Helmets when tobogganing

[The Goon]

Yesterday afternoon, my wife and son (6) and I went tobogganing on a small hill - if you're familiar with Signal Hill, it's that hill next to the Battalion school.

We had a blast, and posted some pictures and video online, and immediately received feedback as to why we weren't wearing helmets. I had honestly never considered that before. There didn't appear to be any other kids/parents wearing helmets there, and the hill seemed fairly minor.

Is this a thing now? Obviously, it's safer, but is it warranted in all occasions? I have a bit of a philosophy that I don't want my son to rely more on his equipment than his behaviour when it comes to safety, but I also don't want to be pig-headed about it to the point where I could reasonably jeopardize him. I've never worn a helmet for just about anything so that's where my thoughts are coming from.

Any thoughts as to whether it should be encouraged or even made mandatory? I want to have an open mind on this.

[JiriHrdina]

Given what we know about concussions now it isn't a bad idea. But it is really up to each parent.

[rvd123]

Pussification of society.

[FlamesKickAss]

Yea backlash for that isn't right, it should be up to you. We have thought about it for our 3 year old but the hills we go to with him he's not going super fast.

I'd say maybe 10% of kids were wearing helmets.

We have gone to our lake hill the last couple nights and the thing that boggles my mind is the amount of kids and adults that either stand in the middle of the hill, don't get out of the way at the bottom or walk back up the middle and not the sides..... Just an accident waiting to happen.

I'm sure I some people were talking about me yesterday at the hill..... I went down on my daughters sled and my son (3) went on
his own, he got to the bottom first and I was going to be smart and do a quick stop with the GT..... But when there is that much weight on the back it doesn't turn on a dime.... I clipped the back of his sled.... Oooops. At least I didn't hit him?

[FlamesAddiction]

I wouldn't have thought about it.

It's not a bad suggestion, but getting guff about it is a little too much I think.

Honestly, I think kids need to learn a healthy respect for danger and suiting them up in armor for something like tobogganing on a small hill might be too much IMO.

[Sliver]

I think they were right to point out to you that he should be wearing a helmet. Way more than 10% of kids at the hill we go to wear helmets. Don't see why you wouldn't.

[Jimmy Stang]

My 5-year-old wears a helmet when skating and tobogganing. A lot more is known about head injuries now than when we were young. Not pussification at all. He still has plenty of opportunity to wipe out, get bruises, and learn how to take a knock. I draw the line at concussions (or worse).

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by rvd123

Pussification of society.

Yeah, what a pussified move to acknowledge and internalize what we know about the fragility of the brain. Wimps.

[GGG]

I think it's prudent to wear helmets when tobogganing.

While you control your speed I think the most dangerous parts is other people crashing into you and you smashing into the ground. So to me the risk is no different than biking, skating, and skiing. All activities where my kids where helmets. I know growing up I smashed my head pretty good tobaggining without being too stupid about it.

I find it interesting that you concerned with him relying too much on safety equipment. I think that concern in general is overblown when comparing to the consequence of head injury. And while I agree you want your kids to learn by non permenantlymhurting themselves before they permenantly hurt themselves the head is not the place for that. Elbows and knees can be scraped up to get that feed back

[Erick Estrada]

I have no issue with it. I don't think you can ever be too safe with kids when it comes to things like riding bikes, sledding, etc.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

I think the whole "I want my kids to learn to be safe, so I'm not gonna make them wear helmets" is the most backwards thinking I've ever heard.

If you want your kids to be safe, make them safe by teaching them that one of the best ways to deal with risk/danger is to wear the right equipment.
In the workplace you would never say "Hey I want you guys to work safe, so no hardhats or safety glasses this week, that way you'll learn to respect the dangers", so why would you use that logic on your kids?

Sure we never wore helmets tobogganing when we were kids, but we didn't wear them skiing either and now 90% of people (including most adults) wear helmets when they ski. We are learning so much, it's not pussification, it's managing preventable (potentially major) injuries to your kids.

[Boxman]

I think the problem wasn't with the helmet - it was where you put your video. When you put something online, accept that anyone with a computer and Internet connection may be able to see it, now and in the future. The comments you received are more to do with people watching videos of you and your children, that you would never even think of sharing without powerful social media tools.

[Galakanokis]

I've had my son sledding almost every day for the past week and have only seen one kid wearing a helmet and he was deck out head to toe in snowboard gear. Didn't think the little hill we were on warranted much worry. Now if there were ramps and jumps like I wanted to build maybe I would have thought about a helmet...

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

I think the whole "I want my kids to learn to be safe, so I'm not gonna make them wear helmets" is the most backwards thinking I've ever heard.

Yeah, that doesn't really make sense to me. When he is older and learning to drive, would you have him drive without a seat belt, in order to learn to be a safe driver?

If it was a little slope in your backyard, I wouldn't worry about it, but on a community hill, with others present, it would be a good idea. You never know when someone else will lose control.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

I think the whole "I want my kids to learn to be safe, so I'm not gonna make them wear helmets" is the most backwards thinking I've ever heard.

If you want your kids to be safe, make them safe by teaching them that one of the best ways to deal with risk/danger is to wear the right equipment.
In the workplace you would never say "Hey I want you guys to work safe, so no hardhats or safety glasses this week, that way you'll learn to respect the dangers", so why would you use that logic on your kids?

Sure we never wore helmets tobogganing when we were kids, but we didn't wear them skiing either and now 90% of people (including most adults) wear helmets when they ski. We are learning so much, it's not pussification, it's managing preventable (potentially major) injuries to your kids.

I get that but PPE is only meant as a last resort between accident and injury. Being safe is almost 100 percent behavioural. If a kid feels they can take more risks because they are wearing a helmet, then are they really safer? It really should be both and I don't see why it can't be. I just think all to often people assume PPE makes them safe when it is only a small part. People get concussions all the time wearing helmets.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

I think the whole "I want my kids to learn to be safe, so I'm not gonna make them wear helmets" is the most backwards thinking I've ever heard.

If you want your kids to be safe, make them safe by teaching them that one of the best ways to deal with risk/danger is to wear the right equipment.
In the workplace you would never say "Hey I want you guys to work safe, so no hardhats or safety glasses this week, that way you'll learn to respect the dangers", so why would you use that logic on your kids?

Sure we never wore helmets tobogganing when we were kids, but we didn't wear them skiing either and now 90% of people (including most adults) wear helmets when they ski. We are learning so much, it's not pussification, it's managing preventable (potentially major) injuries to your kids.

Originally Posted by Amethyst

Yeah, that doesn't really make sense to me. When he is older and learning to drive, would you have him drive without a seat belt, in order to learn to be a safe driver?

If it was a little slope in your backyard, I wouldn't worry about it, but on a community hill, with others present, it would be a good idea. You never know when someone else will lose control.

Did you guys even read his post?

He said he doesn't want his sons behaviour to be based solely on the protective equipment. He also said he doesn't want to place his son in jeopardy.

It makes perfect sense. As in, he shouldn't think he's invincible just because he has protective equipment and make irresponsible and dangerous decisions.

[prarieboy]

Our kids wear them at our local hill. Many kids do.

There was an ambulance there last year attending to an injured child so in my mind wearing a helmet is cheap insurance if someone loses control on a busy day.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I get that but PPE is only meant as a last resort between accident and injury. Being safe is almost 100 percent behavioural. If a kid feels they can take more risks because they are wearing a helmet, then are they really safer? It really should be both and I don't see why it can't be. I just think all to often people assume PPE makes them safe when it is only a small part. People get concussions all the time wearing helmets.

Of course it's both, so why do people seem to be assuming that teaching your kids to be safe is better accomplished by showing them that using PPE for a potentially dangerous activity isn't necessary as long as you think it looks okay? Yes PPE is a last resort, but that's when you're talking about workplace safety when you can have all sorts of other controls in place. When you are talking about tobogganing, and kids with poor judgement, it is essentially the only risk control in place.

You think your kids will take more risks if they think they are safe because they are wearing a helmet? Sure, maybe, but at least they'll be wearing a helmet.

What you are teaching them now is that they should only wear their helmets when they think it's dangerous, and that's the kick, with something like tobogganing, or skiing, or bike riding, or hockey, it's not immediately obvious when it is dangerous.

Sure now it's a little hill, but what about when they get older and they start doing things on their own, and their comfort level gets higher and the threshold for what they think they need a helmet for gets higher, and higher (kids being great judges or risk and all). I'd much rather kids know that when you are doing X you wear a helmet regardless of how dangerous you/they think it is.

Kids don't need to be walking around in helmets all day long, but when they are doing things that have a reasonable high likelihood of injury they should be learning from day 1 that a helmet is a good idea.

When you teach your kids to ride a bike will you say "Nah, they don't have far to fall, they don't need a helmet", or will you teach them from day 1 that wearing a helmet while riding a bike is a must?
I'm guessing the latter because you know that when they get older, they will be doing things that could be dangerous, and you'll want them to be wearing a helmet 100% of the time. Tobogganing is just another example of the same thing.

Kids aren't going to think they are invincible because they are wearing helmets, kids are going to think they are invincible because they are kids.

[FireGilbert]

I'm reading a book right now called "Foolproof (why safety can be dangerous and how danger makes us safe)" by the Greg Ip, a Canadian economics commentator for the WSJ.

He says that making things safer can have a negative effect of humans taking more risks. Examples are ABS brakes causing drivers to go faster, financial bailouts causing investors to take more risks eventually leading to the sub prime mortgage bubble, and helmets in football and hockey causing more aggressive play and concussions.

So yes a helmet tobogganing is probably a good idea but keep in mind your kid may then feel indestructible and make riskier decisions.

[rvd123]

Originally Posted by Reaper

Yeah, what a pussified move to acknowledge and internalize what we know about the fragility of the brain. Wimps.

You should wear a helmet 24/7 365.