I purchased the small size last year for my now 3.5 year old. At the time, with the thickest padding in place, the helmet would not sit on top of her head without sliding back. Upon tightening the chin strap, the helmet would still try to slide back and it would then cause her pain at her throat.
The chin straps are also of a satin slippery finish and they loosen after a half hour or so of wear. Last year I thought that perhaps she was just too small, but now one year later the helmet still fits her the same and still has the same issues. She is an average sized kid with average sized head so there is no special concern here.
So, I recently bought myself a Bern helmet and found that it fit better than any helmet I have myself owned, and now I am going to get my kid a Bern youth size. I am hoping it won't look like a "spaceship landed on top of their head" like this Bell helmet does.
While the two padding sizes that come with this Bell helmet are in theory a good idea, it seems however that the paddings and the weight of the helmet are not well placed. I like that the Bern helmet simply comes with an adjustable velcro strap in the back (much like a baseball cap) with which you can tighten the helmet in place. It also wraps around the skull as opposed to sitting on top of the head like the Bell appears to do.
Update: I did get the Bern Nina helmet and found it to be a vast vast improvement over this Bell helmet. No comparison at all. The Bern sits firmly on her head and does not move at all, and like the adult version it has the adjustable velcro strap in the back smart. I also like the style better, its more 1950's Italian motorist than spaceship on top of head. The best part is that the helmet has options for winter padding and summer visor, which is a huge bonus. I am very happy to get rid of the Bell helmet now that we have the Bern, and my daughter is no longer complaining about wearing a helmet.
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This is by far the best helmet out there. Its strong and cool. Plus with the extra cushions, your kid can grow into it. Dont get an XS, get a Small for a 20 month old toddler. They are always growing so fast, it does not make sense to get a smaller one. My son likes it, he leaves it on, its comfortable.
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I measured my son's head to be ~19+" and I was leaning towards purchasing the small size helmet. I'm glad amazon was sold out and I was forced to purchase the x-small.
The helmet comes with 3 sets of velcro-attached pad sets and he's using the set for the smallest head size.
He loves wearing it, often running around happily even if he's not using his bike. The only downside is the excessive amount of chin strap, I can't imagine even when his head is at it's largest he'll ever need all that strap length.
Extremely cool color and design. He hasn't fallen in it yet, so I don't know how it protects, but he has chucked it across the room and it seems tough and able to withstand the emotional vagaries of a 19month old.
Honest reviews on Bell Fraction Youth Multi-Sport Helmet
I ordered this helmet for my two year old to wear with his strider bike (which we also love, incidentally).
It fit him really well out of the box, no adjustments.
It is a really sturdy, thickly padded, well made helmet.
My son really loves to wear it, and won't take it off sometimes after we get home.
Looks great.
My son has already taken a few spills, and I was glad he was wearing it. Overall, we are very pleased. I will be buying the next size up when my son gets bigger.
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this helmet is awesome because it can grow with them.. it has 3 sets of pads for the inside that alows the helmet to grow with your childs head.. my daughter is 3 and uses the largest pads at the moment.
would recommend
