Fireworks Night: Keeping Little Ears Safe

Fireworks peak louder than a jet engine — and children's ears are often front row.

Between summer bonfire season, Halloween and New Year's Eve, Northern Ireland gets several rounds of fireworks a year. They're spectacular, they're tradition, and from an audiologist's point of view they're also one of the loudest things a child's ears will ever meet.

The good news: a few simple decisions — mostly about distance and defenders — make fireworks completely enjoyable and safe for young ears.

How loud are fireworks?

A firework burst can reach 150–170 decibels at close range. For comparison, a jet taking off measures about 140dB from 25 metres. These are impulse sounds — sudden, intense pressure spikes — and they're the type of noise most capable of causing instant, permanent damage rather than the slow accumulation of, say, loud music.

The saving grace is physics: sound level falls quickly with distance. A firework that's dangerously loud at 5 metres is dramatically safer at 50, and comfortably safe at a couple of hundred metres. This is why organised public displays, where spectators are kept well back, are far kinder to ears than garden fireworks going off beside the patio.

How far away should children be from fireworks?

My simple guidance for families:

Organised displays: stay behind the spectator line (it exists for burn safety, but it helps ears too), and if you have a choice, don't stand at the closest permitted point. For babies and toddlers, further back again — the view is honestly just as good from a distance with small children.

Garden fireworks: this is where ear injuries happen. If your family does home fireworks, keep children as far from the launch point as the garden allows — and put ear defenders on them regardless. Close-range impulse noise is the riskiest listening situation a child will encounter all year.

Firecrackers and bangers: these are designed to be maximally loud at close range. Keep them away from children entirely.

Do children need ear defenders at fireworks displays?

For babies and children up to about ten, over-ear defenders are the answer. They cost £10–£20, cut 25dB or more, and turn a potentially harmful pressure spike into a safe one. Babies should wear defenders at any fireworks event, full stop — infant ear canals amplify sound, and a baby can't tell you their ears hurt.

Put the defenders on before the display starts, not after the first bang. And as I tell every parent: wear earplugs yourself. Children keep defenders on when protection looks like something the whole family does.

What about the bonfire itself?

Bonfires aren't a hearing risk — but the crowds, sound systems and fireworks around big bonfire events can be. If there's amplified music, distance from the speakers is recommended and defenders for the little ones.

What if ears ring after fireworks?

If a child (or you) comes home from fireworks with ringing ears, muffled hearing, or complaining that things sound funny, here's what to do.

Give the ears quiet time — no headphones, keep the TV low — and in most cases the ringing fades within hours to a day or two. That fading doesn't mean no harm was done; it means the ears coped this time. Take it as a clear signal to add distance and defenders next time.

Two situations deserve prompt professional attention: if ringing or muffled hearing lasts beyond a couple of days, book a hearing assessment; and if there's a sudden, marked drop in hearing in one ear, ear pain, or dizziness after a very close blast, treat it as urgent and seek medical help the same day. Sudden hearing changes are time-sensitive.

Enjoy the show

None of this is a reason to skip fireworks. Distance plus defenders equals a child who gets the full spectacle — the colours, the crowd going "ooooh," the smell of smoke on a cold night — with their hearing untouched. That's the whole aim: keep the magic, lose the risk.

If your child seems to be hearing differently after a loud event, or you'd just like the reassurance of a children's hearing check, we're here at Belfast, Carryduff and Templepatrick. Book at hearnowclinic.co.uk/appointments.

Frequently asked questions

How loud are fireworks?

A burst can reach 150–170 decibels at close range — louder than a jet at take-off. Distance is the great protector: levels fall rapidly the further back you stand.

Do babies need ear protection at fireworks displays?

Yes, always. Infant ear canals amplify sound, and a baby can't tell you their ears hurt. Over-ear defenders sized for babies, on before the display starts.

What if hearing seems different after a very close bang?

Quiet time usually settles ringing within a day or two. A sudden marked drop in hearing, pain or dizziness after a close blast is urgent — seek medical help the same day.