A pediatric emergency physician is encouraging parents to make sure their kids are wearing bike helmets that fit properly as they enjoy the summer.

Dr. Megan Cobb with the University of Maryland Children's Hospital Pediatric ER recommends keeping a helmet handy if you're kids are riding bikes, skateboards, scooters, ATVs or even horses. 

She warned that the cost of not wearing a helmet is too great. 

Finding the right helmet

New helmets are the way to go, according to Dr. Cobb. This is because used helmets can have damage that is not visible. 

The helmet also needs to fit correctly to prevent injuries. 

Dr. Cobb said a good-fitting helmet should cover the forehead and allow enough room for about two fingers between the front of the helmet and the top of the brow line. 

The straps should fit tightly around the earlobes. When buckled, the chin strap should be adjusted to allow room for one finger between the strap and your chin. 

"You know that it's sitting properly when they can turn their head back and forth and the helmet isn't sliding all over," Dr. Cobb said. 

Preventing summer injuries

Dr. Cobb said she sees several kinds of injuries resulting from ill-fitting or a lack of helmets. 

"Everything from minor bumps and scrapes to larger cuts or what we call lacerations that end up needing stitches for repair," Dr. Cobb said. "We're also seeing kids – a number of them between Johns Hopkins Trauma Center and Shock Trauma Center – kids that are developing skull fractures and brain bleeds because the trauma is just that severe."

When helmets are too big, Dr. Cobb said they won't be secure enough to prevent an injury. 

"It's just gonna flop back-and-forth. If the straps are too loose, it could actually present a choking hazard," she said.