If your child is less than one year old, please read our scare page about taking your child along in a carrier or trailer. You should be aware of the risks.

Tiny helmets are difficult to find. Most companies make their small size helmets for 47 cm (18.5 inches) heads.

Specialized has their Small Fry, a classic round, smooth toddler and child size helmet, but molded in the shell and has some vents. Ring fit, bug net in front vents. Has some reflective patches. In 2008 the smallest size is the toddler model advertised to fit 44-52 cm (17.25-20.5"). Retail is $40 to $45. There is a larger Small Fry, so you have to get the toddler size.

Vigor Sports makes an extra small model called the Avail. It is certified by Snell to their B-95 standard. It will be difficult to find, since there are not too many dealers carrying Vigor Sports helmets in the US market.

Even more difficult to find is the THH (Tong Ho Hsing) T-29 toddler helmet. It has small vents and is very round and smooth. It is Snell B-95 certified. It comes in XXXXS size, fitting heads as small as 46 cm (18.11 inches). It should retail for about $10 to $25 if you can find it. THH sends its line to the U.S. through Trans National Trading Company of Vernon, California. One of our emailers found the T-29 helmet by contacting a local store who works with Lexco distributors in Chicago and they were able to order it.

L.A.S. has a Roadspeed Baby helmet that it says will fit down to 45cm/17.7". That is the smallest advertised size we have seen. It is a European-standard helmet that evidently does not meet the US CPSC standard and will not be sold in the US market.

Best Price Toys has a "Toddler Trike Helmet" that is advertised as fitting heads as small as 18"/45.7cm. Their web page says it is an Angeles brand and is CPSC and Snell B95A certified.

You can check our latest page on helmets for the current season and do a search on xxs or extra small to find out if there is any more recent info on new models.

There are no tiny helmets on the market because injury prevention people and manufacturers alike believe that infants of less than one year should not be put on a bicycle as passengers. Manufacturers are also anxious to avoid product liability suits involving very young infants, which they regard as unwinable whatever the merits of the case. They will even forgo the revenue from selling a smaller helmet for that reason. If they make an extra small model for a child who is older but still has a very small head, the helmet will inevitably be used for much younger infants.

The only alternative we are aware of to finding a very small helmet is using thicker fitting pads in a normal infant-toddler size. The thicker fitting pads do not detract from the protection of the helmet, as long as they hold it in place well. That is their function, since the harder crushable foam in the helmet is actually the part that handles the impact energy. You may have to experiment with firmer pads to make sure that the thickness does not make the helmet unstable on your child's head. Then carefully adjust the foam to touch all the way around your child's head but not be too tight, and adjust the straps for maximum stability to hold the helmet level on the child's head while still not too tight for comfort.

If you are not sure about the helmet, take it with your child to your pediatrician and ask.

This page was last revised on: December 20, 2008.

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