When a child learns to ride a bike, it becomes a major milestone in his or her life. Well, as learning bike can be the stepping stone for many children in the world of exploration, it can also cause certain dangers to your child which you must avoid at any cost. No matter what, you have to ensure the safety of your toddler to prevent any fatal consequences from happening. Therefore, if your child is interested in learning bike ride then here are 8 simple tips that you can follow to ensure a safe and secure bike ride for your child.
1. Make Sure The Bicycle Is The Correct Size
Many parents make the mistake of thinking that their child will eventually grow and for that, they purchase a bike which is bigger than the kid. While ensuring your finances are safe, you are putting the life of your child in danger. You should never ever purchase a bike larger than your kid. If the bike is not that much comfortable to sit and if the child struggles to get his or her feet on paddle then how could you expect him or her to ride the bike in a safe way? That is why without thinking much about the financial savings, purchase the correct size bike.
2. Make Sure Training Wheels Are In Good Condition And Mounted Correctly
The turning wheels in a bike are that part which ensures the balance of the bike. There are occasions where people forget to check the turning wheels before mounting on to ride the bike. For their sheer ignorance, they pay for their severe consequences. If the turning wheels are not moving smoothly then it could possibly get stuck leading to loss of balance and fall causing severe injuries. As a responsible parent, you will want to avoid such circumstances for your kids. Therefore, inspect the condition of the turning before allowing your child to ride the bike.
3. Have Your Child Wear Bright Colors
There are various examples where children went for a picnic with their parents and ride a bike only to cause an accident and that accident happened because the parents of the child lost track of their little one. Now, the general consensus would be that the parents were careless and ignorant. But, here is a basic thing that you need to understand. The child could have been wearing light colored clothes and helmet which worked as a camouflage for which parents lost track of him or her. Therefore, when your kid asks to ride a bike next time, make sure that he or she wears bright colored clothes and helmet so that you don’t lose track of your kid.
4. Always Insist On A Helmet
- Ask children whether they want to wear a helmet or not while riding the bicycle, a majority of them then will answer in negative. A child will never want to wear a helmet. But as a parent, it is up to you to ensure that your child is safe. You cannot expect your child to be safe unless he or she is wearing a helmet while riding the bicycle. Did you know a helmet brings down the possibility of a traumatic brain injury by 88 %? So, always encourage your child to wear the helmet for his or her own safety. When you buy a helmet, keep the following points in your mind:
- Buy the helmet which is exclusively designed for the children
- Choose bright colored ones
- Choose round shaped helmets instead of “aero” shaped ones which are not good for the child’s neck
- Buy a helmet that will be on your child’s head in a straight position rather than tilted one.
Also,
- Never let the child use a damaged helmet
- Never place decorative stickers on the helmet
- Never use a helmet for more than 5 years. Its life span ends in 5 years.
- For the above reason, we strongly discourage buying second-hand helmets. We don’t know how old it is.
- Never place/ store helmet in sun for a long time
5. Keep The Bike Maintained
If your child in a bicycle fanatic then he or she will ask you frequently to bring out the bicycle so that he could go for a ride. Now, no one can deny that riding bicycles at a very young age will pose certain threats. Even the bike itself could break down in between the ride causing injuries. To prevent such consequences from happening, keep your baby’s bike well maintained. Before each ride, ensure the handlebars and seat are tight, the chain is oiled, the tires are properly filled, and the brakes work well.
6. Teach Your Child Hand Signals
You can also make this phase of your baby’s life as the build-up for the future phases. You can teach your baby about the certain hand signals while riding on the road and also the traffic signals and rules which will then get imprinted on the baby’s mind at an early age which will help him or her to follow the traffic rule in the future.
7. Ride In Safe Areas
You have to ensure that your baby is riding the bike in a safe and secured area. Now, if the baby rides on the road then he or she will struggle to figure out the speed and the distance of the car unless your baby is over 10 years old. Until then, make sure that your baby is riding the bike in quiet and protected areas where there are no moving cars. Also, while your baby is riding the bike, watch for the sudden moving cars.
8. Always Supervise
Until your baby has grown older, make sure you supervise every time he or she is on the bike. You can also utilize this time by teaching your child various traffic rules and safe way of riding bikes. Make this a fun family time which you will enjoy with your kid.
Conclusion
So, these are some of the simplest of ways to ensure that your kid is safe during the bike ride. Follow these tips and live up to your duty as a responsible parent.
