Fitting a helmet and pads

A badly fitted helmet is not a partly working helmet. It moves on impact, and a helmet that has moved is not where it needed to be. Fitting one takes two minutes and is the highest-value thing on this page.

The method below is the standard one and works for any skate-style helmet.

Size by measurement, not by age

Helmets are sold by head circumference. Measure with a tape about an inch above the eyebrows, around the widest part. Age ranges printed on packaging are approximate and children’s heads vary enormously.

Where a helmet lists a range, buy so the measurement sits in the middle rather than at the top.

Two fingers above the eyebrows

The front rim should sit roughly two finger widths above the eyebrows. A helmet pushed back on the head leaves the forehead exposed, and that is the most common fitting error by a wide margin.

It should feel slightly too far forward to an adult who has not worn one.

The side straps make a V

Each side strap should form a V that meets just below and slightly in front of the earlobe. Adjust the sliders until both sides match; a helmet with uneven straps rotates.

This is fiddly once and then stays set.

The chin strap

Fastened, you should be able to fit one finger between the strap and the chin, and no more. Ask the rider to open their mouth wide — they should feel the helmet pull down.

A loose chin strap is the second most common error.

The shake test

With everything fastened, shake the head firmly side to side and nod. The helmet should move the skin of the forehead rather than sliding on it. If it slides, the pads inside need building up or the shell is too large.

Most helmets ship with several thicknesses of pad for exactly this.

Certification marks

Look for the standard the manufacturer states on the label. Multi-sport helmets carry more than one, which is why they are useful for a child who rides a scooter, a bike and a skateboard.

We repeat the certifications the maker prints, without paraphrasing them.

When to replace

After any impact that the helmet took, even if it looks undamaged — the liner is designed to crush once. Otherwise, when it no longer fits or when the manufacturer’s stated lifespan has passed.

A helmet that has been dropped from a shoulder height onto concrete has not necessarily taken an impact; one that was on a head during a fall has.

What pads do

Knee and elbow pads prevent grazes and joint impacts, which is what actually happens at a park. They do not prevent breaks and are not sold as doing so. Wrist guards are the ones that matter most on a scooter, because the instinct in a fall is to put a hand out.

A set of three is the usual purchase and is cheaper than buying separately.

Fitting pads

Pads should sit centred over the joint with the cup covering it fully when the joint is bent, not when it is straight. Straps tight enough not to migrate, loose enough not to restrict circulation.

Pads that slide down are worse than none, because they give false confidence.

Getting a child to wear them

Established from the first ride, gear is simply part of scootering. Introduced after an injury, it is a punishment. The households where this is not an argument are the ones where it was never optional.

Letting the child choose the colour genuinely helps.

Adults too

Adult heads are the same shape and adult wrists break the same way. A parent riding without a helmet while insisting a child wears one is the argument that undermines every other argument.

Adult sizes are on the same shelf.

Where to look

Helmets and protective gear, with the scooters on kick scooters and stunt and pro scooters.

Sizes and stated certifications are on every listing; the counter is on the number on the contact page.

Second-hand helmets

Helmets are frequently handed on between families, and it is the one item on this list where that deserves real caution. The protective liner is designed to crush once and does not visibly recover, so a helmet that has taken an impact looks identical to one that has not. Unless you know the history of a helmet in detail, the safe assumption is that you do not know whether it has already done its job.

The other issue is age. Liner foam and shell plastics degrade slowly with UV and heat, and most manufacturers state a service life from the date of manufacture, which is usually printed inside. A helmet that has spent five summers in a shed may fit perfectly and no longer perform as designed. Pads and wrist guards, by contrast, are entirely reasonable to pass on — they wear visibly and there is nothing hidden about their condition.