Learning how to ride a bike

I know it must be very exciting for your little boy to learn to ride his bike without the training wheels. I don't think using elbow and knee pads are too much at all. I got them for my son too when he was learning to ride his bike. While learning to ride a bike, your son may have several falls. I would rather take the extra precaution than to take the chance of my child getting injured.

 

I definitely think that a helmet is necessary. I would want my child safe. If he can ride with knee pads and elbow pads, I say go for it. If he doesn't want to because it doesn't look cool, show him pictures of professional BMX riders wearing the pads. They look cool and most of all, protected from falls.

 

I'll sound old school for this, but I never wore a helmet, or any pads and I ended up fine. Kids are resilient, my three boys get scrapes and cuts (yes they do wear helmets on their bikes, it is the law here), and it helps them learn their limits and what is safe to do. If we take away all of the cuts and bruises we aren't letting them experience life to its fullest potential. I worry about my kids safety, but I let them explore and I let them fall as well.

 

Reading this reminds me of how I learned to ride when I was little. My dad never taught me how to ride one, I was a self-taught. He bought me a bicycle and told me to go wild. He basically just left me by myself to pick things up in the neighborhood. There were no helmets, or any safety equipment at all. I agree with jdwriter on this, kids should be allowed to experience learning to ride a bicycle to the fullest including the pains. We should teach our children the meaning of no pain no gain and that failures are the path to success. Don't just be like my father, be there to supervise.

 

I don't think it's too much. It might prove to be unnecessary if the child learns quickly, but it think it's best to play it safe. I myself had elbow and knee pads when I was learning to ride a bike and skateboard when I was young too, but I never had a helmet and thankfully nothing bad happened to my head but you never know and like I said it's best to minimize the risk until the child learns enough to be sure that its not needed anymore.

 

Until he gets the hang of it and becomes an expert at riding, buying that extra protection is a good investment. Just make sure to explain why he has to use them - this way he'll learn to protect his body from harm, a lesson that can last a lifetime

Bruised knees are a childhood trademark, but it's better to avoid that if possible.

 

I am always surprised when people talk about not having safety equipment when they were young and using this as a reason not to provide it for your own child. Safety equipment was developed for a reason. We also didn't have car seats as long, depending on age might not have had them at all, or seat belts, yet these have been developed, are used, and make a difference. Yes, when learning to ride a bike kids will get scrapes and bumps, but preventing serious injury is still a good idea. Helmet law depends on where you live, here children are required to wear helmets. We are teaching my son to ride his bike, so I have him wear long pants and sleeves, he also has some extra pads. When I was young my best friend fell off her bike the first time riding without training wheels and sliced open her chin, she needed stitches and still has a scar. Now, extra pads may not have protected her chin, but they do prevent injury on the most likely areas of impact. In the end, with the exception of laws deciding about helmets, whether or not to use pads is a parenting decision. If you feel better about your child using them, then do.

 

Oh wow its a great feeling watching your child ride off on his/her bike. I remember my dad teaching me when I was only five. I had a little BMX is was a lovely day. I find helmets these days are important because their are so many drivers on the road now and being safe is important. I most admit knee pads I found just got in the way of me riding it!

 

I learned the hard way. I had a ton of injuries leading to my first successful attempt. I may have been around eight years old and I was determined to learn to ride a bike because my crush next door knew how to ride. I wanted to impress her and after scraping both knees I was able to do it. I remember that both of my legs were dripping with blood, but it was a great accomplishment. Your kid will feel great and so will you.

Now, I sometimes can not contain a smile when I ride my bike. I feel like a kid again when I am riding down a hill. Bikes are awesome.

 

I still remember the collection of scabs and bruises I received from my bike-riding lessons... it wasn't fun. Elbow, knee, and head protection is a definite recommendation by me. I have several bottles of tears to back up my opinion. Learning to ride a bike was definitely worth the trouble, but still a very big pain- literally! I don't think it will affect your child's confidence. It's better to be safe than to have to later buy disinfectant and bandaids and listen to all of the 'oweies' and 'owchies'.

 

Every child will experience blood, scrapes, and bruises when they first learn to ride a bike. I cannot count how many times I fell when I first learned. It was a great ideas to get your son protection because some children try to give up once they get hurt.