BurnNotice

Holy cripes! I looked high and low before I could find a toddler helmet that would fit my daughter. Now I admit she is small for 20 months old but being an adopted Chinese girl from an orphanage she is slightly behind most kids, unless it is a fellow Chinese child.

I finally found the small fry Specialized helmet that would fit!

You would think there would be more options for kids this age.

Oh well...............guess helmet makers assume kids from 12 months and older do not go out for easy strolls on paved pathways!

Purple ladybug design, hope she likes it!

tk1971

My first kid grew out of his toddler helmet in less than 6 months. Since then, he's grown out of 2 more. Smaller helmets are harder to find because of the lack of demand. Bike-specific shops will stock them, but they'll cost a little more. But looking at the precious cargo, I can't argue.

tk

himespau 

if they outgrow them that fast are there any on craigslist?

tk1971

I have a 2nd son to hand the helmet down to.

Besides, why would anyone buy a helmet for one's child from Craigslist? Helmets are one-time-crash disposables.

tk

BurnNotice

So true!

tgot 

What I was told in a biek shop: There's lawsuit-driven "inflation" in the minimum age recommended for kids to be in bike seats and trailers. For while, it was 6 months old, then 9 months, then a year.

So, purchases of helmets for kids < 1year have gone down, taking out the very small sizes.

pwdeegan

not really sure how to process this part of your statement, except to say that nearly every Chinese kid i know of (and i know a lot of them, since we're in China now) is just like a kid from anywhere else in the developed world, orphanages aside. in fact, i'd say a fair number of them are outright chunky, chubby, fat and jocund, with most of them being bigger than my non-Chinese 2-year old (who happens to have, similarly to your daughter, a somewhat small-ish head). Maybe all of the ethnically Chinese kids you know of are from orphanages?

as for helmets, you might try Nutcase helmets; i've been told they can fit smaller sizes. I've personally had good luck with a Bell Splash helmet, which also has integrated LEDs in the rear, which is a smart idea and i wish my helmet had them.

Joyfulmama

My daughter is 20 months old and very small. There isn't a helmet made that will fit her.

I too have seen several adopted children that came from Chinese orphanages and they are often smaller than the average sized kids that we are accustomed too. Not sure of the reasons why, I assume poor nutrition. I don't think that the original poster meant any offense. I think it was just an observation on the small size of her child.

bigbenaugust 

I am going to bump this thread rather than start a new one. The toddler helmets say 3-5 years but they also say they size down to 18-18.5" head circumference. My son is almost 1, and it's almost time to get him out on the trailer. So I'm helmet shopping.

Is the best thing to do just to measure his head (like he's going to sit still that long) and get one that matches? The guy at the bike shop I just called said to put a hat on him so he'd fit the helmet better, which I thought was a general no-no.

Scrabbler

How about contacting Bell, they seem to make the most helmets for kids. Measure the head and give them a call. Good luck.

Bell Customer Service
735 Pacesetter Drive
Rantoul, IL. 61866 USA
P: 800-456-BELL(2355)
Answer_Desk@bellsports.com

himespau 

yeah, let us know what they say as more of us will probably be looking for that info in the future (at least I will).

pwdeegan

Bell uses head circumference instead of age limits for their helmets; Nutcase Helmets does the same. This makes sense since age isn't a good indicator of helmet effectiveness (not even as adults is an user's age an accurate indication of helmet effectiveness). I doubt that in contacting any reputable manufacturer they differ from their written policies---a condition of legal liability in the US. In any case, helmet size by head circumference does make the most sense.

Using a thin cap (often made of weatherproof material) underneath the helmet should not affect helmet safety, so as long as the proper conditions for fit are maintained; it will help over all warmth and comfort tremendously (and warmth can also be a safety issue depending on how cold it is). This is common practice for a lot of helmet users out there who live in colder climes (think of skiers here, little and big alike). A big, thick, bulky hat under a helmet is a different issue entirely, and clearly not safe.

Porting a kid around in a bike trailer is already a pretty safe move, especially if it's a good trailer with a proper roll cage like a Burley, Chariot, and others. A helmet is going to be the frosting on this cake, and a good habit to get into (and in some, but not all cases, a state or municipal legal requirement). In California the law is:

https://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21212.htm
Youth Helmets. VC 21212
Prohibits persons under 18 from riding or being a passenger on a bicycle without wearing helmets meeting specified standards (ANSI or SNELL). Violations are punishable by a fine of not more than $25.

So make sure you have an ANSI- or SNELL-rated helmet (which you ought to anyway).

Your biggest real-world problem for a helmeted one-year old in a bike trailer is going to be comfort. Every helmet will likely push the child's head forward while riding, and pull it heavily to the side if the child falls a sleep. At one-year old even helmet-recessed trailers (like Burley or Chariot) will probably not be recessed low enough for the height of your child to be effective (anyway, they weren't for mine)---the recess pocket is about 12" from the seat bottom, and you'll need to account for slouching and slipping in the seat (the kid is probably not going to be sitting perfectly upright for very long). You can prop the child's head on the side with pillows, or find some other solution, but it will almost certainly be a ghetto/ersatz solution.