This coming weekend my husband will be helping a friend set up fireworks for the Fourth of July, which is quickly approaching! They have built a special board that will allow them to ignite the fuses remotely, eliminating any worries of my husband blowing off his hand while lighting hazardous explosives. It’s an annual tradition to cook out and watch the display on a farm outside the city. I’m looking forward to celebrating this fourth as my first! First fourth as a mom, that is! Of course, my son and I will be watching the fireworks from inside the car to protect his little ears. More than anything, I don’t want him to be scared! (See “Babies and Fireworks”)
One thing motherhood does to a woman is add a whole new slew of worries for her to think about. What about babies who are still all snugly in the womb? Are fireworks too loud? Or are they muffled enough by mom’s tummy?
Your baby’s ears aren’t fully formed until you are about 27-30 weeks pregnant. After that, your baby will begin to respond to outside noises. My son used to jump when I turned on the hand mixer while baking. Loud noises are usually okay unless they are louder than 90-100 decibels, repeated and prolonged. After that point you risk the baby suffering some hearing loss. A good indication is what your own ears feel like. If they are ringing, it’s probably too loud for your baby as well! You may also want to take note of how much your baby is moving around, if she starts squirming around a lot, she might be startled by the loud noise and you may want to back off or turn it down.
Fortunately fireworks do not fall under this “dangerous” category unless you’re lighting them yourself (probably not a good idea even if you are not pregnant!) If you still feel uncomfortable, try viewing them from inside a vehicle or from a more distant location.