Jul 16 2009
Bicycle Helmets for Bath Time
Parents can be over-protective. But can you blame them? They put all this time and energy and money into their little, precious hell-raisers, so why wouldn’t they go a tad overboard now and again? So, yes, it is not terribly unusual to spy a young one wearing a bicycle helmet while peddling its tricycle in circles in an empty driveway adjacent to a sleepy suburban road.
To me, that’s a bit much. What about putting a helmet on your infant or toddler before bath time? That precaution may actually be more reasonable. At least according to new research.
A new national study finds kids are being hurt in bathtubs and showers at a surprising rate.* You might think scalding or near drownings would be the most common threat in the bathroom, but they’re not.
Experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital say slips and falls are far more common, sending more than 43,000 kids a year to the emergency department. That’s an average of 120 kids every day who are hurt in the tub or shower.* In most cases, parents are watching their kids, but it doesn’t matter.
A quick search of Google results shows no “toddler bath helmets” for sale. Yet. So this is what I recommend: Parents, keep your hands on your bathing children at all times. And you might want to wear a pair of those sticky gloves NFL receivers use.
Life: so many hazards, so little padding.
