Although the risk of serious head injury is small for a child riding a tricycle on a level surface within a fenced playground, it can result in injury to the forehead, face, or teeth. By requiring helmet use, adults teach children the importance of safety gear. This also encourages personal responsibility and promotes self-confidence as the child shows how he or she can do something to prevent injury. The act of putting on the helmet on and taking it off promotes self-help skills. For low-risk toddler and preschool activities, the primary purpose is education and modeling.
Helmets can catch on tree limbs or play equipment, causing strangulation.
Children who participate in higher-risk activities, such as biking, horseback riding, skateboarding, roller blading, ice skating, or skiing, should always wear properly fitted helmets. Although helmets are recommended for indoor activities such as ice skating or roller skating, many skating rinks do not require them, so you may have difficulty getting children to wear helmets. Wrist, elbow, and knee guards Wrist, elbow, and knee guards help protect vulnerable joints during activities such as roller blading or skateboarding. Kneecaps are fractured from forward falls to hard surfaces while elbows may take the force of a fall backwards. Injuries such as these are not only painful, but may reduce the child's ability to participate in sports and can cause permanent damage.