(Above Baby Nutty photo courtesy Strider Bikes Facebook page.)
We let some pretty tough critics – kids! – test out a fresh batch of Nutcase Little Nutty and Baby Nutty helmets while riding their Strider bikes.
Strider Bikes are some of our favorite balance bikes (in other words, without pedals) that give little humans the ability to learn balance and steering skills as well as get the fun and freedom of biking from a very early age. Strider riders get ready to upgrade to pedal bikes with ease.
A group of Strider riders got to try out Nutcase helmets, while the parents got to comment. Here’s a smattering of feedback:
From Strider rider parent TJ:
“I took a Baby Nutty Pedal Power for my 17 month old daughter, Blaklei Rae. I’m a HUGE fan of the magnetic clasp. It latches effortlessly, with one hand, and seems to hold pretty tight. Lightweight, so her head isn’t bobbling all around when she’s running to/from her Strider. Blaklei had never worn a helmet before, and I threw this on her for the first time, and she acted like it wasn’t even there.”
And here’s another, from Strider rider parent JH, who appreciated Little Nutty Gen3 improvements in fit:
“With the new Little Nutty helmets [kids] are able to easily adjust the strap at the base of the skull by themselves – they are able to snap and unsnap the magnetic buckle by themselves, and I have yet to notice the dreaded backward tilt (exposing the forehead) that was so prevalent in previous helmets. When given the choice, Finn picks the Little Nutty most of the time because he can put it on and adjust it by himself.”
Our Little Nutty Gen3 helmet – introduced this year – is an important revamp of the original Little Nutty design. In the new Little Nutty, we streamlined the helmet’s shape slightly to have it match with our adult-sized Street helmets. For improved protection we put additional EPS (expanded polystyrene) into the helmet’s front panel. We also perfected liner pads’ sizing, improved the Spin Dial, added more ventilation, and decided to ship each helmet with a sun visor.
And in a culmination of some years of design and engineering, we also introduced Baby Nutty for the littlest bikers’ out there.
Last but not least, Strider rider parent DD is happy his son Case doesn’t reject the Baby Nutty – a big plus when considering that sometimes getting a child to wear a helmet can be a struggle (here’s a link to our blogger Dena’s tips for easing that conflict):
“Baby Nutty fit and function is fantastic! I really like the magnetic clasp as well. I put it on Case without him ever wearing a helmet before and he never whined or complained or even reached up to touch it. That in itself tells me how light and comfortable it was for him. Only negative? The strap is a little long for an 18 month old.”
Amazingly, a baby’s head grows very quickly – about three-quarters of an inch in the second year of life and from three-quarters to 1.25 inches as the toddler grows to mid childhood. In order to accommodate those growing brains as well as give customers the longest helmet-life and value possible, we make our straps with lots of growing room.
For smaller children, the best way to deal with a too-long strap is tuck as much of strap as possible into the soft chin pad, which has some give. Snug the strap adjusters as close to your child’s ear on either side in order to perfect the fit.
And smile! The riding is good.