The moment kids start riding their first bike, parents become excited but conscious at the same time. I was also concerned about the safety of my junior when he hit his first pedal.
Just like you are wondering; “Does my child need a full face helmet?” My mind was also overwhelmed with all safety concerns. We share the same pain. But for now, we are not going to get into the details of all, instead pivot our focus to the full face helmet only, as this is one of the most frequently received questions. I will cover the rest of the concerns separately in our blog section.
After going through this blog post, you will get to know all that I have learned and observed, which will help you understand whether it’s the right choice for your child or not. So, let’s get started!
Does My Child Need a Full Face Helmet?
The straightforward reply to this question is; “There is no right or wrong answer to it!” He may need it sometimes and would be unnecessary to use under certain situations.
For instance, if he is just starting out to learn bike riding, it could block his vision, make him unaware of the stuff coming from the side, and cause an accident and harm him. You should always avoid making your child wear a full-face helmet when he is just embarked on a learning journey.
Whereas, if he is a bit experienced, riding in an organized environment, involved in BMX racing, or going through the mountain terrain, where the accident risk is higher.
He must be wearing a Full face helmet for the complete protection of his face, jaw and brain. Otherwise, one single mistake can cause serious harm to your child.
Under these circumstances, you also get recommendations from coaches and experts to make your child wear a full-face helmet, and you should follow their recommendations strictly.
One more thing to be mindful about, don’t use any full-face helmet. It should be of a quality material that ensures safety in real terms and must be lightweight to avoid burdening a child’s neck.
Why should you not wear a full face helmet unnecessarily?
I found a few children riding bikes with full-face helmets when they don’t need to. Because their parents think they should also practice riding with it.
Not knowing, there are certain negative aspects of it, for which a child should not have a full-face helmet on unnecessarily. Let me walk you through them, to make you understand more about this helmet usage. Have a look!
1. Burden Neck and Spine
The neck of a child is not as muscular as an adult. And no matter what, the full-face helmet weight will always be heavier than a normal one, which the child can’t bear for a longer period of time.
This is why you should not use these helmets unnecessarily. The ignorance of this consideration can ultimately lead to neck injuries, which will make you realize you were doing more harm to your child than protecting it.
You may also be interested to read about best bike helmets with visor
2. Vision Restriction
Full-face helmets are designed in a way that they are meant to block your vision by covering most of your face. This becomes a negative aspect when one has to ride in an unorganized environment and has to be aware of all stuff going around him to avoid any unwanted circumstances.
However, in the case of an organized environment, and when a kid is an experienced one this does not really count as a negative effect but rather as a positive one because of its protective nature.
If your kid is less than 2 years old, I would suggest you to buy a toddler tricycle first!
3. Hearing Capability
The child gets disconnected from the surrounding sound, all because of the solid build. You will find it hard to make your child listen to your instructions with the full face helmet on his head.
It also causes an issue when riding on the road with traffic alongside. Therefore, it is better to avoid using it unnecessarily and go with alternative helmets.
4. Comfort
Full-face helmets are designed to use under certain conditions (as explained before), and can’t be worn for longer rides. They are suitable for a shorter period of time, such as during BMX racing.
But if your child is wearing it on longer family rides, it will become really annoying and uncomfortable for him to ride with it. This is why you should ensure the comfort of your child, put the helmet off, and let him ride it comfortably.
For winter cycling, I would suggest you to use winter bike helmet
Final Thoughts
Your child needs a full-face helmet but not all the time. Only under situations, where the risk of accidents is relatively higher, and riding in an organized environment. Otherwise, the simple cycling helmets are more than enough to use and should be preferred most of the time.
We know you are concerned about your Child’s protection, but the comfort should also not be discredited when he can ride without a full-face helmet.
If you are searching for quality cycling products with better guidance, especially mountain bikes and their accessories, I am here to give this valuable information to you. Now you have trusted place to choose your needs from standard product collection.