What Is the Appropriate Age for Children to Stop Wearing Helmets?

I'm 30 and still wear a helmet on my bike. My husband and my kids do too. And we all will. Forever.

My body makes whole babies, but I don't believe I'm able to make just a replacement head. So yeah, helmets always. You too!

Helmets are for all ages - including adults. I wouldn't ride a bike without one and I certainly didn't grow up with them.

I never wore a helmet when riding a bike, roller skates, or a skateboard, and didn't require it of my kid.

It is appropriate to stop wearing helmets when you die.

That's an easy question to answer. The appropriate time to stop wearing helmets when biking or skateboarding or roller skating or on a motorcycle is when the person no longer has a head and brain to protect. Until that time, if there is an intact head and a functioning brain, a helmet is needed.

A bike dealer once told my son "wear a helmet because right now, brains are not a viable after-market purchase option. You can buy a new bike tire, or a new helmet, or any one of a million bike accessories, but I don't know of any source to buy a new brain."

seriously?
when i was young and stupid i insisted on my 'right' not to wear a helmet. and back in my day very few people did, on skates or bikes or horses. and lots of people died.
so all the olympic athletes who get injured just aren't good at what they do, and were too lazy to 'fall properly without getting injured'?
is that really how you think it works?
your kids are following your stupid and careless example.
no support for stupidity and carelessness from me.
khairete
S.

My husband and I wear our helmets when bike riding and we also wear helmets when downhill skiing. I think that kids need to always wear them their entire lives...there is never an age to stop. I feel very strongly about this. I have had friends out biking that have had huge accidents and their helmet really saved them. A teen boy where we used to live died skateboarding bc he was going fast, fell, and hit his head. Maybe find some videos showing why it is important to wear a helmet and make them watch.

Bike accidents do not discriminate with age. My ex-husband decided not to wear his helmet once (once!) and woke up in the hospital, bald-- they'd had to operate on his brain due to swelling from a fall. We have another friend who has woken up in the hospital twice-- he's an experienced cyclist, owned a bike shop-- both times, his helmet saved his life.
In short, there would be no way in hell my son will be biking without a helmet until he's an adult and paying for his own insurance. We want him to know how serious this is. It's easier (for me, as the parent) to lock up a bike for a couple weeks and make it off limits if the rules are broken than for him (as the child) to have a hospital recovery for a traumatic brain injury.

Wait-- you keep your helmet on your handle bars? For real?! That is just ludicrous. I hope this is a joke.

When I was a kid there wasn't an age, they also didn't make helmets. I bought one for myself when I was buying them for my older kids and never looked back. I also blade, well I did, my husband doesn't think it is a good idea after my 5th knee surgery but I digress, I wear a helmet, wrist, elbow and knee protectors when I blade as well.

There is just no reason to injure yourself when something so simple can prevent it.

Never. I am a recreational cyclist and never, ever get on my bike without a helmet. All riders should wear helmets on bikes at all ages.

Put your helmet on, mom!

You're the mom so you'll do whatever you want to decide what's "appropriate" for your kids.

That's different than legal or safe, however so:

Legal- IL is one of the only states not to have a helmet law for children. In most other states children are required by law to wear a helmet until age 16. You live in IL, so do what you want there, I guess... but if you ride your bikes elsewhere, put helmets on your kids.

Safe- It's never safe, at any age to ride without a helmet! Of course most rides conclude without a fall or a crash after you've got the hang of riding (in our house that would be anything past age 4ish), but most car rides end without crashes too... and I still wear a seatbelt. When you crash or fall and hit your head without a helmet, there is nothing you can do LATER to fix it.
If you're out on the bike trail, your risk is less because you're in more control... if you're on neighborhood or city streets (even for a short time) you have to anticipate getting hit by a car!
Wear the darn helmets and teach your kids to wear them.

Where I live it is law to wear a helmet until age 16, common sense to wear one after that.

Ummm...you are kidding me, right?

There is no good age to stop wearing a helmet just like there is no good age to stop wearing a seal belt just because you are a good driver...you know, all those crazies on the road who are not?
I dont know about Illinois, but in Massachusetts it's law that bicyclists of all ages,children,adults,senior citizens, young and old, are REQUIRED to wear helmets at all times regardless as to if they are on the street or side walk

I do apologize for being "cranky"

Brain damage can happen at any age. So whatever age you want to risk it.

Never. Adults should be wearing helmets when they bike as well as children. When one is skating in a ring there is less risk because there are no cars, but we bike in areas we share with cars and that is a huge added danger, not to mention the fact that falling from a bike is much higher then falling from skates. That said, if my kids skate or rollerblade on the sidewalk/in outside areas away form a designated rink, they still wear their helmets, as do I.

I dated a young man in high school who had a brother who was in an institution in a persistent vegetative state due to riding him bike without a helmet and getting in an accident. Head injuries are not something to play with. In my home I don't care if you are 6 or 60, bike helmets are a must.

You're joking, right? This is your first post here so are you just trying to start an argument?

Your children aren't "good at it" to the point that they don't need head protection. Neither are you. I cannot fathom why you put a helmet on your bike handlebars - what is its purpose there? It's probably more of a hazard - if you hit a rock, the helmet can either fly off and hit your, or swing around to interfere with your operation of the brakes or handlebars for steering. Or, it gives you something to fall into! It does sound hypocritical - "Do as I say, girls, and not as I do."

Have you paid any attention whatsoever to the incredible incidence of concussion, particularly in young people? Professional athletes (along with serious amateur and recreational athletes) in many sports wear helmets at all stages of bike riding, roller skating, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, bobsledding, etc. They are far more expert at their sport than any of your children, or you yourself. Not one of them, and not one of you, is immune to hitting a rock, having a tire blow out, or colliding with another person or a car.

Do you wear seatbelt in the car? Why? Aren't you a good driver? I suggest that you wear them because "anything can happen" and you are at the mercy of mechanical failures, a momentary imbalance, and the risks of other people out there. Do you walk in a crosswalk with the light? Why? Aren't you observant? Because you know there are other factors, right? There are other drivers who don't do what they should. But, you send your children out without protection?

Your pediatrician and your emergency medical technicians will be happy to tell you about the increase in traumatic brain injury as well as the dangers of repeat, smaller head injuries which have a cumulative effect. Your police department will inform you of the laws in your town, which I'm quite sure cover children older than yours. Our town can fine parents who allow what you are doing.

Please examine your reasons for thinking helmets aren't necessary - I honestly think you have zero information on basic safety measures. Your children have been given a false sense of infallibility and immortality, perhaps by their friends but certainly endorsed by you. Around here, if a kid goes out without a helmet, the sports equipment gets put up in the garage rafters until they are old enough to stop being vain or careless.

Your helmet will do you a lot of good while hanging on your handlebars!!!

I've never heard of someone who is so good at what they do can predict an accident and fall the right way.

Geesh!!! this question sounds like you may have recently fallen and hit your head!

In my home? Everyone has to wear a helmet while riding a bike. Period. My DH has had incidences where a stick kicked up and he took a fall and thankfully was wearing a helmet. Or another time the trailer our youngest was in jackknifed and fell over and we were glad she had a helmet on. We have friends who are avid cyclists and they all, without exception, wear helmets. You should wear yours with or without the kids, too.

Never. It makes me crazy when I see adults riding bikes without helmets on, especially when they are with their kids, as it sets a really bad example. Why take the risk? I've seen a lot of cases where helmets have saved lives and/or minimized damage; I've never seen a case when the helmet caused harm.

I think you should just encourage them to keep doing it. Who cares that it messes up their hair or looks dorky if it saves their life.

aah okay...so when your daughter falls and cracks her head open, it's going to be whose fault??

Welcome to mamapedia. Now go home.

Did you notice that even professional bicyclists use helmets??? That should be a clue for you.

Really, they need to wear them all the time. Biking, roller skating, ice skating, hockey, sledding. I used to work with adults who had suffered traumatic brain injuries. One of them was a man who had been riding his bike without a helmet. A dog ran in front of him unexpectedly and he hit the dog. He crashed and hit his head pretty hard. No other injuries, but he is now on permanent disability because of the TBI. Freak accident that dramatically changed his life. An 8 year old boy where my cousin lives died in a sledding accident the day after Christmas. He probably would have survived if he had been wearing a helmet. A friend of mine has a daughter who suffered a TBI while practicing for an ice show. Three years later she still has some educational issues and a lot of anxiety that resulted from the TBI. Don't underestimate how important helmets are for all ages!

Are you the 14, 12, or 10 yr. old?

Check your county ordinances for laws pertaining to helmets for bike / roller skate laws.
Your county clerk might know or a call to the non emergency number for your local police (or fire station) might know.
Oh, your pediatrician might know, too - so it's worth it to ask them.
Many place have laws requiring helmets for 16 and younger (Chicago has requirement for all ages - they have a lot of bike messengers).
Some laws cover both bikes and skates, but others don't.
If no law covers it, then you have to ask yourself at what age is a concussion or brain injury appropriate - and then enforce your rule with your kids.

NONE of the kids in my subdivision/ neighborhood wear helmets.
NONE.

One of the parents is an EMT!

So last summer I started questioning my kids STILL wearing them until I took them to the Ped for annual physical and the doc asked if they wore helmets but starting the question with.....'Don't look at your mother when you answer this..' I felt good that we could all say that we did wear helmets.

I am so glad to see these other responses about how important safety is. Especially with so many distracted car drivers.

In many states, bike helmet are the law either for everyone or for everyone under 18, so check there first. My dad is an avid bike rider and he got in an accident last year that left him with a severe concussion. If he hadn't been wearing a helmet, he would be dead. And he does bike trips of hundreds of miles. For us, bike helmets are a must, for all, forever.

Please read Erica T.'s answer again. Everyone of every age should wear a helmet when biking, skating, riding a razor scooter, an ATV, a skateboard, all of it. Erica's answer tells you why. It does not mean anything if someone believes he or she knows "how to fall properly without getting injured" as you put it. You can "know how to fall" and still hit your head; every fall is unique and you cannot predict its circumstances.

I know a guy who as an adult was a super safe bike rider. He still wore his helmet. It saved his life -- the doctors told him bluntly that had he not been wearing it he likely would have been dead or had a grave brain injury -- when he hit some minuscule pebble on a nice, safe, paved bike path and was thrown into a light pole, head first. He knows "how to fall," having fallen before, but no amount of experience or knowledge could have helped him; only the helmet did. He's much more experienced than your kids are, and HE couldn't have avoided hitting his head--on that flat, safe, paved bike path, too.

Please require your kids to wear helmets on their bikes and while roller skating etc. Every time. If they resist, since they're now used to doing without and will surely say, "We know what we're doing!" then go online and find the stories of kids and adults who needed only one fall to end up with a brain injury. And please wear your bike helmet even on your solo rides. Stay healthy and alive for your kids.

Our kids don't wear helmets. They did when they were learning to ride but after that they just stopped. We don't go on the street to ride. If we did then yes, we'd all wear helmets.

I grew up and rode bikes all day almost all year round. I can't ever remember falling and hitting my head. I know it happens but I guess I figure if they trip and fall down it's about the same difference.

If you want them to wear helmets you made the rule they have to do it. Don't be surprised if their bikes sit for long periods of time and rot away though. I can't imagine kids this age still wearing theirs and them not noticing your kids are still wearing theirs.

So you decide. If you want them to wear helmets then you take them and don't let them have their bikes until their helmet is on their head. If you think they're old enough to not wear them then let it go.

I'm curious if this is a real question. Do you not see bike races ever? Do adults not ride bikes in your town? EVERYONE should ALWAYS wear a helmet. Just because you aren't 5 doesn't mean you won't fall and seriously hurt yourself when you hit your head.