UPDATE: I did consider the bike helmet. But I don't think it would fit correctly with a hat and I don't know how you would keep their ears warm without a hat. But it would be better than nothing. The style of helmet pictured is more what I was thinking of for sledding. The
American Academy of Pediatrics does recommend using helmets for sledding. Maybe next year we will have to see about getting some. I don't think we will do much sledding yet this year. Alaina is still pretty little.
ORIGINAL POST: I realize that becoming a mom has changed me. I worry about things now, that 3 and a half years ago I wouldn't have given a second thought to. As my girls are getting older, they are able to try more things. More things that do not include me holding them and protecting them from harm. One of these activities is sledding. Call me crazy (Mark and Greg watch it!), but I would really like my kids to wear helmets when sledding. (And maybe bubble wrap!) But in all seriousness, I've just heard of way too many sledding accidents where kids/adults have hit their heads.
We do not currently have helmets for our girls and am still debating the thought of actually buying helmets. Is it worth the money? What are the chances that they are truly going to injure themselves? Would a helmet even help? Do we actually go sledding enough to make it worth it?
My girls ALWAYS have to wear a helmet when they ride their bikes/trikes, and even when they are being pulled in the bike trailer. I want them to grow up doing this, so it becomes a habit and they won't know any different. To me it's like wearing seatbelt. . .why not just put it on!
What do you think? Are winter helmets a waste of money or money well spent? I would love to hear your thoughts.
5 comments:
From what I've heard...winter helmets are a necessity. When we were kids bike helmets were not common, but safety-minded parents made their kids wear them, and now it's unthinkable for your kids not to wear a helmet while biking. I plan on being one of the safety-minded parents that turn winter helmets into the same sort of thing!
I guess I don't know what a winter helmet is? I would just say use the bike helmets. :) Who cares what it looks like!
Have them wear their bike helmets. That way you don't have to buy separate helmets.
We don't sled too often yet, so it is just not something I think of. But I'm gonna go with everyone else and say just use a bike helmet - that way you get more use out of it. We do know a family whose little boy was badly hurt on a sled a few years ago. He ran into a tree and fractured his skull. But on top of that he developed meningitis and it was pretty bad for awhile.
Maybe winter helmets are a bigger topic of discussion in New England because of all the skiing...anyways, there is a difference between winter helmets (designed for winter sports like skiing) and bike helmets. They are designed based on the type of shock the receive. BUT, I looked it up here http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/349.pdf and there isn't one specific type of helmet recommended for sledding, and a bike helment is one of the recommended. Thanks for the incentive to research this nice and early!
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