Summer Survival Guide

comforting toddlers during fireworks

Peltor Kid Noise Reducing Ear Muffs; $16.50

Nothing says Fourth of July like fireworks, but you might have to skip the show this year if your tot is still too young. Many toddlers are terrified of fireworks, or as rsgmom's son calls them, "boom and lights."

Other moms have to bring their toddlers because they are taking their older children to the show, or they live so close to the event that their toddlers will hear the action from inside the house. That's our deal. I just tell my daughter that it's thunder, put on her fan to drown out the booms, and that seems to do the trick.

Other Toddler Moms get through the ordeal in other ways.

A number of them say they use noise-reducing headphones like the ones above.

"My son likes wearing them anyway, and they cut out the noise," says dreaksgirl. "Without the noise, he actually liked looking at the fireworks."

Some try regular old earplugs, though some toddlers won't stand for that, and still others just hold their kiddos tight, cup their hands over their ears, and say soothing words.

rgsmom had a great distraction technique to try:

"My husband says home with him and turns on the TV a little higher than normal," she says. "Last year, he asked our son to draw pictures of what he thought the fireworks would look like. He loved it, and it kept his mind off of what was going on outside."

Does your toddler like fireworks? What do you do to calm him down during the light and sound show?