With the festive mood that has been set up in the air owing to the proximity to the festival of lights ‘Diwali’, children are excited about everything brand new clothes, sweets, gifts, lights of every kind, new movie releases and crackers.
Your “Parental Antenna” flares out and Diwali Safety Precautions are the top on YOUR priorities list.
Children on the other hand try to exhibit their bravery which is directly proportional to the bursting of the severest of the crackers and the craziest of rockets.
Well, you surely would not want to stop them do all these, however it becomes your duty to ensure their safety by taking Diwali safety precautions.
A few simple measures could go a long way in protecting our children from being in harm’s way.
Diwali Safety Precaution While Buying Crackers
By following the steps below one can ensure that you have done your best to keep your children safe.
1. Purchase crackers from a licensed seller, every district headquarters and large cities have a specially allocated location for Diwali crackers; they are the best places to buy because only licensed people can sell there.
2. Always go for the best brands – Peacock Fireworks, Sri Kaleeshwari Fireworks, Ajanta Fireworks are some of the best Indian Brands. You can check more here
3. DO NOT buy Chinese crackers that would be flooding the market, choose Indian Brands (not trying to be anti, just that the lesser travelling the product would have done the better its safety).
4. Do not do any last moment purchase; the best stock would be exhibited first.
5. Check for the packing of the crackers – ensure there is no damage in them.
Diwali Safety Precautions – Digestion
Diwali is a season when you prepare a whole lot of sweets and savories. Of course all these are prepared for your dear children and you so lovingly feed them.
However you need to be careful that they do not develop any health issues due to over feeding.
In south India, we make something called ‘ DIPAVALI MARUNTHU’ , half teaspoon of this is given to children and one teaspoon given to adults in the morning and evening for one or two days before and after Diwali to ensure easy digestion.
You can get the recipe of DIPAVALI MARUNTHU here.
Diwali Safety Precautions – Dust and Light
Children these days are always kept in a protected environment so sudden increase in light and the smoke produced might create a lot of problem to them. Make sure that they are not over exposed to smoke, light and sound
1. As soon as they set fire to the fireworks ask them to move a little farther away.
2. Sudden light is very dangerous for eyes, do not let them light fireworks in the unilluminated places. If the area is already lit up some extra light is acceptable for the retina.
3. Sudden increase in sound may harm ears; ask them to hold their hands to slightly block away sound.
4. If possible ask them to wear a mask to filter out too much dust.
Diwali Safety Precautions – Fire
1. Ensure that an adult supervises the cracker bursting session.
2. Ensure that your children wear thick clothes while bursting crackers. The chances of a spark leading to burnt skin owing to the fabric worn should be minimized.
3. Cotton and silk material are the best; rayon and other plastic based material get heated fast and may cause trouble.
4. Ask them to wear footwear that covers most of their feet.
5. Ensure that crackers are burst well away from vehicles (cars, bikes, etc.)
6. When there are more number of children make sure that none of them engage in naughty tricks (trust me there will be one!)
7. Keep a bucket of water, blankets and sand ready in case of any mishap.
8. Dispose used/burnt crackers in an isolated place.
9. Burst crackers in open space.
10. Do not inspect crackers that do not light up properly.
11. Wash your hands and arms every time after bursting crackers.
12. Storing crackers that have been left behind also needs a lot of care. Secure the leftover crackers in the respective boxes and put them all together in a carton. Place them where there isn’t too much heat, electrical wiring or moisture. This way you can use them again the next day. Please remember not to use crackers that have expired in date.
Although the list looks long, it is not exclusive. To have a safe Diwali sans burn marks, if one follows the simple steps mentioned above it will be useful.
Diwali is the time to enjoy yourselves irrespective of your age. This Diwali ensure that by following all that we have told you, you have double the fun time and be safe avoiding mishaps.
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