Thursday, July 2, 2009

15 Minutes : Know It : Fireworks Safety

Nothing says Fourth of July in this country like fireworks, but home firework shows can be quite dangerous. According to the CDC children 14 years and younger sustain about 45% of injuries related to fireworks. Thankfully my two youngest are still too frightened to even get near anything hot but my 7 year-old's curiosity is growing. Below are some ideas to help the kiddos (and adults) stay safe this Saturday night.


- Only buy fireworks legal for your area.
- Have an adult supervise all lighting of fireworks.
- Always have a bucket of water nearby and never leave hot, used fireworks on the ground (i.e. sparklers).
- Light only one firework at a time.
- Wear shoes.
- Use lighter sticks instead of matches.
- Light fireworks outside in wide open areas but not close to any kind of dry vegetation.

Since we have so many little ones around our house my favorite Fourth of July purchase has been glow-in-the-dark bracelets. The kids (and even teenager) love being creative designing their own glow-in-the-dark wear and it makes it much easier for mom to keep an eye on them when it gets dark.

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