It’s a universally acknowledged truth among experts and parents alike: kids should wear a helmet every single time they hop on a bike. Finding a kids bike helmet that your child not only wears but actually enjoys wearing is paramount. Fortunately, advancements in helmet technology mean today’s children’s bike helmets are safer, more comfortable, and even more stylish than ever before.
Modern Kids Bike Helmets are incorporating cutting-edge safety features, such as rotational impact protection systems like Mips, designed to offer enhanced protection. Crucially, every helmet sold in the US must meet the rigorous safety benchmarks set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These standards are tailored to different age groups, with specific criteria for toddler helmets (ages 1 to 4) and kids helmets (age 5 and older), ensuring appropriate protection for each stage of development.
To help parents navigate the choices, we rigorously tested 13 different helmets across a range of sizes, using testers aged 2 to 7. Our comprehensive testing process led us to identify the Giro Tremor Child Helmet as the top overall pick for most kids, while the Giro Scamp II Helmet emerged as the best option for toddlers.
Regardless of the kids bike helmet you choose, achieving a snug and proper fit is non-negotiable for safety. Below, we provide essential tips and guidance on how to ensure a perfect helmet fit for your child, maximizing protection and comfort.
Our Top Picks for Kids Bike Helmets
We’ve compiled a list of our recommended kids bike helmets, catering to different needs and age groups. These helmets stand out for their safety features, comfort, and overall quality, making them excellent choices for your young cyclists.
Top Pick for Older Kids
Giro Tremor Child Helmet: The Best Overall Kids Bike Helmet
The Giro Tremor Child Helmet is our top recommendation for older kids. This exceptional helmet combines breathability, high-quality construction, and a user-friendly design. Its universal size is designed to comfortably fit a broad range of head circumferences, simplifying the selection process. While it is available in a limited palette of four solid colors, its performance and safety features are truly outstanding.
Buying Options:
- $55 from Amazon
- $55 from Giro
Giro Tremor Mips Child Helmet: Enhanced Protection with Mips
For parents seeking an extra layer of safety, the Giro Tremor Mips Child Helmet is the same outstanding helmet as our top pick, but enhanced with Mips technology. The integrated Mips liner provides additional rotational impact protection, potentially reducing the risk of brain injury in certain types of accidents.
Buying Options:
- $70 from Amazon
- Buy from Backcountry (May be out of stock)
Budget-Friendly Pick
Joovy Noodle Kids Toddler Bike Helmet S-M: Affordable Comfort and Safety
The Joovy Noodle Kids Toddler Bike Helmet S-M offers a fantastic balance of affordability and essential features. This helmet provides comparable breathability and comfort to more expensive models, making it a great value choice. While its construction may be less durable over the long term due to the exposed foam and less robust plastic shell, it still meets all necessary safety standards.
Buying Options:
- $35 from Amazon
- $30 from Joovy (May be out of stock)
Top Pick for Toddlers
Giro Scamp II Helmet XS: The Best Toddler Bike Helmet
For toddlers, the Giro Scamp II Helmet XS stands out as the best option. After testing five toddler-specific helmets, the Scamp II XS impressed us with its design and features tailored for younger riders. Its flat back profile makes it particularly comfortable for toddlers riding in bike trailers or child bike seats. While adjustments can be slightly trickier than some other models, its overall performance and safety are top-notch.
Buying Options:
- $55 from Amazon
- $55 from Dick’s Sporting Goods
Giro Scamp Mips II Helmet XS: Toddler Helmet with Mips for Extra Safety
Similar to the Tremor, the Giro Scamp Mips II Helmet XS offers the same excellent features as the standard Scamp II XS, but with the added benefit of Mips rotational impact protection. This provides parents with the option to choose enhanced safety for their toddlers.
Buying Options:
- $75 from REI
- $55 from Giro (May be out of stock)
How We Picked the Best Kids Bike Helmets: Key Considerations
Our selection process for the best kids bike helmets was thorough and focused on key features that contribute to safety, comfort, and usability. We prioritized helmets that excel in the following areas:
- Adjustability: A quality kids bike helmet needs to be adjustable to accommodate growth spurts and ensure a snug, secure fit over several years. Easy-to-use adjustment systems are crucial for parents and even older children to manage independently.
- Breathability: Ventilation is vital for keeping kids comfortable, especially during warmer weather or more active rides. Helmets with thoughtfully designed vents help to maximize airflow and prevent overheating.
- Kid-Friendly Design & Colors: Making helmets appealing to kids is essential for encouraging consistent wear. Attractive colors and designs can significantly increase a child’s willingness to wear a helmet.
- Certified Safety: Above all else, safety is paramount. We exclusively tested helmets that are certified to meet the rigorous safety standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), ensuring they provide a baseline level of protection.
Giro Tremor Child Helmet: Detailed Review
The Giro Tremor Child Helmet is our top pick for kids aged 5 and up due to its exceptional fit range and ease of use. It offers the broadest fit range among all helmets we tested (47–54 centimeters), making it suitable for a wide variety of children and providing room to grow. The intuitive dial-adjust system allows for quick and precise fitting adjustments, ensuring the helmet remains secure and comfortable as your child grows. We particularly appreciate the fixed side straps, which simplify the adjustment process and work effectively for most head shapes. Giro also offers a hassle-free return policy with a free shipping label should the helmet not fit correctly, demonstrating their commitment to customer satisfaction.
The buckle is designed for easy operation by children, promoting independence. A removable visor is included, offering effective sun protection for sunny rides. The in-mold construction, where the foam interior and plastic outer shell are fused together, enhances durability while keeping the helmet lightweight. Eighteen strategically placed vents provide excellent airflow, keeping children cool even during hot weather conditions.
For parents considering enhanced safety features, the Giro Tremor Mips version is available for a slightly higher price. This model incorporates rotational impact protection with Mips technology. While our kid testers didn’t perceive a significant difference between the two versions, some online reviews mention that the Mips liner can occasionally snag hair.
Joovy Noodle Kids Toddler Bike Helmet S-M: Detailed Review
The Joovy Noodle Kids Toddler Bike Helmet S-M is a standout budget-friendly option that doesn’t compromise on comfort or essential features. We found it to be just as lightweight and comfortable as our top pick, and notably easy to adjust, making it a practical choice for busy parents. Considering its more accessible price point, we were impressed by the thoughtful, kid-friendly details such as the color-coded buckle, which aids in ease of use for children, and the high-quality single internal pad that enhances comfort.
The Joovy Noodle’s affordability is likely attributed to its hardshell construction. In this design, the solid foam helmet is attached to the thin plastic outer shell using glue or tape, which may result in reduced long-term durability compared to helmets with in-mold construction. However, it’s important to note that the Joovy Noodle still meets the same stringent impact standards set by the CPSC, ensuring a safe level of protection.
The S-M size, which we recommend, is certified to meet CPSC safety standards for kids aged 5 and up and offers a fit range of 52–56 centimeters. While this adjustability is slightly more limited than our top pick, it still provides a good range for many children. The XS-S size is also available, meeting safety standards for toddlers aged 1 and up, making it a suitable toddler helmet. However, the pointed back design of the XS-S size makes it less ideal for children who frequently ride in trailers or bike seats. (It is worth noting that on Amazon, the S-M size is labeled simply as “Medium,” and the XS-S is labeled as “Small,” which can sometimes be confusing).
Giro Scamp II Helmet XS: Detailed Review
The Giro Scamp II Helmet mirrors the high-quality construction of the Giro Tremor, featuring the same durable in-mold construction and the option for Mips technology. It is offered in two sizes, XS and S, but it’s important to note that only the XS model meets the CPSC safety standards specifically for kids aged 1 and up. Therefore, we recommend the XS model as the premier helmet choice for toddlers.
The Giro Scamp II XS is designed with extended rear coverage, a crucial safety feature mandated for all toddler helmets to comply with CPSC regulations. It is one of the shallower helmets we evaluated, making it particularly well-suited for toddlers with smaller head sizes. With a fit range of 45–49 centimeters, this helmet is our top recommendation for the youngest riders. The flat back design enhances comfort for toddlers when they are riding in bike trailers or child bike seats, preventing the helmet from pushing uncomfortably against the seat back.
This helmet incorporates several kid-friendly features, including a ratcheting buckle that proved to be one of the most pinch-proof in our tests, minimizing discomfort and making it easier to use. It is available in a range of bright and fun patterns that appeal to young children. Thirteen strategically positioned vents, though small, provide effective cooling airflow. However, due to the placement of the dial-adjust knob and the adjustable side straps, adjusting the Giro Scamp II to achieve a perfect fit can require slightly more effort compared to some other models.
Giro Scamp Mips II Helmet XS: Detailed Review
The Giro Scamp Mips II Helmet XS is the Mips-equipped version of our best toddler helmet. It maintains all the excellent features of the standard Giro Scamp II Helmet XS while adding an extra layer of rotational impact protection. For parents prioritizing the highest level of safety for their toddlers, the Mips version provides enhanced peace of mind. This upgrade makes it an ideal choice for those seeking advanced safety technology in a toddler-friendly design.
Ensuring a Perfect Fit for Kids Bike Helmets
Choosing the right kids bike helmet is only half the battle; ensuring it fits correctly is equally crucial for safety and comfort. A poorly fitted helmet can be ineffective in an accident and uncomfortable for your child to wear. Here are key steps to ensure a perfect fit:
- Measure Your Child’s Head: Use a flexible measuring tape to measure the circumference of your child’s head, just above their eyebrows and ears. This measurement will help you determine the correct helmet size, as sizes are typically provided in centimeters.
- Try it On: When trying on helmets, place it level on your child’s head, ensuring it sits low on the forehead—about one or two finger-widths above the eyebrows.
- Adjust the Fit System: Most kids bike helmets come with an internal fit system, often a dial at the back, to tighten or loosen the helmet. Adjust this system until the helmet feels snug and secure but not too tight. The helmet should not move excessively from side to side or front to back.
- Check the Straps: Adjust the side straps so they form a “V” shape just below and in front of the ears. The chin strap should be snug enough that you can only fit one finger underneath it. Ensure the buckle is positioned comfortably away from the jaw.
- Perform the Shake Test: With the helmet on and properly adjusted, have your child shake their head. The helmet should stay securely in place and not shift significantly.
- Regularly Re-adjust: Children grow quickly, so it’s essential to check the fit of their bike helmet regularly, ideally before each ride. Re-adjust straps and the fit system as needed to maintain a proper and safe fit.
By following these steps, you can ensure your child’s bike helmet fits correctly, providing optimal protection and comfort for every cycling adventure.
Conclusion: Prioritizing Safety and Enjoyment with the Right Kids Bike Helmet
Selecting the right kids bike helmet is a critical decision for parents. Prioritizing safety features, ensuring a comfortable and proper fit, and considering your child’s preferences are all key aspects of making an informed choice. Our top picks, the Giro Tremor and Giro Scamp II, along with the budget-friendly Joovy Noodle, represent excellent options for various ages and needs. By investing in a quality kids bike helmet and ensuring it’s correctly fitted, you can significantly enhance your child’s safety and enjoyment every time they ride. Remember, the best helmet is the one your child will wear consistently and willingly.
