The best peace of mind you can provide for yourself as a parent is to ensure that you’ve outfitted your teens with the kind of safety gear they need. Whether your aim is to help prevent personal injury or to keep your teen protected from other dangers, there are tools and equipment in the market to do the job. You can’t be there all the time to supervise your teen, but you can provide an additional sense of security for them.
The SABRE Personal Alarm with Key Ring is the first line of defense against would-be attackers and provides an extremely loud siren which creates a diversion and attracts attention from bystanders. This is particularly useful for teenagers who find themselves walking home from school or jobs (day or night!), or who attend large public events regularly where additional personal security is a wise precaution.
Teenagers, young women, adult women and the elderly in particular can benefit from a personal safety alarm. If your teen is a runner and often runs early in the morning or later in the evening, or if they trail run, a safety alarm can be an important device to keep on their person. If they work a day or evening job that requires access to a parking garage or other sparsely populated area, a personal safety alarm can be invaluable to their well-being. Safety alarms are also an excellent item for university students and older children. It is an inexpensive but mighty item that makes a great complement to basic self-defense skills and often gives people additional confidence in their security.
For teens who are athletes or into outdoor sporting activities like skateboarding, BMX biking or cycling, roller skating and more, a multi-sport gear set is a must-have. Gear sets will often include a combination of a helmet, gloves, carry bag, knee pads and elbow pads, all of which should be adjustable to fit growing kids and provide them with some protection from a sports related injury. When selecting protective sporting equipment, ensure you refer to the sizing guide for the suitable age range to comfortably fit your child – a good fit will provide the best protection.
For teens who are runners, walkers or cyclists, reflective gear is another smart protective purchase. High-quality reflective gear can provide visibility up to 800 feet away, even in fog, heavy rain and in the dark. Reflective gear is a low cost investment for an item that provides high value and could very well save a life.
Helmets are one of the most important safety items you can purchase for your teen and are the key to preventing serious injury, with statistics indicating it can reduce the severity of injury by more than 75%. Helmets are usually highly specific to the sport, unless you’re purchasing a multi-sport helmet. If you’re selecting a sport-specific helmet, ensure it is certified, fits correctly, meets safety criteria and is replaced after any accident which could damage the integrity of the helmet.
Eye protection is the next most important safety gear item for teens who participate in sports, as sports are the leading cause of eye injury for that age group. Eye protection can reduce the severity and risk of injury by upwards of 90%. Polycarbonate is an excellent material for protective eyewear and many face guards and shields for hockey, football and lacrosse contain polycarbonate. Goggles are also a great protective item for racquet sports. For teens who wear glasses, it is highly likely they will need to be fitted for prescription protective eyewear.
Additional accessories which are beneficial for active teenagers who participate in team and contact sports vary from person to person, as well as by sport, but can include a mouthguard, a protective cup and different kinds of pads. If your teen is wearing a mouthguard, ensure it is cleaned after each use. Mouthguards can be fitted by your dentist. If you need to purchase wrist, knee, shoulder, shin, hip or chest pads, speak to your child’s coach first to determine the specifics. Boys who play hockey, football, soccer and other contact sports usually require a cup.
Safety gear for teens varies a great deal in price due to the wide variety of options on the market which serve different purposes in keeping your teen safe. On the low end, a personal alarm can cost as little as $15 and up. Multi-sport protective equipment can cost anywhere from $25-$55 and up. Reflective gear usually costs between $25-$50 depending on the item.
A. It is generally not recommended to put knee pads and elbow pads in the washing machine or dryer. If they are very dirty, hand wash and lay flat to dry to prevent damage to the Velcro or weakening the fabric and seams.
A. LED lit reflective vests contain a small clear plastic pocket for the light that will provide some water resistance. Standard reflective vests are water resistant, but unlikely to provide you with much protection from the rain. Always wear reflective equipment on top of suitable rain gear.
SABRE Personal Alarm with Key Ring
What you need to know: This personal alarm creates an ear-splitting 110 decibel siren that is geared towards deterring an attack, all while fitting in the palm of your hand or on your key ring.
What you’ll love: The sound emitted by SABRE Personal Safety Alarm is extremely loud while also discreet and easy to carry around.
What you should consider: A very small number of reviewers received a defective product.
Where to buy: Amazon
JBM Child & Adult Rider Series Protection Gear Set for Multi Sports
What you need to know: The JBM Child & Adult Rider Series of multi-sport protection gear is a very comfortable, lightweight and affordable set, which is very durable for the low price point.
What you’ll love: This awesome sports gear set is available in a wide variety of color and size combinations, is flexible, washable and offers great protection from injury for your active teens.
What you should consider: A few customers found the sizing to be inconsistent.
Where to buy: Amazon
What you need to know: This adjustable LED reflective vest from Mixcity possesses a built-in LED light for extra protection in the dark, is highly reflective and very visible even in extremely adverse weather conditions.
What you’ll love: The adjustable straps of this reflective vest make it a great fit for any size and the rechargeable LED light is an innovative addition to reflective gear that makes it even more effective at keeping you safe.
What you should consider: The charge cord for the LED light is a little short.
Where to buy: Amazon
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Ashley Britten writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
