Dirt Bike Helmets for Kids Buying Guide

Your little one wants to ride a dirt bike! It's a fantastic sport and the younger they start the better.

We are parents, too. Maybe the thought of your son or daughter riding a motorcycle sends a shiver down your spine or perhaps pushes your excitement level off the charts. In reality, most children learn about dirt bikes from a family member or trusted friend so you, the parent, probably have some knowledge of the sport. Regardless, whether or not the world of dirt bikes is new, your child needs some solid riding gear to help prevent injury.

First and foremost - skip the adult section and get a dirt bike helmet for kids. Youth dirt bike helmets have a smaller fit around your child's head, but offer all the same protection as an adult's helmet and often at a fraction of the cost. Keep in mind, when deciding on a helmet, your child will fall and crash quite a bit until he or she gets the hang of it and then will just crash less often. Understand too, that many children lose their joy and desire for riding a dirt bike after an accident or even just a few rides.

Whether you have a true beginner or a veteran rider for your child's age, the MotoSport Dirt Bike Helmet for Kids Buying Guide helps take some of the heavy lifting out of finding the right helmet to protect your child.

Choosing a Kids Dirt Bike Helmet

Is your child a beginner?

Everyone who rides falls or crashes eventually. New riders, especially children fall more often. Thankfully, children have a resilient nature and tend to bounce back up. But they also know when they don't like something. When choosing a youth dirt bike helmet you want safety but also comfort. Don't force your child to wear a helmet that doesn't fit right or they don't like how it feels. But be realistic too - this helmet may be used once.

Is this an upgrade or replacement?

If you need to replace an existing helmet, well then, congratulations you have a dirt bike rider on your hands! Take it up a notch and look for additional features often found on adult helmets like added intake and exhaust vents, lighter construction or a wider eye port. This better prepares your child to wear an adult-sized helmet after a couple of years in a high-end kids dirt bike helmet.

How Much?

You have asked an age-old question especially by parents of children interested in a sport that gets expensive. Do not sacrifice safety, quality or comfort for money but also don't break your budget if you can't invest in the other important protective gear. Wearing an ill-fitting or uncomfortable helmet poses more of safety risk than wearing an inexpensive helmet with limited features so keep that in mind when choosing and in regards to your child's overall comfort level.

Son or daughter?

Manufacturers make the same dirt bike helmets for boys and girls. Simply scroll through the available youth Motocross helmets and let your child decide on the most appealing graphics.

What Features Do You Want?

Helmet Weight

A dirt bike helmet feels uncomfortable and claustrophobic at first and a heavy helmet only adds to this. Manufacturers often highlight the weight on lighter helmets in grams.

Helmet construction

Helmet construction influences a number of factors including weight, comfort and safety rating. Polycarbonate, poly alloy and polycarbonite blends compose most dirt bike helmets for kids providing durability and safety without the price tag that fiberglass and carbon fiber brings to high-end adult racing helmets.

Styling

Does your child want to look like their hero on the track or simply want a helmet that looks cool? We have many youth dirt bike helmets featuring awesome looking graphics but remember these and other extras tend to add to the cost.

Air Vents

A helmet with adequate air vents and exhaust ports helps keep your child cool and "opens up" the helmet reducing any feeling of tightness or claustrophobia.

Helmet Liner

Worried about the sweat and smell? Helmets come with washable removable liners and some contain antimicrobial and antibacterial material. You might want to invest in some helmet spray to deodorize and clean the helmet.

Consider Helmet Safety Ratings

DOT - Department of Transportation

The United States Department of Transportation sets a minimum standard level of protection for helmets.

ECE22.06

The U.N. Economic Commission for Europe sets a standard level of protection for helmets sold in Europe.

Snell (M2020)

A non-profit in the United States founded after the death of Pete Snell, a sports car racer who died from head injuries.

Every dirt bike helmet MotoSport sells, whether for kids or adults, meets or exceeds the standards set by DOT. We also carry helmets certified by the ECE and helmets manufactured to meet Snell Standards. Be assured any dirt bike helmet for kids you buy from MotoSport comes with a solid safety rating designed to protect your child. If interested read The Big List of DOT, Snell & ECE Approved Motocross Helmets for more information about DOT, SNELL and ECE ratings.

Back of a Bell Helmet showing DOT and Snell certification stickers

How To Measure Child's Head for Helmet

A properly fitted dirt bike helmet plays a major role in the outcome of an accident. Before you start shopping, determine your child's head size. The steps closely follow how you size an adult dirt bike helmet:

• Wrap a soft measuring tape around your child's head about a half inch above their eyebrows and ears, and around the back of their head at the largest point.
• Compare child's head size with the specific helmet manufacture's size to find a match. Each dirt bike helmet manufacture provides different sizing charts for their helmets so you will need to compare your child's helmet size to each brand's sizing. We provide the chart on each helmet product page.
• Try the helmet on before using it.* The helmet should sit squarely on your child's head snug enough that your child can speak without biting their cheeks.
• The helmet should not be so loose it fits on sloppy.

A helmet wrapped around your child's head creates a new experience but may feel uncomfortable both physically and mentally. We suggest letting your child wear the helmet for a while to get used to it before riding their dirt bike. You probably need to determine if the helmet fits too tight or loose since most children probably don't understand the appropriate fit.

Lastly, do NOT buy a bigger helmet with the idea your child will grow into it. A loose fitting helmet can actually cause a worse injury and poses a significant chance of coming off in a crash.

*MotoSport's offers an easy return policy with our free first exchange program. Click here for instructions on all returns and exchanges.

Youth Dirt Bike Helmet

Don't buy a used dirt bike helmet primarily because you don't know the true history of the helmet (even a drop from a few feet can compromise the integrity) and helmets older than five years old don't have the latest technological developments for head safety and concussion prevention.

All of the youth dirt bike helmets we sell have the latest safety features developed by the individual manufacture so you can rest assured safety is paramount in whatever helmet you purchase for your child. Look through the available features, weight and design to help you and your child decide on the best helmet at this stage in their riding career.

Find higher-end youth helmets from 6D Helmets and Fly Racing that range between $400 and $600. Moderately priced helmets from Leatt, Fox Racing and Troy Lee Designs cost between $200 and $400 while those same companies as well as Thor, HJC and FXR offer helmets below $200.