Check Your Head: Tail Wags Helmet Covers

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:04:00 GMT

No one's questioning the importance of kids' wearing helmets while bicycling, skateboarding, snowboarding or doing anything else that might endanger their precious noggins -- although if not for pictures like this one, we'd probably be questioning the need to slap a soft, fuzzy cover on said helmets.

While you may not need to deck out your kid's helmet as a turtle, beaver, lion or green dinosaur, Tail Wags Helmet Covers are so doggone cute that kids may actually start donning their safety gear without a fight. That the covers (which even our old friend Elmo endorsed this spring) add extra warmth to kids' heads during the aforementioned activities is a nice bonus, even if it's the last thing those of us in hotter climes may be wanting this time of year.

Running $40 each, Tail Wags have been well-distributed in their creator's home base of Canada until now, but they've also started spreading into the U.S., Europe and Australia: Visit the company's site for a full list of retailers, or if you place an order online, you can enter the coupon code "Babble" at checkout for a 10% discount.

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Buying a Bike Helmet for Your Kid

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:02:00 GMT

Warm weather means it's time to break out the bicycles, and while it's convenient to grab a cheapo kiddie helmet from Target or Toys "R" Us, or to hand down your old road-bike helmet as your kids say goodbye to their training wheels, there are plenty of reasons to think you might be making a potentially deadly decision in doing so.

Head injuries are the leading cause of death in bicycle crashes, and outside of automobiles, bikes are associated with more childhood injuries than any other consumer product (thanks, Safe Kids USA, for the stats). And while you don't need to fork over $130-plus for a high-end, well-tested helmet like the Giro Xen (pictured), you'd best do some reading before just grabbing any old helmet off the racks.

Helmets.org has a monster rundown of helmets for the 2008 bicycling season, much of it helpful (if a bit daunting to get through) if you're trying to find the right size and fit for your own junior cyclist. Of particular interest to parents are sections on whether it's smart to buy a tiny helmet or even take your baby cycling in the first place, a primer on buying helmets to fit large-headed kids, and several pamphlets on broader subjects such as choosing a helmet for your child and teaching him or her to ride a bike. Plan to spend some quality time there, is what we're saying.

droolicious : bicycle helmets

Check Your Head: Tail Wags Helmet Covers

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Buying a Bike Helmet for Your Kid