New Year’s Eve Safety Tips for Kids

New Year’s Eve is almost here, and it’s a night of fun and celebration for people all across the world. But it’s also a night that brings safety risks for kids and adults alike. To help your family enjoy a safe, fun, and memorable New Year’s Eve, try these safety tips from the board-certified pediatricians and nurse practitioner at Children’s Wellness Center:

• Fireworks are a popular way to celebrate the stroke of midnight. It’s best to leave this to the professionals and attend an organized display where you can watch from a distance. But if you do decide to set off your own fireworks, it should only be done by a responsible, experienced, sober adult while children and others are a safe distance away.
• Do not celebrate by firing gunshots into the air. The bullets can come down with plenty of force to do serious damage, and this has even caused fatal injuries.
• You already know not to drink and drive (especially if you will have your kids with you), but New Year’s Eve is a high risk night for drunk drivers. If you’re going out to celebrate, drive with extra caution and keep away from drivers who are driving suspiciously. As always, use car seat safety
• If you’re hosting a party, try these additional tips to keep your guests and your own kids safe:
  • Keep hot foods and hot liquids away from the edges of counters and tabletops so kids can’t knock them over.
  • If you will be offering alcohol, make sure it’s in a place where kids can’t reach it.
  • Think about the ages of all the kids who will be at your party and make sure your home is childproofed
  • Depending on the number of people at the party, make sure there is at least one sober adult available in case they would need to drive in an emergency. If you have kids present, make sure you and the other adults don’t become too intoxicated to supervise them.
  • Make sure all of your guests who will be drinking alcohol either have a ride home or are able to stay at your house until the next day.
• If your children are celebrating the holiday with friends, here are some safety tips to keep in mind:
  • Set a reasonable curfew. If your kids want to stay at a friend’s house past midnight, it may be best to see if they can stay with their friend. It’s easy for teen drivers to get distracted if they’re tired, and you also want to protect them from drunk drivers they may share the road with.
  • Encourage your kids to stay in one place rather than party-hopping.
  • If your kids will be at a friend’s house, make sure that friend will have a responsible parent at home during the entire party.
• Some people have fun with “fire salts,” which are thrown onto wood fires in fireplaces to create colorful flames. Keep fire salts in a place where kids can’t reach them, because they are dangerous when swallowed.
• If you’re looking for extra fuel for your fireplace, don’t use wrapping paper from your holiday gift-giving. It can ignite very suddenly and intensely, allowing the fire to get out of control.
• If you plan to go to the Peach Drop or another large celebration, keep hold of your child’s hand and be mindful of your surroundings.

As always, Bee-Safe!