Fireworks make the holidays so much more colorful and festive. Although the colors may stimulate your kids’ minds, the noise may be too much for them.
To keep your babies safe and happy during the fireworks display, make sure to follow these fireworks safety tips.
1. Protect your baby’s ears.
Fireworks displays may produce as loud as 140dB of sound, which may lead to hearing loss. Babies and young kids’ ears are super sensitive that sounds as loud as 80dB or louder is enough to affect their hearing development. The best thing that you can do is to let them wear ear muffs, although this protection may not protect newborns. Don’t use ear plugs because they might ruin their ear canals and are considered as choking hazards.
If you are setting the fireworks off at home, make sure to stay inside the house. Light up the fireworks as far away as possible from the younger kids.
2. Avoid sparklers.
They might look pretty harmless at first, especially with their pretty patterns, but they can heat up to 982°C. They should not be used by kids younger than five years old.
As a precaution, older kids should be asked to wear gloves to protect their hands and should be reminded to keep the sparklers away from their clothes, face, and hair.
3. Don’t let go of your kids.
If you’re watching the fireworks displays outside of the house, always keep your kids with you. It’s not the right time to let them practice their independence by having them wandering around, especially if there’s a bonfire. Going near one would put them at risk of being burned since cracking bonfires may produce flying sparks that may land on your kids’ skin, or worse, eyes. Take your kids with you during bathroom breaks.
4. Use only legal fireworks.
You can distinguish them by the clear markings of the manufacturer’s name and logo. Don’t even attempt to make DIY fireworks if you don’t want accidents during the holidays.
5. Always prepare water nearby.
In the case of fire, you should have a pail of water close by. Make sure to wet used fireworks before throwing them away to avoid starting fires.
6. Monitor your kids’ reaction to the displays closely.
Some babies may get fussy over the noise created by the fireworks or the crowds of people, so you should know the way out of the fireworks display venue for a quick exit. The last thing you need is to calm a panicked baby down because of the unfamiliar surroundings and sounds.
Make your holiday season enjoyable by keeping your kids happy. Let them enjoy the fireworks displays during the season, minus their drawbacks by observing these fireworks safety tips.
