Balloon Safety For Small Children

Balloons are colourful, decorative and stacks of fun, use them for decoration, or play games with them and bring out that inner-child.

Young infants in particular love playing with balloons, all that air-filled latex acts like a magnet, children can’t help being attracted to the brightness and the cheeriness of a balloon.

Pay special attention when little ones are around balloons though, especially if they are under four years of age, keep them safe by following these rules.

Supervise little ones playing with balloons

Always keep a close eye on small children if they are playing with balloons. If a balloon pops it can create a loud bang which can be distressing for junior members of the household. By watching your little one as they enjoy playing with an inflated balloon they’ll still have fun and be safe at the same time.

Pick up pieces of popped balloon

When a balloon bursts it not only creates a loud noise, there can also be tiny pieces of latex left lying around. These could present a choking hazard to smaller children if they choose to put the pieces into their mouth, so remove all remains after the balloon goes bang.

Never let little ones handle deflated balloons

Don’t let children of nursery age play with deflated balloons, they might try to mimic the actions of blowing the balloon up or simply put the item into their mouth which might cause a choking hazard.

Store balloons in a safe place

To prevent curious minds getting access to balloons when your back is turned, always store them out of the reach of your children. Keep a secret stash hidden away in high cupboard somewhere and when it’s party time, or you simply want to have fun with the kids, you can get the balloons down, blow them up, and have tons of fun together.

Attend a paediatric first aid course

First aid skills that cover such things as choking and CPR are always useful if you have small children in the household. This can be used in general to keep your child safe and it’ll give you the knowledge you need to come to their aid if you face an emergency situation in the future.

Balloons are brilliant and they’re totally safe if you handle them correctly and pay close attention when children are playing with them.