Mom in the Mtns

Earlier this summer, Elliott got his first bike – a balance bike from Bambino Bikes! His bike was fun, colorful, and toddler sized, and it was important that the rest of his bike gear would be the same. While picking out Elliott’s bike I also picked out the most important piece of bike gear: his helmet. Bambino Bikes carries Kali Chakra helmets that fit even the littlest bike riders!

Before getting Elliott his own bike, I had already purchased a helmet for him. He used it while riding in his bike seat early in the spring. The helmet was secondhand and I didn’t even know the brand name. It was large, bulky, and not super lightweight. I wear a really nice helmet so I’m not sure why I initially skimped on Elliott’s helmet, but I’ll admit that I did. I just didn’t think about the fact that not all kid’s helmets are created equal! Sometimes with kid’s gear we can be tempted to buy something cheap because we know our kids will outgrow things quickly, but it’s so important to make sure that the gear we buy our kids fits them well and is comfortable so that they actually want to wear the gear. I didn’t even think about this until Elliott’s new helmet arrived and I could clearly see and feel the difference between both helmets.

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The biggest thing I noticed about the Kali helmet is its shape. The helmet is lightweight and streamlined so it doesn’t take up a ton of space on your child’s head. Giving a toddler a heavy helmet can make them feel uncomfortable and tire out their neck muscles, so finding something that was more lightweight was really important to me. The back of the helmet is flat which means that a child can comfortably wear this helmet in a bike trailer or in any bike seat. I could adjust this helmet more than his old helmet, and it fit snugly on my child’s head. Just like adult helmets, this helmet has a dial at the back so you can crank the helmet down to fit your child’s head perfectly. There are 21 vents on this helmet which help keep it breathable in hot weather. And here’s Elliott’s favorite part: they come in so many cool colors and patterns! We chose the “Blue Monster” color and the orange monsters matched his bike perfectly. If you throw any monsters or animals on anything my child will want to wear it, so this was a huge perk in picking out a helmet for him!

The first time we used Elliott’s new bike helmet was with his bike seat. The helmet was smaller and fit better under my chin, and it looked more secure and easy to wear than his old helmet. Next we tried it in his bike trailer. I was happily surprised by how easy it was to get him to put it on and keep it on, and I could see a huge difference in how comfortable he was in the trailer. He was able to lean his head back normally instead of having a huge helmet that pushed his head forward. Elliott is still working on his ability to use his balance bike independently (he has gross motor delays and isn’t able to walk independently yet) but whenever we practice using his balance bike we always have him wear a helmet. We let him know that he has to wear it to keep him safe, and make it a non-negotiable: If you don’t wear the helmet, you don’t get to bike! He loves riding fast on my bike and doesn’t want to get left home with dad so he doesn’t fight wearing his helmet.

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Let’s talk about the most important parts of buying a helmet: the safety aspect. Kali helmets are safety tested for children one year and older. They have a visor in the front that protects your child if they fall forward, and extra coverage in the back if your child falls backwards. The really cool thing about buying a Kali helmet is if your child has a bad fall with their helmet, Kali will replace the helmet for you (you can do this through Bambino Bikes if you purchase from them). This means that you always know that your child is being protected by a working helmet and you don’t have to worry about spending more money to get a new one in the case of a crash!

Picking out the right helmet for Elliott from Bambino Bikes was super easy. They tell you exactly how to measure your child’s head and give a size guide for choosing the right helmet. Plus they have great customer service and you can even set up a consultation with their staff if you need help choosing gear. If you’re looking for a new toddler helmet, or any toddler-sized bike gear, I highly recommend Bambino Bikes! All of their gear is made for toddlers and is adorable as well.

Disclosure: Bambino Bikes sent me a free helmet in exchange for my honest opinions. In addition, the link to Bambino Bikes is an affiliate link. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission. However, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.