Our family enjoys taking bicycle rides in our neighborhood. Our son is currently 21 months old and even before he got in the child seat of his daddy's bicycle we had introduced him to the bike helmet.

When I was 12 my dad was an avid cyclist. He would ride his bike in the mornings for exercise. One day he came home from riding and his face was a mess of blood and deep scrapes. He had a bike accident that made him hit the pavement with his face. This was before bicycle helmets were a required piece of safety equipment in bicycle culture. And this story is why my son was introduced to the bicycle helmet before the bicycle.

Some states have made it a law that all children wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. I think it is just common sense. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, helmets can reduce head injuries by 85%.

Getting a proper helmet, one that meets safety standards is important. Make sure the helmet fits properly, not too tight, not too loose, but snug and steady on the top of the head (not pushed back or forward, but flat on the top of the head). And make sure your toddler is comfortable in the helmet and won't pull it off. It took a few tries but Fuller eventually began to equate putting on his helmet with taking a bike ride, so he didn't attempt to pull it off anymore.

There is more to bicycle safety than just the helmet, but getting your toddler used to the idea of that first step of safety will help in the future, when your toddler is no longer a toddler and trying to peddle his or her own trike or bike independently.