You know of the motorcycle helmet, the car racing helmet, and unless you have not paid a lot of attention, you also know that there are bicycle helmets. Yet did you also know that not all helmets are created equal? As a matter of fact, if you are purchasing a helmet with your child in mind, you will need to consider a whole host of caveats before entrusting your child’s precious head’s safety to the little gadget. Here are some important tips to remember:

Just like cheap motorcycle helmets provide cheap head protection, so do cheap bicycle helmets provide cheap bike safety. In this case you truly do get what you pay for. The cheaper models oftentimes skimp a bit on the materials and their thickness and you will receive less protection than you would from a name brand item.

When purchasing a helmet for your child she or he should accompany you to ensure that the size is snug (yet not too tight), and the straps and clasps can easily be operated by their smaller hands. It is counterproductive to purchase helmets with an intricate snap system the kids cannot figure out which in turn may cause the helmet to hang from the bike’s handlebars rather than be worn!

Check and recheck the fit of the helmets consistently since your kids – and their heads – will grow.

While the decorations do not really matter when it comes to safety itself, they do play a role when they make the child feel good about the helmet so that it will not linger in the closet but instead actually be worn.

Do not purchase a bicycle helmet to protect your child’s head during ice skating, baseball, or rock climbing. These activities require a different kind of helmet, since the impacts in case of an accident are entirely different. Thus, it is highly recommended that you discuss the proper kind of headgear with an expert at a sporting goods store.

It is easy to see that purchasing helmets for your children is not as easy as simply going to the store and picking one off the shelf. As much as possible you should involve your children in the selection of the headgear to increase the odds of the helmets being worn appropriately whenever it is possible to do so. By the way, while you are thinking of headgear, this is also a great time to think about knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist protection!