Riding a bike provides many hours of fun and exercise for children. It gives them a great reason to be outdoors, getting some fresh air, and interacting with other kids. It can, however, lead to some minor scrapes and bruises, especially if your child is learning to ride on his own.
Every parent who lets their child ride a bike knows that accidents happen. However, it’s a relatively easy thing to prevent these mishaps from doing any lasting damage.
One especially necessary precaution is doing a quick check every so often to make sure that the bike your child uses is in excellent condition, especially the brakes. The other thing is to equip your little rider with safety gear: a kids’ full face bike helmet, knee and elbow pads, and even riding gloves are all essential additions to your child’s wardrobe if they’re going to be riding a bike for any length of time.
Some people might argue against outfitting a child with a full face helmet, saying that their little necks get tired quickly from the additional weight. They believe it’s an unnecessary inconvenience.
We disagree. Typically, a small child will walk away from a minor spill on his or her training bike, no problem. But when kids engage in sports involving faster bikes and even more powerful machines like dirt bikes and motorcycles, allowing your child to ride without a helmet is just irresponsible.
Most children’s full face helmets are designed with their comfort in mind. Made of lightweight material, they allow for breathability and movement.
Besides, whatever discomfort that they might have is offset by how important a helmet is to your child’s safety. A full-face bicycle helmet protects your child’s face and head from trauma. Isn’t that worth a little hassle?
Trauma to the brain when there’s an impact can cause a concussion or open skull fracture. Even mild head injuries can potentially cause permanent damage such as cognitive disorders, memory loss, sleep disorders, and even disability or death.
Having the right helmet keeps your child safe, and gives you the peace of mind of knowing that he is enjoying himself without the risk of harming himself.
However, not all helmets are created equal. It’s essential to pick out one that not only fits well but is also a fit for your child’s needs.
Some helmets are better than others at keeping your child safe, and there are a few considerations to the choice of headgear, especially when it’s something uniquely important such as kids’ motorcycle helmets. You have to think about the materials carefully, what it’s made from, the helmet’s fit, and the activity the child will be doing.
One of the few good choices for younger children, the Bell Sanction BMX/Downhill Helmet gives excellent protection for little heads and faces. It also comes in an extensive collection of patterns and colors to give your children a bit of choice when it comes to their gear’s appearance.
The Bell Sanction BMX Downhill Helmet is a kid's full face BMX helmet that weighs in at a super-light 950 grams, which won't tire your child's neck too quickly as they're racing along with the asphalt. They'll breathe more comfortable, also, as the helmet features a fully-vented, hand-laminated fiberglass shell.
It adds to your child’s comfort with an adjustable visor, allowing your little racer the option to have better visibility. What’s more, your child will be pleased to know that more world champions have worn Bell Helmets than all other helmet brands combined!
This helmet makes it to our list despite its perceived bulk because of its hefty feel. We feel a little safer with sturdy construction that houses its heavily cushioned interior, which is completely removable and machine washable.
The option to chuck something in your washing machine after a week of long, sweaty, and dusty rides is not only convenient for you but also quite sanitary for your young rider. It ensures that the helmet won’t easily harbor bacteria and germs that might make its user sick.
Affordable and streamlined, this helmet option comes in 19 different designs and color patterns. It has a solid feel and has an easy to fasten loop buckle for impatient little riders who can barely hold still long enough to strap a full face cycle helmet onto their precious heads.
This lightweight helmet tips the scales at less than 3 pounds and comes in a delightful spiderweb design that’s very similar to the look of a famous comic book hero. This children’s full face helmet is commonly bought as a set with a pair of padded motocross gloves and goggles, all featuring the same color pattern.
With an aerodynamic sculpted shell, an adjustable visor, and both interior airflow and rear exhaust vent, the Typhoon helmet is built for speed. What’s more, it is specially made for young riders and is not merely an over-padded adult helmet.
It’s perfect for your adventurous child who would instead not wear heavy, bulky gear, but still needs protection in case of accidents.
With its sleek, glossy, UV protective finish, the 1Storm helmet gives off a “bad boy” vibe, but behind its sleek, street-ready looks lies a great protective system for your sweet little speedsters. Lightweight and durable, its aerodynamic thermoplastic alloy shell has the benefit of a top and front ventilation control and three position ventilation channels.
While your children might appreciate that it looks like an adult helmet with serious street cred, you will love the fact that the helmet’s padding is removable and washable.
This helmet steps up your child’s comfort big time, which may be a factor in whether or not they wear it when you’re not looking. Some kids may find full-face helmets hot, clunky, and uncomfortable, prompting them to ditch it at the first opportunity-- not the safest habit to have.
But the Razor helmet tries to change this attitude by providing your child with comfortable, ergonomic interior padding as well as an adjustable visor and strap. This cutting-edge helmet also brings its A-game when it comes to security, featuring side release buckles that are quick to fasten and easy to adjust.
We all know that biking is a unisex sport, and the gear options tend to reflect this. The XFMT helmet is one of the few models of kids full-face BMX helmets on the market that has an explicitly feminine version, giving the girly girls who also kick butt on their bikes something to express themselves with in terms of gear.
We would recommend this helmet for kids who are into motoring sports as well as riding pedal bikes, as the helmet comes in a package option with everything they’re going to need to hit the road: a pair of goggles, a couple of gloves, and a helmet bag to keep everything neat and tidy.
The beautiful, UV protective finish on this lightweight and extremely durable piece of gear hide a heavily cushioned and comfortable interior that is still well vented for breathability. And when your child hangs up their helmet for the day, it’s a relief to be able to remove this cushioning and wash it free of all the dirt and grime that builds up on those expeditions on the road.
Some companies take pains to make sure that their kids’ full face bike helmets go above and beyond the already strict guidelines for safety, and we appreciate that. In the case of ILM’s children’s full face helmets, the company claims that their products are DOT certified for protection, which means that its specs meet, and in some cases exceeds FMVSS-218 and DOT safety standards.
This is all very well and good, but we all know kids won’t wear a helmet unless it looks cool. Luckily enough, the ILM helmet is sleek and shiny, and very cool-looking indeed.
Not the most lightweight helmet on the market, it is still very light and incredibly durable, with a sleek aerodynamic design that is made for the speed lover in every biker. For maximum ventilation while on the road, the helmet has both front and back air vents.
For cleanliness and sanitation, the inner pads can be detached so that you can wash them. Likewise, the adjustable visor can be easily separated from the main body of the helmet whenever it isn’t needed.
Fit and comfort are two of the most critical factors in selecting a helmet for your child. Before you click on any of our recommendations, we strongly suggest that you measure your child’s head first, and have a list of those measurements on hand as you shop. Since every child is different, you need to be careful in finding a perfect fit. Just because a helmet is child-sized doesn’t mean it’s a fit for your child.