The Time We Forgot the Full Face Helmet
We traveled to Sweden one Summer and decided to bring my son's 16 inch bike for him to cruise around Stockholm and the surrounding countryside. We packed light and ditched the full face helmet for his half shell as we had no intention of hitting mountain bike parks or skate parks. Of course, a skate park presented itself and my son and I headed off to have a look. Better aptly named a scooter park, we arrived to hundreds of kickboard/scooter kids snaking lines in the park. An older skateboarder (definitely in the minority) referred to the scooter phenomenon as the "plague." He described the problem as unsupervised madness due to how easy it is to ride kickboards in a skate park at such an early age. What once took years to develop the skills to flow lines on a skateboard or BMX takes days on a scooter.
It was a chaotic place and being a hands on parent, I jumped into the skate park to assess what Sam would be capable of. Taking a defensive position I planted myself close to the big transitions and danger points while the pogo sticks on wheels went whipping by. Unfortunately, the distraction and busyness of the park is what led Sam to, unaware, ride off a 3 ft perimeter ledge blind, albeit at snail's pace. The end result was face to the pavement, cracked half shell helmet, loose tooth, trip to a Swedish emergency room, and a bill for $400 (I love to travel insurance). Had he had his full face on, I'm certain we would have avoided the tooth and mouth injury which was the major issue with this crash in addition to being scary for both Sam and myself.
Finding a full face helmet for kids under 8 years old is challenging. They do exist but the negatives sometimes outweigh the benefits. With my eldest we were exploring skate parks on his balance bike at age 3. This is when things got a little rowdy and it was time to get a full face for my wife and myself's piece of mind. Let's take a minute to review pros and cons of a full face helmet.
| Pros | Cons |
| Jaw/Face Protection | Weight |
| Full rear-head coverage | Expensive |
| Warm/Restricted Vision |
In addition to head circumference, weight is the most telling factor when its time to put a little one in a full face helmet. Many helmets can weigh 3+ lbs and thus strain the neck muscles of a 35 lb 4 year old. Imagine having almost 10 % of your own weight on your head! I researched helmets for a good time before I settled on the Bell Sanction. At a minimum head circumference (circumference just above brow line) of 5o cm for a size extra small, it was one of the smallest helmets I could find. Also, with a weight of 850 grams (2 lbs), it was also one of the lightest helmets I could find. Comparative weight helmets were almost always made from carbon fibre and could run $250 dollars plus. The $75 dollar Bell Sanction seemed like the best fit for my, just 50 cm head circumference, rather large 4 year old (He is half Viking thanks to Mom). Just wish I would have brought it to Sweden! For more Full Face Options click here.
