Summer Birthday Party Safety Tips for Parents

Summer birthday parties for kids are a blast. Hosting a summer birthday party outdoors takes care and caution, as there may be safety hazards lurking in the yard. Use these tips to keep kids safe and healthy at any summer birthday party you are hosting. Offer fellow parents a helping hand when they are hosting a summer birthday party your child may be attending. Also educate your own child about potential hazards.

Summer Birthday Party Safety Tips for Parents

Buzzkill on Balloons

Balloons are popular decorations for birthday parties, but they are not the best choice for all age groups. Broken balloon pieces as well as uninflated balloons are far from harmless. According to the U.S. Consumer Safety Product Commission these items have caused more children to suffocate than any other type of toy. (USCPSC)

Free of Debris

Whether you're hosting the summer birthday party at your house or in a park, plan time to remove debris from the party area. Litter, broken glass and sharp tree branches all pose hazards to children at summer birthday parties. Also check the yard for any holes which could cause a twisted ankle.

Examine the perimeter, particularly near fences for poison ivy or poison oak. Check eaves of sheds, doorways and gutters for hornets nests and look for bees nest in the trees.

Rake through sand boxes or piles of sand where children will be playing, before the party.

Age-Appropriate Party Favors

Follow any recommended age guidelines printed on party favor packaging. Cheap party favors may break easily and create a choking hazard for babies and toddlers at the summer birthday party. Opt for one quality, age-appropriate party favor rather than loading up on piles of cheap favors.

Hand-washing and Hygiene

Anyone serving food or drinks at the party needs to keep their hands clean. Require children to line up and wash their hands before eating any summer birthday party foods. Keep plenty of liquid soap and hand drying towels or a roll of paper towels in the bathroom during the party.

Food Safety

Serve foods without mayonnaise, cream, sour cream dips or any dairy products. If you want to serve these foods, keep them refrigerated until it's time to serve them. Promptly store them in the refrigerator after serving them.

Rotate the menu to keep foods fresh. Serve the foods and snacks in stages rather than presenting all foods at once on a big table.

Make individual servings of foods in small paper cups, add a plastic fork or spoon and cover tightly. This will reduce the number of people handling the food, as you can give each guest an individual serving.

The basic rules to follow for summer birthday party food safety are: hot foods should be kept hot and cold foods should be kept cold.

Do not serve any peanut-based foods or seafood at the party if any guest has an allergy. There is too much chance of cross-contamination.

Grilling

If you will be grilling at the summer birthday party for kids, keep all party games and activities away from the grill. Even if the party is for older kids, horse play or playing with balls can result in an accident. Err on the side of caution and keep the grill separate from the party.

Pools and Spas

When hosting a pool party invite enough parents to the party to help supervise the young swimmers. Brush up on CPR techniques. Keep kids safe by discussing pool rules before allowing the summer birthday party guests into the pool.

Tip: Children can drown in as little as one inch of water according to Safe Kids USA. Do not assume that kids in a kiddie pool do not need the same supervision as the large pool. The key to preventing drowning is adult supervision.

Gate off any hot tub or spa. Children should not be using these anyway, and they pose safety hazards.

Keep any and all fertilizers, pool chemicals and pesticides out of reach and out of sight.

Sources

FDA Seasonal Advice Summer, http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/summer.html
Henrythehand.com, http://www.henrythehand.com/pages/content/index.html
Safekids, http://www.safekids.org
Think Toy Safety, http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/281.html