Apple bobbing: good old fashioned for bonfire parties and Halloween, or a health and safety menace that should be banned?

According to the organisers of a Didsbury Apple Bobbing event, it is too dangerous for our children to bob apples and instead the children were furnished with a pair of chopsticks and invited to bob using chopsticks!  The organisers were worried about the implications of accidents happening.

In another part of the country, a hospital eye consultant suggested children wear goggles when doing apple bobbing and that the stalks should be removed as they could poke an eye. In addition, it was advised to use bottled water as dirty water could lead to eye problems and ultimately blindness!

This does seem silly, however, the doctors in A&E do get to see some dreadful eye injuries each year. Scratches on the cornea for example made by stalks are apparently a real risk. Perhaps health and safety has a point!?

Apple bobbing dates back to the Romans. It was thought that you would see the image of your future husband or wife in the reflection of the shiny apple you picked with your teeth.

However, despite all the warnings, according to health experts, there is no risk to children's health and that common sense would rule that it was a simple game for children to enjoy rather than wrapping it up in red tape and health and safety rules.

There is little risk of infection by doing apple bobbing and it is not unsafe according to NHS Manchester. Indeed, a representative from the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health commented that there is no reason apple bobbing should be canceled due to health and safety issues.

So, go on, enjoy a spot of apple bobbing with the children this bonfire night before its banned!

Remember, remember the 5th of November: we all know the rhyme, but still each year there are so many accidents when it comes to fireworks, sparklers and Bonfire night.  The number of accidents from fireworks has been decreasing over recent years, but there are still important lessons to learn from previous years.

Here is a quick reminder of some basic rules when it comes to fireworks night.

1. Don't throw used fireworks onto bonfires to burn them.  Instead always put used fireworks in a bucket of cold water.
2. Don't get too close to fireworks.  Keep children and pets far away, and indeed any other adults not involved in lighting the fireworks themselves.
3. Don't play around with fireworks or bonfires.  They are dangerous even when not lit!
4. Don't approach a firework once it has been lit
5. Store fireworks in a closed metal box if possible
6. Transport fireworks in their original boxes and not in your pocket
7. Do not give sparklers to children under 8
8. Supervise all children closely on fireworks night just in case they wander over to where they should not be
9. Light sparklers one at a time
10. To use sparklers, wear gloves and hold sparklers at arms length, do not touch the end when it goes out,  place in a bucket of water.

Try and visit an organised firework display rather than putting on your own event, as much as anything the fireworks will be bigger and better than ones you can buy in the shops!

How do you teach a child or toddler about the very real danger of fire in the home without worrying them and making them too scared to get up each morning?  We hear dreadful stories of children being caught in fires, and yet with some simple drills we could protect against the worst.  Here are some simple tips you can do with your child which could, ultimately save their lives! Of course, firstly and most importantly your home should be fully protected against fire and have all the equipment required to deal with a fire: extinguishers, fire blankets, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors etc.

1. Explain that you are going to talk about what to do if you ever have a fire at home.  Explain that offices, schools, nurseries all have fire drills to practice what they all should do if a fire happens.  Make it seem normal (and, after all, it is!) that people are drilled in how to behave in a fire.
2. Draw a plan of your house and look at it with your child.  Make an escape plan - how you can get out of the house if it was burning?
3. Go into each room and find 2 escape routes.  Ask how they would get out if one route was blocked.
4. Sleep with bedroom doors closed and explain this is to contain a fire should one happen.  It is safer, but make sure you can still hear them if they call in the night.  Use a monitor if you are nervous of not hearing them.
5. Explain that if there was ever a fire, they should not open the door if they see flames or smoke coming from under the door.  If they see nothing but hear the alarm, they should open the door slightly, and feel the door handle with the back of their hand.  If the handle was hot they should shut the door and keep it shut and leave by another door if there is one.
6. Explain how to feel the door from bottom to higher up, to see if the door is hot.  If it is hot, it needs to be shut and kept shut and they should leave by the other door if there is one.
7. Checking for smoke is another valuable thing to note.  Smoke hurts more people than flames.  You breathe less smoke if you are low to the ground as smoke naturally rises.  So, if there is smoke they should stay low and crawl out to the escape route.
8. Show children how to block the cracks around the door with sheets or blankets.
9. Parents should concentrate on evacuating the family rather than calling the emergency services - someone else can call them.
10. NEVER go back inside to get pets, belongings, or anything at all!   Choose a place where all the family can reconvene outside if there ever was a fire.  Make sure you all know where this is.
11. If clothing catches fire, drop to the ground and roll over and over.  This is an easy one to practice with children.

For a very comprehensive blog on fire prevention entitled "20 Free Online Tools To Help Your Family Develop A Fire Safety Plan" go to http://www.firesciencedegree.com/20-free-online-tools-to-help-your-family-develop-a-fire-safety-plan/.

Keep safe!