For context, I've been an avid road cyclist for the past 10 years and did a lot of mountain biking when I was younger. I'm not a pro or raced professionally, but I have certainly had my share of helmets over the years. As my son gets older and he wanted to takes rides in the new wagon or in a new iBert seat I bought, I really wanted to get him a good helmet. I did a lot of research on Amazon, visited Sports Authority and checked out a couple bike shops. I have to admit at first they all looked the same and I found myself looking more at whether I liked the color or not. There's some pretty cool designs out there. But then I started reading more and having my son try them on. That's when the differences became obvious.
Size - The helmet should be somewhat proportional to your child's head size. Let's face it, kids don't like wearing helmets, so you don't want it to be something unwieldy. Many of the helmets I looked at used the same size helmet regardless of your childs age. The size or diameter on the inside changes, but the outside dimensions are the same from infant to 5 years old. My son is 17 months old. Some of those helmets looked gigantic on his head and bothered him more than others. The Joovy was perfect.
Fit - Obviously fit is pretty important to comfort and safety. If I was looking at a helmet for myself I'm looking for adjustability, padding where it's needed and comfortable chin strap with 4 points of contact to the helmet. Many other helmets lacked one or all of these features or the higher end ones models simply cost more than they should. The Joovy had all these features. The adjustability and comfort of fit were excellent. There's a dial in the back to tighten or loosen, padded chin strap, 4 points of contact, extra pads, etc. It cups his head and won't side forward or backward like you see with some helmets. Note...be sure to measure your child's head. This adjusts by a couple inches, but you should be within the range they quote.
Coverage - This helmet has full coverage that comes down the back of the head, really covering down to the base of the skull. I like the little extra coverage.
Ventilation - for obvious reasons. If your child is hot and sweaty they won't be comfortable or enjoyable to be around.
Safety - The material of the outer shell and internal material are identical to my own fancy road biking helmets.
Visor - my wife is crazy about sun protection and my son never leaves the house without sunblock. If it was up to her my son would wear sunglasses every time he's outside. The visor is nice because it helps keep the sun off his face. Plus, considering it's a solid visor, not just a plastic visor like you see on mountain biking helmets, it adds a little more protection.
We bought the neon green. It's not the most stylish per se, but you can't miss him. Plus it's gender neutral so hopefully we'll get a couple uses out of this helmet after my son out-grows it. I wish they made other sizes so I can continue to buy their product as he gets older.
Manufactured on farms or in facilities that protect the rights and/or health of workers.
As certified by
Global Organic Textile Standard
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is a global certification with strict standards for the processing of clothing and home materials made with organic fiber. Only textile products that contain a minimum of 70% organic fibers can become GOTS certified. These fibers are made with no GMOs, no highly hazardous chemicals, and no child labor. Producers must also have a strong system to protect the health, safety, and rights of their employees and have strict wastewater treatment practices.
Certification Level
CONTAINS 95-100% ORGANIC CONTENT
Certification Body
Control Union
Certification Number
CB-GOTS-CUC-03-1042833
