Let’s be honest: getting your child to wear a helmet can be an uphill battle, but finding the best kids’ bike helmet doesn't have to be. As parents, sometimes we have to take the path of least resistance, and maybe we will think, as long as they are wearing a helmet, it doesn’t matter, they are safe. That is where a quality helmet can make a significant difference, because ultimately, we do want them to be safe. However, not all helmets are made equally, and navigating safety standards and features like MIPS technology can be a bit mind-bending - thats where the team here at Cycling Weekly can help.
The first step is to offer them a quality helmet that fits well, provides decent coverage, is comfortable, and is even fun to wear. Doing this can make a huge difference. Leading by example can also help change perspectives; if your children see you wearing a helmet and their helmet looks similar, I've found it breaks down barriers and helps make them enthusiastic about wearing one. Ideally, you will want to match the helmet's style to the riding you will most likely be doing, but this is far less important than it is for adults with the best road bike helmets. However, it can make a difference, even if it's as simple as choosing the colour your child prefers.
As with all things related to kids, such as the best balance bikes and best kids' bikes here at Cycling Weekly, we ourselves are not the ones putting these helmets through their paces; our kids are. This allows us to do what we do best—the writing—but also gives us time to observe how they interact with the helmets. Occasionally, we receive helpful feedback on the colour or comfort.
The most important part for us here, though, is safety. This means we only test helmets that meet the required UK/EU and US standards first and foremost. The helmets we rate highly should also offer excellent fit and comfort, good overall coverage, and additional features such as rotational impact protection (e.g., MIPS). This is why we rate the Woom Ready as the best kids’ bike helmet, for pretty much nailing all these points.
Quick List
The Woom Ready features some extraordinarily thoughtful design. It not only nails comfort and fit, but also safety. It is hard to see anyone bettering it.
This neat little helmet from Lazer ticks a lot of boxes. The Nutz has a high safety rating, good overall comfort, and is suitable for on- and off-road use. However, it is better suited to riders with short hair.
Bern keeps things very simple with the Nino 2.0. The EZ-Fit retention system, a plethora of designs and colours and adaptability for warm and cool temperatures, are sure to make wearing a helmet much less of a struggle.
Offering a lot of similar features to the Woom, at a slightly lower cost but with a heap more style, the Thousand Jr misses out for its added weight and lack of ventilation.
While there are several Kids' specific MTB helmets in the market, Specialized’s standard Camber MIPS just offers better value, whilst catering for small heads right down to 49cm.
Best Kids' Bike Helmets - All tested by Kids'
Best overall
Am I giving off Mario vibes?
Sometimes, when you award something five stars, it might be worthy of that, but there is always something you would like to see improved, either to enhance your experience further, or it is just better than everything else in its category, despite being slightly flawed. With the Woom Ready, I felt like I had to look for negatives, just so I didn't leave the box on the website empty. The Ready is extremely well thought-out, and there is very little, if anything, that should stop you from buying it.
The Woom Ready, like most adult helmets, uses an expanding polystyrene in-mold shell that conforms to EN 1807:2012 and A1:2012 helmet safety standards for the European Union and the UK. This is where the similarities to adult helmets all but stop, as everything else has been designed for children. The Ready comes equipped with a magnet chin strap, a large adjustment dial, and dropped rear coverage. You can also add a light to the rear as an additional purchase.
While Woom offer some crossover between the sizes, the shells grow exponentially. If your child is nearing or at the size threshold, I recommend going for the slightly smaller size, as there is just less crossover than advertised. So, after we had got the right size, one of the standout comments from my son was how comfortable the Ready was. Pointing out in particular how soft and plush the padding was inside the helmet.
Read our full Woom Ready Kids' Bike Helmet Review
Best budget
Given its reasonably low price and that it is a kids' bike helmet, you wouldn’t expect to see it featured in the Virginia Tech safety scale or come with MIPS. However, while the Nutz doesn’t feature in the VT helmet ratings, it does feature the brand's own version of MIPS, Kineticore, which features on many of Lazer's adult helmets, which do feature heavily at the top of the VT helmet ratings list.
Adjustment is reasonable and broad: aside from the standard straps and rear retention dial, you can adjust the retention system by 2cm on either side of the head and by 1cm up or down.
Regarding fit and use, there were no significant complaints from my mini tester, which is always a good sign, as it makes it more likely they will want to wear it. However, on use, we did find it started to slip back on her head, which I put down to the Nutz's lack of compatibility with ponytails. Ordinarily, I would have fed her ponytail better into the helmet and retention system, but there just was not room to do so. I suspect this isn’t an uncommon issue in kids' helmets when it absolutely shouldn’t be. This meant I couldn’t tighten the helmet enough without making it uncomfortable, which caused it to shift.
Read our full Lazer Nuts KinetiCore Kids' Bike Helmet Review
Best for comfort
Seeing my daughter find a love for bicycles and riding has been one of the highlights of my parenting journey. However, with that comes responsibility, and naturally, as a cyclist and her mum leading by example, which comes in the form of how to ride, and the etiquette, but also when it comes to safety. The main driver for my daughter has been the opportunity to express her personality through what she wears when cycling, which is why she was drawn to the Bern Nino 2.0. With nearly two dozen offerings and the option to swap the inserted cap, the possibilities were endless.
The big talking point with the Nino is certainly the EZ-Fit retention system. There are multiple ways to secure a helmet to your head and ensure the right fit. Bern has chosen to use what is most easily described as an elasticated band. There are pros and cons of this hands-free fit approach, the first of which is its simplicity; the lack of the need to constantly adjust it is huge for kids and parents. On the flip side, it does seem less secure, and while it clearly conforms to all necessary safety standards, I did find it slipping down my daughter's forehead. This might be because she was right on the edge of sizing, but it just put doubt in my mind, which only adds to the hundreds of parental worries.
Read our full Bern Nino 2.0 Kids' Bike Helmet Review
Best for style
On paper, the Thousand Jr. Kids helmet shows a lot of potential. It features a magnetic chin strap system, straps that are kept away from the child's face, and a stylish design. All of this costs less than the Woom Ready, which is arguably most similar to. The sticker packs for customisation are a nice touch too.
However, the fixtures and fittings are where the similarities with the Woom end. My son, who has never had an issue wearing a helmet, almost immediately dismissed the Thousand Jr. We had been testing the Woom for a while, and I suspected it was simply because it felt unfamiliar and strange. After one ride, we were eager to go back to the Woom. I don’t think this is entirely Thousand’s fault (I believe the Woom is just that good), but from what I can tell, some of it is.
The Thousand Jr. has a shallower shell, which means everything sits a bit higher; compare this to the Woom and his Specialized Camber MIPS, which have much greater coverage. My son said it felt like it was sitting on top of his head, and he also mentioned it felt heavy, which, given how it sits and the fact that it is 100 grams heavier than the Woom, is completely accurate from my four-year-old’s perspective.
I won’t mark the Thousand Jr. down, as from a parent’s point of view, it offers good value, style, and we enjoyed personalising the helmet with the sticker packs. However, sometimes as a parent, you have to take the rough with the smooth and take the path of least resistance. In this case, my son, who actively shouts at other cyclists who aren’t wearing helmets, was put off wearing a particular one; I’ll take that, assuming you have a more favourable option.
Best for mini shredders
The Camber was certainly not the first choice for my son; it was more something I came across during my research for a kids' helmet. My son was adamant he wanted a helmet like mine- understandably, he wanted to match his dad. At first, I looked at kids' specific MTB helmets, but found that most didn't accommodate his size very well. Many didn’t start until the low 50cm mark, even as high as 52 or 53cm. The exception was the Giro Tremor, but at full RRP, the Giro was £15/$20 more than the Camber. Since the Camber starts with an XS that can be adjusted down to 49cm, and I managed to buy it at a significant discount, it was a no-brainer, even at full price.
When you compare the cost to even the very good helmets in this guide from brands like Woom and Bern, the Camber seems like a bargain. Unlike those similarly priced helmets, it includes MIPS, has decent ventilation (so good that my son complains of a cold head on windy and chilly days), and boasts a Five-Star Virginia Tech safety rating, placing it in the top percentage for safety worldwide. Adjustment comes via a small amount of height adjustment and a rear adjustment dial. The specialised tri-fix ear pieces, which have been around for some time, are quite similar to solutions offered by Thousand and Woom.
All this makes the Camber sound like the best kids’ bike helmet; however, it isn’t without flaws. Specialised might scale the peak of Camber; if they do, it is still enormous, so while it is an XS helmet, it is comparable to my Large Tactic III. Aside from looking a bit silly, this also causes a slight sail effect for small heads and necks to manage.
How we test the best kids' helmets
Testing here at Cycling Weekly differs when evaluating the best kids' bike helmets. Usually, we'd analyse details and share our insights after extensive miles and rigorous testing.
When it comes to kids' bike helmets, it's really the children of our team and contributors who are the ones trying them out—sometimes eagerly, sometimes a bit hesitant. This setup gives us the chance to patiently watch how kids interact with the helmets in different situations, using a laid-back, real-time testing style. And of course, parents will share their insights and experiences with others, helping everyone understand how the helmets perform in real life.
We always seek input from our own kids, but as the saying goes, never work with kids or animals. Still, if we adhered strictly to that, many CW team members might be out of jobs!
For more on how we test the best cycling products, visit our dedicated guide.
Meet the testers
At nearly 5, my Son loves his bike, and your journey together so far has been brilliant for both of us. He took to the bike like a moth to a flame, with very little encouragement, but I have taken great joy in the fact that he is so into it. We love to ride the local Pumptracks and disused railway lines, and in 2026, we will be in the forest more often.
Simon, having taken his cycling very seriously, has never pressured his kids to ride, but both have enjoyed the occasional leisurely ride. A big part of the Richardson family's cycling is done via the family cargo bike on the way to school.
Hannah's daughter is a little older now and really starting her journey into cycling, and following in her mum's footsteps with some racing, specifically Cyclocross and MTB. However, both enjoy riding together off-road after school, at weekends, and in the holidays, when they love nothing more than a bit of van life.
How to choose the best kids’ bike helmets
As I have said a few times in this guide, sometimes, it's not always about choosing precisely the right one, or the one you had in mind for your child. Unless it is being given as a gift, I'd highly recommend making it a shared experience. Make it memorable, take them to the bike shop or browse online together, and get them excited about their new helmet. This will help massively when it comes to actually wearing it. Of course, if you can steer them towards helmets suitable to the style of riding you are doing, but ultimately, this matters significantly less with kids, unless they are undertaking the more extreme types of biking, like BMX or Downhill mountain biking. Most importantly, it needs to fit correctly.
How do you determine the right size and fit for your child?
Before you head anywhere or go online, get some measurements. It is very simple. You need a single measurement. Take a sewing or flexible tape measure and wrap it around your child's head. It needs to go over the bump to the rear and across the forehead, approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the eyebrow and ear. This will give you the circumference and the starting point for your search.
How tight should a helmet be? And how do I get the best fit for my child?
There is a very simple technique used by many coaches called 2-4-2, which helps teach kids not just how to put on a helmet correctly, but how it should feel when their helmet is on correctly. It is so simple, you need just 4 fingers to do it, and it is just another little bit of independence.
Start with 2 fingers - This is the number of fingers you can fit between your child's eyebrow and the bottom of the front of the helmet. You can also do this between the top of the ear and the helmet.
Next is 4 fingers - The index and middle fingers of both hands. Hold them up in a V shape and then press them against the side of your head, either side of your ears. This is where the helmet straps should be.
Finally, 2 fingers - this is to check the chin strap adjustment, so if you can't get two fingers between the chin and the strap, it's too tight. If you can get more in the space, it's too loose.
It's simple and easy to remember, and once a child knows it, all you need to say is '2-4-2!' and they'll know what to check.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kids' helmets
Is wearing a helmet a legal requirement?
In the majority of the world there are little to no restrictions on helmet usage. There are some outliers or world leaders depending on your stance, like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and a number of South American countries. However, there are a large number of EU and Scandinavian nations that enforce helmet usage based on age, like France, Austria and Sweden.
Does my child need to wear a bike helmet?
It is certainly up to each individual whether to make their child wear a helmet. We are strong advocates at Cycling Weekly for wearing helmets. However, the data isn't always precise, as every accident is different; helmets clearly reduce the chance of you or your child having a serious head injury.
For children, espically toddlers and those in primary school, their brains are developing rapidly, building the cognitive functions they need to navigate life. It is so essential to protect their heads for the future.
What is MIPS and does my child need it?
MIPS is quite simply an additional structure inside a bicycle helmet that helps to absorb rotational forces during impacts. Rarely will you hit something square, so systems like MIPS aim to support the helmet on impact, allowing the helmet's overall structure to continue absorbing the impact rather than your head.
Kids can undoubtedly benefit from MIPS. Kids likely fall more awkwardly and more often than adults, so anything that better protects their heads should be embraced.
One thing to consider with MIPS-equipped helmets, though, is that they must fit well. A MIPS helmet that doesn't fit correctly could cause more damage than a non-MIPS helmet. It's worth saying that non-MIPS helmets are still very safe, so don't be afraid to get one that isn't equipped if it fits better, for example.
Are cheaper kids' bike helmets less safe?
This is a much broader question about Kids' helmet standards versus what spending more money can get you, and the two very much have a vendiagram effect, which can be slightly confusing.
Very simply, in the US, the UK, and the EU, at the very least, all helmets must meet the same safety standards to be sold in those regions. This means that if your helmet is £15/$20 versus £200/$250 they pass the same standards and are technically, 'safe'.
So, what does spending more get you?
For a child's helmet, this will primarily be about fit and comfort, and in some cases, where MIPS or a similar system is fitted, it provides additional protection.