out biking?

Ok. How many here have rolled their car on the way to Tesco?

My daughter hated wearing a helmet in the trailer, because it pushed her head uncomfortably far forward. I decided to not push the issue and we never really went out in the trailer again.

For her scooter, balance bike, bike seat and (laterally) bike we've always mandated helmets must be worn. Initially a bit of push back from her (and my son as well) but now they don't think twice about it. I always wear when with them on the bike (and normally on my own anyway too).

I'd recommend to persevere but I'm not keen on kiddy trailers due to my own experiences.

I've rolled sweajnr in his chariot (without a helmet) and I've also rolled a jeep (whilst wearing a helmet).  What do I win?

Personally I went no helmet in the Chariot because I found the helmet pushed the head forward.  I also had the optional head support so I figured it'd be tough for him to hit his head.  However I think this is one of those things where each parent has a different perspective / risk tolerance.