Proper Helmets Crucial For Kids

Lots of kids wear helmets when they ride bikes or skateboards, and that's good. But choosing the wrong kind of helmet could be dangerous.

The Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen says wearing safety helmets is crucial, but wearing the proper helmet for a given activity is just as crucial.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission stresses that choosing the proper helmet is imperative.

Bike and skating helmets are the most popular ones for kids. They have different shapes, and are made to protect your head differently, because the way you fall on a bike is different than the way you fall on a skateboard.

Impacts to the head from a bicycle accident tend to happen at a higher speed, from a greater distance, and with a greater impact, Koeppen explains. They're also more likely to be the primary impact. Because it's more likely that it will be a significant, single and greater impact, the bicycle helmet is designed to destruct more during an impact.

When skateboarding, you normally hit with other body parts first before hitting your head, and the impact to the head isn't as hard or fast as when you fall off a bike. So, skate helmets are designed to absorb multiple, smaller impacts.

Use the bike helmet for biking, riding a scooter, and for inline skating, Koeppen suggests. Use a skate helmet if you do tricks on your inline skates, and if you're skateboarding.

It's also crucial to get a proper fit, Koeppen says. Make sure the helmet doesn't sit too far back or forward. And it shouldn't move side to side, it should be snug. And, make sure you buckle the chin strap.

You should replace bike helmets after any fall in which you hit your head, Koeppen says. Even if the helmet looks fine, you need to replace it. You can use skateboarding helmets over and over again if you bump your head, but you should inspect the helmet and, if you're in doubt, get a new one.

What about passing down helmets from one kid to another? You should, Koeppen says, replace a helmet every three years, and it needs to fit properly. You can't guarantee that a helmet that fits one child will fit another.

In addition, Koeppen stress there are times when you shouldn't let youngsters wear helmets, such as when they're climbing a tree or playing on a jungle gym. The chin strap can get caught and be a strangulation hazard.