A Sikh-Canadian mother has designed a “Gutta” (a bun atop the head of observant Sikh boys who never cut their hair) helmet for her sons so they safely ride bikes and play sports. Tina Singh, a Toronto mom, was determined to find a safe and well-fitting helmet for her sons to wear while riding bikes.

TORONTO – A Sikh-Canadian mother has designed a “Gutta” (a bun atop the head of observant Sikh boys who never cut their hair) helmet for her sons so they safely ride bikes and play sports.

Tina Singh, a Toronto mom, was determined to find a safe and well-fitting helmet for her sons to wear while riding bikes.

As an occupational therapist, Singh says she knew how important it was to have a well-fitting bicycle helmet for her sons, but couldn’t find one that fit right. So she designed her own that her sons Jora Jhajj, left, and Kabir Jhajj, right, can now wear comfortably, reported CBC News.

"My kids keep their hair, so anytime I went to go put a bike helmet when they were going out to ride ... nothing fit them properly," she said.

However, she struggled to find a helmet that would accommodate their turbans. As an occupational therapist who has worked with patients with brain injuries, Singh knew the importance of a properly fitting helmet. She was frustrated that there wasn’t a suitable option available for her children, so she decided to create one herself.

After testing various prototypes for over two years, Singh has now developed the first safety-certified multisport helmet for children over the age of five. The helmet has a protrusion on top to accommodate a child’s hair and still fit properly, and it received a passing grade from international testing company SGS in December.

For over two years, Singh worked on and tested different versions of the helmet. Now, she says the helmet is in production and certified for use with bicycles, inline skates, kick scooters and skateboarding for kids over the age of five. 

"This is a big learning curve for me, it's not something I've ever done before," she said.

What makes her model unique is it has a domed portion on top to accommodate a child's hair, while still fitting the way a helmet should: two finger spaces above the eyebrow, creating a "v" shape around the ear and one finger space between the chinstrap and the ear. 

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

While Singh's helmets are for children, the issue of whether to exempt turban-wearing Sikhs motorcyclists from having to wear helmets has made headlines in recent years.

In 2018, Ontario's Progressive Conservative government moved to join Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba in allowing Sikhs to ride motorcycles without helmets after calls by Sikh motorcycling groups and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the World Sikh Organization of Canada, told CBC News the helmet is "welcome step."

"There are some Sikhs that do wear helmets and also many Sikhs that choose not to wear helmets because they don't feel anything should cover the turban. So I think this is definitely one more option that Sikh families can consider and definitely long overdue."

Moezine Hasham, executive director and founder of Hockey 4 Youth says the helmet will help Sikh kids overcome the challenges to participating in sport, saying the industry is overdue for innovation. 

"When you think about the impact of the pandemic and the access to sport that unfortunately wasn't there ... the creation of this type of helmet is now going to create an inclusive space, it's going to foster belonging."

Courtesy CBC News