Helmets While Skating at a Rink

my kids wear helmets for anything in the street (we live on a culdesac with very little cars). but once they are experienced maybe not in a rink. We have never been to a rink though.

This is a tough one. My kids don't wear helmets at the ice rink because no one else does. I never even thought about it. But they do wear helmets for everything else, including scootering.

Inside just skating I do not make my kids wear helmets but anything outside yes.

My daughter is a figure skater, and has been for a couple of years now. She does not wear a helmet while she skates anymore, but did for the first 2 sessions of lessons.

These lessons also taught her how to fall on the ice. So she knows about the body mechanics of falling while she skates. This does not mean for one second that I think she is capable of remembering those mechanics quickly if she starts falling. Right now she is practicing alot of jumps, and I am always scared that she will hit her head or face on the ice... but that is the protective mom in me. I can't expect her to be the only skater on the ice with a helmet on after 3 years of lessons...lol (much as I would like to)

Good luck, and I am sure your best judgement will win, if you feel he is good enough to no longer wear the helmet, then give it a shot, but I would keep it on for biking and in-line skating/skatebooarding as they are not done in controlled settings.

This is a tough one - you're going to get a lot of responses to always wear helmets. We always wear them for biking, scooter, skateboards in the outdoors. They can be movng at a pretty fast speed on a bike or skateboard and asphalt roads, trees and utility poles are unforgiving. My sister is an organ transplant coordinator and based on the things we've learned from her, around our house we call people who bike without helmets organ donors.
That being said, a roller rink is a different environment. The rink-guards try to prevent skaters from going too fast, dangerous risky skating is stopped. It's mostly people going around and around in a big circle. They're not on ramps, there's no speed skating allowed generally, and there are no trees to bang in to. I skated at rinks for much of my teen years and my brother worked as a rink-guard and the worse injuries we ever saw were mangled fingers when they were skated over after a fall (horrible but not life threatening).
I think sometimes were make ourselves crazy with alll of the safety equipment and "precautions" we take. My son is just as likely to hit his head playing recreational basketball as he is roller skating and he doesn't wear a helmet playing basketball.
As for complying with the norm of his peers - this is another tough issue becuase you want to develop in your child the ability to do what's right regardless of what is going on with his peers - when they become teens this really becomes a big issue. My kids are 11 and 14 and we are constantly working around these issues. You have more influence with your kids between 8-12 than you will once they become teens - so now is the time to explain why your family does things the way you do. Kids like things to make sense - so if they understand the why's - they are more likely to hold the same opinion as yours as they become teens. But I can tell you it is not easy and seems to get more difficult as the days go by. I think you have to decide which issues can be relaxed based on what's going on with his friends (clothing - as long as it's modest and not offensive, hair styles, musical tastes as long as it's not offensive, etc.) but not safety, religion, etc. As they grow up we have to pick our battles - consider and make decisions ahead of time about those things that are not negotible based on peer norms and communicate them so expectations are clear. And for things that come up that we hadn't anticipated I will tell my kids that dad and I have to think about that and get back to them. I think that also teaches them that some times you just have to stop and think about the best way to do things.

1st Let me start by saying my youngest fell off of her bike last year and thank God she had a helmet on because you can see in the helmet the pavement she would be dead right now or have a brain injury!

I would not send me kid to a skating rink wearing a helmet. Just becasue they have a better chance of falling on their back side and not the head. JMHO

only place I make my kids wear their helmets is bike or scooter riding.
Once they start skating or skateboarding they will wear helmets. But not for indoor skating.

I look at it this way. we can't protect our kids from everything and many parents are over protective. I think this over protectiveness is dangerous. They must learn to take care of themselves and aware of things that could hurt them and be careful on their own instead of constantly be protected by someone else.

I think requiring helmets for an indoor skating rink is unrealistic and overboard. I skated and fell many many times as a child and never once did my head hit anything. 9 times out of 10 when you fall in roller skates you fall backwards onto your butt the other time you fall forward and on reflex hands go out and stop your fall. Never do you not put out your hands that just how our brains and bodies work.

Bicycles & Inline Skating & Scootering WEAR Helmets ESPECIALLY OUT DOORS!!!! you never know what sharp edges and such they will hit- as for the roller skating party I would skip it and I do go extra safety at times.

Here in Florida it is the law to wear a Bicycle Helmet under 16 and my husband is a law enforcement officer & trained in police mountain biking and he wears a helmet ALL the time on the bicycles and our girls must wear them when scootering

I roller skated 2 times a week until I was 16. I'm a huge fan of helmets and think all kids should wear them for any fast outdoor activity. We all wear helmets when we ski/snowboard. I think if my son ice skated I'd have him wear a helmet but since we live in Vegas it's not likely we'll even need to deal with the issue. Rollerskating is different if there are no jumps or ramps as long as the floor is wooden. The wooden floors in skate rinks are made to absorb shock. That's why, if you do jump, when you land on the wood it sounds hollow. Yes your son could hit his head but as one of the other mom's said the most common injury is run over fingers and arm injuries from kids who are trying to break their fall and sprain a wrist. It all the time I skated (which was a lot) I never saw anything more serious than a broken arm and I only saw that once. I can also say that I've hit the ground on skates and roller blades a lot. I was always trying to do new tricks and look cool for the cute skate referee. My head never hit the floor even once. I beat everything else to hell but my head was fine. I say indoors at the roller rink is OK without but everything else needs the helmet.

they should wear helmets. My kids do. they have never been skating. But for al the other activities they do. We have an odd situation, one of my sons has had 2 craniotomies (that is a cut open the skull surgery) and NO way are they not wearing their helmets. i have seen too many kids that are too jacked up. It just isn't an option. but, I dont do elbow and knee pads. a broken bones is much better than a broken brain.

Hi R.! I see you're in California. Just so you know, it's the law in CA to wear a helmet for all activities you mentioned above if you're under 18.

Here's the link to the vehicle code: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21212.htm

The first part of it states, "A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard, nor shall they wear in-line or roller skates, nor ride upon a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or standards subsequently established by those entities. This requirement also applies to a person who rides upon a bicycle while in a restraining seat that is attached to the bicycle or in a trailer towed by the bicycle."

Regardless of what anyone thinks or does, my kids are taught to obey the law, which means wearing a helmet until they're a grown up. Non-compliance is not an option. And, while this law doesn't apply to skate parks and other "non-street/trail" locations, most (if not all) parks post helmet requirements under their city ordinances. We are strict about this and often my kids are wearing helmets even when others are not. I hope this helps.

Helmets while skating. I wonder if it's a kind of a local thing - enough kids around here play ice hockey that they get used to wearing helmets. You could probably find a used hockey helmet cheap and then your son wouldn't feel so out of place on the ice.

But, as the daughter of someone living with a traumatic brain injury (for a different reason, but still) there is no amount of being cool that excuses you from wearing a helmet. My kids ever ride/skate/etc without one and they can say goodbye to the bike/skates/feet : )

edited to add: I didn't read close enough - I wouldn't make my kids wear a helmet to a roller skating party. I thought you were talking about ice. During a "free skate" on ice sometimes the better skaters go really fast and knock people over, and it's much easier to fall and hit your head on the boards if you're going round and round the outside of the rink. But there isn't nearly the danger of the boards, or of super speedy skaters, on a roller rink. Still, your call.

This is an interesting topic. When my son was younger, he *always* wore his helmet while rollerblading at the park or in the neighborhood. But the few times he went to a rink, it didn't even occur to me to bring it. I guess it's because I pretty much lived at the roller rink as a young teen (in the days before the usefulness of helmets became so well known).

I think the answer to your question about going helmet-free is one that you'll have to answer for yourself. As for the other two, we require helmets for anything with wheels that is being used outside, and we make sure our toddler wears a helmet while riding her trike in the house (more as a way to avoid arguments when she eventually gets to take it outside). Why being indoors for skating doesn't require a helmet... well, it makes no sense now that you point it out. I just never thought of it before.

I know that in CT the law states that children under 12 have to wear a helmet while on a wheeled toy like a tricycle or bicycle. I don't think it extends to ice skating or roller skating. I see little kids wearing helmets while ice skating, those that are just learning. I have seen teenagers with very bad head injuries while ice skating. I think unless you can translate the sledding experience into roller skating, or get a group of kids to do positive peer pressure, it is not "cool" yet to wear a helmet while skating. I think the seat belt law and helmet law came about through lots of campaigning, research on statistics and lobbying.

My daughter took ice skating lessons at an indoor rink at age 5 and they required them, I don't remember what the age cutoff was - adults didn't need them for free skating and obviously the more advanced figure skaters don't wear them for their lessons.

The same facility has a roller rink, but we haven't been there, I would assume their requirements would match the ice rinks.

I'd say, "we never wore them growing up", but depending on your age, "we" didn't wear bike helmets either. Most kids at skate parks (skateboarding) wear helmets (maybe it's a requirement of the park) and knee and elbow pads, I absolutely think skate-boarding has a helmet requirement in my world. If my daughter decides to ski or snowboard, she'll at least start out with one, but again, it's not something I use. She does wear her bike helmet when she uses her scooter or bicycle. She has never worn one sledding, but we haven't been to any "extreme" hills, very low key only (kind of wimpy, really).

It's tough when no other kids are wearing them. Obviously you want your child to be safe, but sometimes a "kid needs to be a kid", and since no one wore helmets for anything when I was growing up, it's harder for me to force the issue, without there being an existing rule to fall back on.

It is never OK to go helmet free. Last year in Irvine a 40 year old Mom did not wear a helmet ice skating, fell on the back of her head and died right there in front of her teenage children. Unfortunately, the family elected to sue the city of Irvine for her irresponsible behavior. I have twin 8 year olds and they wear helmets for all of the sports you mentioned every time they go out.

R.,
It's funny you bring this up because I took my daughter to a skating rink a few months ago (at age 4, almost 5) and she had never skated before. I wish I had had her helmet w/ her. I was a nervous wreck, holding her hand the whole time because she doesn't know how to skate and the rink floor is extemely slippery. But you're right, there wasn't ONE child wearing a helmet! I was so surprised. I think if we go again, I will def. be bringing her helmet and I'm sure she'll complain that she's the only one but brain injuries are no laughing matter.

Our area does an ice skating rink around xmas time and last year a 50 year old woman slipped and fell on her way off the ice. Tragically, she died after hitting her head. she was helmetless and had she been wearing one, it would have saved her life. Food for thought.

I would have to agree with the special ed teacher... my son is in special ed (not from a fall though), and we have seen children who have severe brain trauma due to accidents. I don't think any age gains us immunity from such accidents. While I hear your son wants to be "cool", perhaps you can find some stories online of kids who have had accidents so he can comprehend the reason you are asking him to wear a helmet. Granted most accidents aren't severe, but you have your sledding example to show why helmets are important.

It is the law in California that children have to wear a helmet when riding a bike so it would be worth it for you to find out whether it is the law when a child is roller skating in line skating or skate boarding. It seems like it would be a severe oversight if it is not part of the bike law.

The roller skating party is a harder situation. My son plays ice hockey and all the children wear helmets during practice and during games. I have noticed though that when people are just skating casually very few wear helmets.

I do agree with you that at all times children should wear a helmet when engaging in these activiites.

My 6-year-old daughter fell in love with ice skating 3 months ago. Now she flies like the wind on her skates. A 14-year-old friend of the family introduced the sport to her. This young lady has one more test to pass before she qualifies for the Olympics. She advised us that kids should always wear helmets when they ice skate. My daughter never goes without a helmet and pretty much never questions it. Many times she's the only kid out there with a helmet. Whenever a friend comes along, I always ask the mom to have their child wear a helmet too. They are always happy to oblige. When an almost Olympian skater tells you a helmet is a must you don't question it. For life of me, I don't understand why parents don't insist their kid wear helmets while ice skating. Is it really worth the risk? My daughter will be in an ice skating show in December. It will be the first time she will skate without one. She is really excited.

In PA, it's a law for bike riding. I also see LOTS of kids (even older) wearing helmets at the skate park and ice skating rink.