How a Canadian mother designed 'Sikh Helmets' for her turbaned children

Metallic blue is one of three colours that will be available for Sikh Helmets in the initial launch. (Image: sikhhelmets/Instagram)

When Tina Singh’s two boys were ready to ride their bicycles, she was in a big problem. As a mother to two Sikh boys, finding helmets that would accommodate their turbans was a problem. She went across Canada’s Toronto but couldn’t find any that solved the problem. Then she decided to take matters in her own hands. And thus “Sikh Helmets” was born.

For two years, Singh worked on the helmets that can cater to children above the age of 5. She tried different versions and then finally started production. The final product is certified for use with bicycles, inline skates, kick scooters and skateboarding and will be launched early this year.

Singh recalled in a video shared on Instagram that when her son Jora turned five around five years ago, they tried several ways to have a helmet work for him. She tied his hair differently, which he hated. She got larger helmets that were not a fit. She even scooped out the foam from inside helmets so they fit, making it unsafe.

"I was frustrated that there wasn't a safe option in sports helmets for my kids," she said in a clip.

Finally, not just her own children, thousands of Sikh children facing the same problem will have a ready solution for a safe bike learning experience.

In December, the helmet received a passing grade from the international testing company SGS.

“This is the story all about how my life got flipped upside down. I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there and I’ll tell you how I took on design of the Sikh Helmet,” Singh captioned the video on Instagram.

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The Sikh Helmets page has over 3,200 followers while Singh, an occupational therapist, has nearly 30,000 followers. She is spreading the word about the helmet in the Sikh community through her multiple social media accounts.