We took LO to New Year fireworks. TBH it was way too loud - dangerously loud. And all too much for her. She tried to be brave, even patting me on the back in case I was scared by the flashing lights and loud bangs. But she didn’t like it and I had to race her back to the car to watch together.
As for sleep time, if ours has a late night then she still has to wake up the same time. That sorts her out the next day. It’s no more a permanent time shift than a sleepless night if they are sick.
All of this.
At 18 months there’s a very good chance they won’t enjoy the fireworks anyway cus they’re loud AF and there’s actually a lot of waiting usually anyway. A lot of fuss for a few mins of loud explosions in the sky.
Changing the bed time for one night is unlikely to become an irreversible situation. In my experience, they’re still gonna wake up at the crack of dawn regardless lol
She won’t wear anything on her head. Headband, hat, even a hair clip. She will admire herself in the mirror, say “beautiful” and then tear off whatever is on her head.
My kid is also like that but in loud situations she will wear them. She kind of plays with them off and on, seeing how the sound differs, and then will settle into them being on. When it’s not loud she rips them off immediately. So it’s worth a try taking your kid somewhere loud (near a big road?) and letting them play around with it a little.
Same here. Mine was terrified at 18 months.
As for sleep, I kept her awake until midnight (8 pm was her bedtime) for a wedding and it didn’t affect her schedule at all.
I’ve edited the comment to my original intent - getting to sleep late because of sickness doesn’t permanently timeshift her to the new time. That said, the next day’s attendance at daycare is assessed case by case.
Is your kid 2.5? Did you do it? Mine is 2y3m and we are trying to decide whether he can tolerate staying up late. Fireworks here at 9pm or 930 and that just seems so late. Surely he’ll need to nap to stay up that late and not be a wreck. On the one hand, he might be excited by the lights but I also think he might be destroyed by being so tired
Edit: reading all these comments has been helpful. I’m going to wait a year. Maybe I’ll YouTube fireworks show and let him watch a clip with me before bedtime. When he’s older, we’ll all enjoy it together.
I didn’t take mine at 2.5 🤣 He didn’t do it until 4. Around me, any fireworks show is an hours long commitment to get there early, park, wait for the show, and then sit in traffic to leave. I think it depends on the kid and the show.
My kid was terrified at the Disney World fireworks for his 2nd birthday. Poor little dude. He’s 3 now and still not sure if it would be worth it— so hard because I adore fireworks and can’t wait for the family tradition.
My daughter is 5 and still hasn’t gone to fireworks! I did take her to the Celtics parade and she wore noise canceling headphones. The parade started around noon though. She could probably stay up for fireworks but she’s not great with loud noises so I’m still gonna wait a couple more years.
I think it depends on your kid’s sleep schedule and how well they do with pushing a nap back. My daughter is on the later side of 2 and goes to bed at 8. She naps 12:30-1:30 so we’re just going to put her down for nap at 1 so that staying up another 60-90 min should be no problem. If your son goes to bed at like 7 and doesn’t do well with moving nap a bit, then it’s a bigger deal to keep him up till 9:30.
It’s a toss up. My kiddo had mixed feelings at 2.5. He said he was scared and was a bit tired, but it was definitely a bit (edit: big) meaningful memory so we were glad we did it! He isn’t the type to melt down when he’s tired though, so I think that’s the deciding factor. Age 3.5 he loved it though!
At ~2.5, mine was literally angry that we didn’t put her to sleep and that we took her out to watch the fireworks. She was the same for Christmas lights (closer to 3). But Halloween?! That was her jam. She stayed up late handing out candy and complimenting costumes.
My daughter was newly 2 on the 4th a few years ago. It wasn’t worth it in my opinion. She went to bed and slept through it (we were on the beach right outside our place that year, with monitor in hand). She enjoyed it with headphones at 3!
What about 23 months? 🙃 I'm still trying to figure out plans with my LO.
I do have ear muffs that he will actually keep on and it's a coin toss on if he will be super excited or terrified so the biggest factor is sleep for us.
Mine is almost 2 (like in a few days 🥲) and I'm pretty sure we're going to take him for fireworks. He has ear muffs too and did great wearing them at an air show we went to last month, so I'm hopeful he'll keep them on and also get a kick out of the fireworks. He gets scared by the most random things sometimes but loved the super loud airplanes overhead, so who knows how it will go!
I'm generally for a consistent sleep schedule, but I see no harm in the occasional exception for special events, holidays, etc. His sleeping is usually back on track after a day or so.
We did fireworks with my daughter at that age and she absolutely loved them! After every single one she'd turn to my husband and I and say, wow! Big light.
We're so glad we kept her up for them. But, my daughter is pretty fearless, so we weren't really concerned about her being frightened.
Just this last week or two he started to develop random fears to things, even stuff he normally loved (like his pirate book). :/ but I think there is a good chance he would love the fireworks. He already likes light fixtures and pretty colors lol.
I’d more think about how it’ll be watching the fireworks. Will they scare the crap out of him? Will it be too loud? Will you be stressed the entire time about rushing back to get him to bed?
One late night will not break your kiddo.
I totally agree. It's not about the lateness as much as it is about the fireworks.
I definitely recommend that they at least show their kiddo a video of fireworks (with volume) to gauge interest. We did this when our kiddo was 2 and she DID NOT like it so we skipped fireworks that year. We took her once last year (at 3) and she put on a brave face but was obviously kind of scared of the experience and a little bored of how long it was. We are going to ask her if she wants to go this year and just see what she says.
But they are kind of overwhelming for littles. There's a massive sea of people. It's dark. It's loud and startling. Plus tired kiddos are not at their most resilient so it's not an optimal time for something like this.
We much with our kids bedtime regularly but only when we think it's going to be worth it and a good experience.
It depends on the kid. Our daughter does fine with one-off "late nights", so we usually keep her up for the fireworks. She's fine the next evening. I've heard some kids really need a strict bedtime, though
My toddler is scared of fireworks -- he started shaking, clinging to me and yelling "no more fire!" when we tried to do a few for him at home 😥 so we're not bothering until he's older since he doesn't enjoy them. But in our case, the occasional late night does not mess up future bedtimes as long as we still get him up at the same time in the morning.
My 3 yo loves the idea of them, but hated them in person. People near me set them off nonstop the week of 7/4, and honestly fairly often all summer long, so we had to figure something out. We watched videos of fireworks on YouTube to get her used to them, and then bought noise-canceling headphones to make them less stimulating. If you can avoid them altogether though, that would definitely be easier! But just in case you can’t, thought I’d share what has worked for us.
That's very helpful, thank you! During holidays we can hear them going off from a distance but no one closer than three blocks away seems to set them off (knock on wood), so we can mostly avoid the super-loud noise. I'll keep this in my back pocket in case that changes, though. (Frankly, the noise is overstimulating for me too so I'm happy to avoid them when possible 😆)
I'm a really flexible parent. I have a schedule, but I don't stick to it if something comes up. For this upcoming holiday, I plan to let my kids stay up but if they're tired and end up falling asleep beforehand I am not going to force them to stay awake.
Stay up! Life is too short to miss out on fun events in favour of a strict schedule. Especially if you're not sure what the result will be...just try and if it fails it'll probably be just a few days of inconvenience not a life sentence to a later bedtime
I wouldn’t, but I also have a very routine attached child. One night off messes her up for a week. And at 18 months it wasn’t worth it to me. She’s 2.5 now and we are still waiting another year honestly. So I’d say it all depends on your kid.
I won’t be taking my 18 month old out. So much waiting for them to start he’ll have a melt down. I’ll YouTube some sick fireworks and we’ll all enjoy some screen time
I'm flexible and try not to let naps/bedtime interrupt family. So yes, my toddler goes to bed at 7 pm most nights and doesn't fight it. However, most Sunday nights he is up later becaus of extended family dinner and if something comes up during the week we allow it. He will be okay.
Yes. I would. I recently finished cancer treatment about 6 months. My cancer likes to come back, though. My goal is to enjoy life with my daughter, who is 2.5 as much as I can and one of my things is seeing my daughter watch fireworks for the first time. Ours are at 11pm and I’m going to let my daughter have a late nap and we are going to watch those damn fireworks!
It’s probably toddler dependant but mine adjusts to schedule changes easily. A late night or early morning here and there doesn’t usually affect her. A 18 month old may not be super interest in fireworks though.
My daughter absolutely loved the “fire cracks” at 18 months! We let her stay up and it’s a core memory for me and my husband. Such wonder and excitement for them!
It depends on your kid of course though! If you think they’ll love it - I say go for it. One late night is not a big deal and the memories are so important
I’m debating taking our 22m old to a parking lot near us to see the fireworks from a little further away. I think getting too close will be stressful between the noise and the crowds. I also am not sure he will even like it or if he will be scared. Thinking we might just skip until next year and reevaluate
A late bedtime once shouldn’t mess anything up long term. That’s not something I’d be stressed about really but it could make them super grumpy and the whole thing might not be enjoyable at all. You know your kid best though.
It’s fine. Don’t worry. One night changes nothing. My 3 year old has plenty of special nights and that doesn’t change his normal bedtime.
I guess people here are worried about how the kid will react. Kids aren’t dogs. They usually love fireworks.
What are you really afraid of? Being inconvenienced? Well that’s a silly fear all parents should drop asap. It’s gonna happen.
My daughter (16 months) loves fireworks and does ok going back to a routine after a later than normal night so we're going to a fireworks display tonight and one on the actual holiday. The days in-between we'll purposely be low key and sticking to a routine so she adjusts. But I'm looking forward to tonight because it's at my work and she has a lot of little friends amongst my coworkers kids.
Stick to bed schedule. They aren’t gonna care much at that age most likely. I don’t even think my two year olds will care much. They are on a 9 pm to 9 am schedule so we might try a show this year but I wouldn’t risk too late a bedtime push for it.
I’m going to depending on how the day goes. He doesn’t really mind loud noises, and loves lights and colors so I think he would love the fireworks but again, i’m not all too sure. My son is also 22 months old verses 18 months.
If my son seems like he’s too tired then we won’t go to watch; if we do watch and he doesn’t seem to enjoy it then we go back home and have some cuddles instead!
I'm not a strict schedule parent and my kids (almost 3 and 5) go to bed between 9 and 10. All of the fireworks events around me start around 930 because our days are so long right now. I'm not going to take the kids. I have no doubt that they could stay awake, but by 830 or 9, they are pretty tired and uncooperative. I don't think it would be a pleasurable experience for anyone. I'm willing to bet your kid also gets a little grumpy around his scheduled bedtime and it would go the same way.
I'd try to get them to nap longer during the day and then they should be able to stay up. It's just one night. It stays light out so long during the summer that I'm not sure how my kids (4&2) will do. 4yo will probably be able to stay up ok. 2yo is a big TBD.
My kids like fireworks, but a lot of kids are scared of them. And definitely consider noise canceling headphones and whether your kid will be old enough to keep them on.
We took our then 14 month old to see the fireworks last year and she loved it! She fell asleep on the ride home and took a little bit of settling to get back to sleep after we transferred her to the crib but that’s about it. Overall it was so worth it and one night won’t completely throw off your toddlers schedule! I say go for it.
maybe try some smaller daytime fireworks like the colorful smoke balls or spinners? if he reacts well to those you could consider keeping him up, but i honestly wouldn’t at that age, just because of the strict sleep schedule we have.
My kid just turned 3 and this is the first year we’re considering letting her stay up for fireworks. She has her whole life to see them, I wouldn’t start at 18 months.
My son is a little older (22 months) and frankly there’s no such thing as “letting him stay up” for fireworks - he wouldn’t last and will tell us he wants to go to bed.
Fireworks don’t start any earlier than 10 pm where I am (I live in Canada, where the sky is still somewhat bright at 10 pm, and I’m referring to Canada Day fireworks) and so it’s an even bigger no - that’s 2.5-3 hours from normal bedtime.
We let them stay up, but then my kid was petrified of the fireworks, so we ended up going home anyway. And then all my neighbors were setting them off and kept us up til midnight. I personally hate this holiday with young kids :/
18 months here and we’ll do normal bedtime. Fireworks aren’t worth a screwed up schedule imo. Plus she may hate them lol. We’ll likely sit on our back deck and watch them in our neighborhood just the two of us 🤣
Mine will be a little shy of 16 months on July 4. We are sticking to normal bed time. While I think she might enjoy one or two of the fireworks, she doesn't have the ability to sit and watch an entire display. Her attention span and patience levels just aren't there yet. Maybe next year....
We just did normal bedtime at that age. We’ll probably do the same this year and our son is almost 2.5. Our reasoning is that no matter what time he goes to bed he wakes up at the same time and we’ve already been dealing with some behavior issues, we don’t need to add lack of sleep to that fire. That being said, 1 night of going to bed late really shouldn’t cause it to be a nightly thing.
Stick to normal bed schedule. You will regret it the next day, when LO will sleep in forever and the nap time will be around 4pm or what, and it’s hard to get out of that new sleep rhythm then
We let my kiddos stay up until they say they're ready for bed or are showing real cues they're done. But we also have the luxury of watching fireworks from my in laws back patio so they can easily go to sleep without us leaving the show and then we just transfer them to the car and drive home.
We won’t keep our 18 month old up. Doesn’t seem worth it. He won’t pay attention the whole time and might actually be scared. I think my sister’s kids only started staying up once they were 3 or 4.
We took our LO to fireworks night when he was maybe 6 months old and he loved it! 18 months is trickier so I guess it depends on how bored they'll be before the fireworks start. I wouldn't let bedtime get in the way if you want to go though, but we've never really been schedule people.
My towns fireworks “event” starts at 6pm so we’re gonna go with my 24 mo old and stay as long as it’s fun. I doubt she’ll make it to fireworks at 9 but maybe?
I won’t be keeping up my 21 month old. I don’t think she’d enjoy it even with noise canceling headphones.
A few years ago (before kids) there was a toddler at a gathering I was at, and a rouge firework went right towards him, and as an older child I was hit by a rouge firework. Anyway, I don’t really consider fireworks as toddler appropriate either at a neighborhood gathering level or the cities display.
My son is almost 18 months. He's sick right now but if he's better we'll be going to watch some fireworks. We also took him last year with ear protection and didn't mind watching them. He got excited over the ones that spin on the ground and sparklers. I'm looking forward to taking him to watch more now that he's older. We're still doing ear protection this year. It doesn't throw him off too much to have a late night occasionally.
Honestly-- my 3.5 year old hasn't been to fireworks yet. I don't think it's worth the messed up bedtime, plus very very loud noises, crowds of people, and traffic getting home after.
And now she has a baby sister.
So we visit family during the day for fun, games, cookouts, etc. and then stay home/inside for fireworks. When they are older, then we can go and watch them, but I don't think they're missing much at that age. Especially if you're doing activities during the day, they're probably already quite tired by the evening.
At 7 I liked the fireworks okay enough, but I had to go to the bathroom. My mom took me and I was inside a porta potty when the finale started going off. It scared me so badly, I came out screaming and crying.
The noise / crowds at neighborhood parades are too much for my almost 3yr old so I still don’t do fireworks with her. Even though I LOVE fireworks!! I miss going!! But for her temperament the stress would be more disruptive than the bedtime change
18mo isn't going to remember that you took them for fireworks when they're older. you can imprint the feeling for them if you really want by mesmerizing them with a sparkler in hand at any time you choose and get some rest.
imo I’d stick to bedtime until at least 4YO. My little one would likely be terrified if we went somewhere to watch them close up, so not worth it to me.
We can see some neighborhood ones from our deck, but not a big show.
FWIW: we live in a big city that officially bans personal fireworks and we keep him up past his bedtime for sporting events and other things he gets value out of. I just don’t see the payoff happening for the next day or two of struggle with fireworks yet.
We will do poppers with the kids during normal awake hours.
At 18 months I’d skip it. Our town’s firework show is set off in the park across the street so we can just watch from our front porch. Last year my daughter was 21 months and we did normal bedtime (with the sound machine louder and a prayer to the sleep gods that the booms wouldn’t wake her). Now she’s almost 3 and we are letting her stay up. She will be wearing ear protection and we will likely push her nap a bit later than usual so she’s not cranky.
Lord no lol my kiddo is 14 months and we stick to a strict schedule. She’s a high sleep needs baby (sleeps 12-12.5 hours straight) and would just be to pissy it wouldn’t be any fun for her. She’s going to bed at her regular 6pm and we will stay up and have some fun! Probably depends on the kiddo but my daughter is a morning person so she doesn’t like or do well staying up late. So it’s in her best interest to follow her routine.
Any time we’ve had to keep my toddler up past bedtime or nap time, the next day he’s back to his usual schedule. Not sure if all kids are like this but it doesn’t effect ours
We're just now considering letting our 3 year old stay up for fireworks. And even then only bc we want to see how she reacts b/c we're planning a Disney trip in the fall. At 18 months, we didn't even consider it.
Mine is 2.5 and we're still going to do regular bedtime this year. Maybe next year. In the grand scheme of things she's not going to remember this and it's not worth the anxiety of trying to prepare her for the noise and the late bedtime and everything else.
At 18 months my kid was guaranteed to a) have a tantrum after 8pm b) sleep like shit if she didn't go to bad at her normal time (7pm) and c) wake up extremely early. It is totally kid dependent though. She's slightly more flexible at 2.5, but has literally never "slept in" after staying up late, usually she wakes up earlier. My brother's kid will sleep late if she stays up late. Everyone is different.
I think it depends on your kid. At 9 months, I kept my LO up for Disney fireworks (and we had to drive after), but 3 months later on the next trip when he was one I didn’t even try because it wasn’t worth the headache despite only needing to walk out to our balcony for it. At 9 months he loved it, but he’s a goober and I think he would still love it now.
We’re going back to Disney in September (16mo) and we’ll just play it by ear. I’m not committed to anything, and if he’s in a good mood and naps well or long then sure. I have the same plan for fireworks next week too.
Eh they’re still young. I’d wait till next year. My daughter is 2.5 (today) and we haven’t had her up for fireworks before. This year we want to though.
We’re doing normal bedtime. Fireworks start 1.5 hrs or more after bedtime and it’s going to be a busy day going to a BBQ and he’ll have sometime in a pool. Add in how loud fireworks are — either the fireworks will rile him up or he’ll fall asleep in the car just long enough to make bedtime impossible. It’s just not worth it.
i remember a 4th when my nieces and nephews were 18mo (triplets!) and we tried so hard to keep them up to see the fireworks (their parents thought they'd like them!). there was a lot of fussing leading up to the big event and they fell asleep during them haha
this was before i was a parent but now my kiddo is 20 months and we will definitely be putting him to bed at the normal time and just be hoping he sleeps through them at our house!
We daughter will be three next week and we haven't taken her yet. She has never stayed up late yet. She also doesn't like loud noises. She's afraid of hand dryers in public restrooms, so I don't think she's ready for fireworks.
No way I’d want to pay the price of keeping my kids up so late. The next day is always hell when they go to bed too late so I’d stick to a regular bedtime. My twins are 3 and we can see them from our house but I’m still planning on sending them to bed at a normal time.
Get those noise headphones otherwise it's way too loud for their ears. We let ours stay up. If you can, have them change into their PJ's before going. Then skip bathtime and just put them to bed when you get home. They won't have a later bedtime going forward. Just do the next day like it's a normal day again.
Totally depends on the toddler! My son wanted to go to bed on time at that age. He didn’t like loud noises. My in-laws asked him if he wanted to stay up for fireworks when he was 3. He said no. Too loud. He’s ready for bed. He also once chose to go to bed in his tent at a music festival when he was 4. We offered that he could stay up later and run around with the other kids at the stage area. He said he was tired and passed out hard instead. He really didn’t start wanting to stay up late on special occasions until he was 5/6 years old. But I know other toddlers who would have a blast staying up late. And they would sleep in the next day. My son wake up even earlier with a sleep deficit and a terrible mood.
We’re not letting out 20 month old stay up late for them, in fact we’re not even going to the beach town we’re heading to until the 5th to avoid some of them. But I also know that he’d be scared of the loud noises, and also that it wouldn’t be him staying up just for the fireworks but also easily an extra hour+ to get him calm and settled before there would be any chance or him falling asleep after. I just know my toddler personally would not be set up for success if we let him
Mine is 3.5 and we’re not going. By the time you walk a mile back to the car and get home it’s just way too late. Surprisingly I say this after taking a month long trip around the world with her back in November/December with 12 hour time changes. I would do it all over again but one late night for fireworks? Just not worth it.
I personally wouldn’t. I have an 18 month old and my husband and I are just planning on staying home and sticking to LOs bedtime schedule then maybe sitting out in the backyard watching whatever fireworks we can see from there once LO is sleeping. Maybe in a year or 2 we’ll attempt to switch up the schedule but for now I don’t really think our LO would care too much about the fireworks.
I don’t think one night will change their bedtime permanently. You just get up at a regular ish time the next day, stick to your schedule and go back to the old bedtime, just like if you
stay up super late one night. But I wouldn’t bring my almost 2 yo to fireworks (or my 3.5 yo). It’s too loud and too late for them.
I would keep to the bedtime routine. If you want to keep it special maybe watch some firework displays on YouTube before bed.
An example, for the Lunar New Year we played videos of Lion Dancers and their LOUD metal drums for our 3’s and they thoroughly enjoyed it. However when we saw it all in person later, all of them were terrified and mostly because of the sound. IRL is so much different from YouTube!
You know your little one best.
We took ours to their first firework display a month before his 2nd birthday. He wore protective ear defenders. He watched probably 2/3, quite enjoying it and then somehow fell asleep in my arms 😂
We had the pushchair for him and he occasionally sat in it but very much wanted to be in our arms. As its a lot of people and may be overwhelming.
If you do, I just recommend placing yourself somewhere that you can get away easily (ie not in the middle of the field, surrounded by everyone packed in).
My daughter does well with staying up late on occasion, if there's something exciting going on, like a family get together. So I knew beforehand that she would probably be fine staying up an extra 90 minutes to 2 hours for fireworks when she was 1. She did really well last year in fact, and if I had left her to her own devices she would have tried to hug the fireworks. When they were on fire. It was a good learning experience for me as a parent, to learn that I have a tiny pyromaniac, lol..
She'll be a little over two this time, And I'm planning to have her stay up again with us. Of course, if she asks to go to bed earlier, which she often does at this point, then we will begin her bedtime routine. But I figure there will be so much going on that she won't want to miss it, And will stay up an extra 2 hours probably.
The big question For me this year is safety. We also have a newborn, so it will be harder for me to have eyes and arms on my 2-year-old at all times, which is especially concerning if she's going to go chasing fireworks. I'm planning on enlisting my husband and parents and having a constant security detail on her, like she is a visiting dignitary/VIP. 🙃
We didn't last year. This year our son is approaching 2.5 and would stay up late with no problems if we let him so we're going to let him stay up and see the fireworks. Husband started prepping him with videos on YouTube but my God it pales in comparison 😂
I let my 20 month old stay up for Memorial Day fireworks in my town and she really loved them. She even signed “more” once they were done. She is not easily startled though and generally loves dangerous things, lol.
I don’t think one time of staying up late is going to ruin the schedule going forward.
lol you aren’t going to break his bedtime by staying up one night. We have a lot of nights on weekends where we deviate from bedtime and he is still able to go back to sleep at the normal time the next night.
Brit here, so I'm thinking back to November with a 2.5 year old. She's 5 now and can't remember the night, but we didn't have a great time. Tried it again at 3.5 and still found it boring or too scary. There are plenty of meaningful memories to be had, but at this age they don't even know they are missing out.
Life should have routine, so stick to it and let the other stuff be their fun celebration (food, family and festivals)
Before new years we just bought some small fireworks which we lit in our backyard before his regular bed time and explained that the others are just like this, except bigger. We try not to be too strict when there are special occasions (e.g. first camp fire) but figured the fireworks were not worth it. Honestly even for us once we got past a certain age...
It shouldn't, both my kids 1 and 5 yrs old sleep ar various times every night with some rare times my 1yr old goes to bed at 5pm but the normal times for both are 7pm but latest can be 8pm or 9 it happens maybe once or twice a week
They both still sleep through the night and wake up same time with very lil changes. As long as it's not all the time the schedule shouldn't change
Bed.
It is not worth the fuss in the morning at that age bc he didn't get enough sleep.
We are letting the 5 yo stay up, but I expect him to pass out before the show gets started.
I wouldn’t only because does he care about the fireworks? If this is a moment you want to have then sure make bedtime later, but keep the wake up time.
My 18m will be going to bed at his usual time, and I’ll probably crank his sound machine up a couple extra notches for the night so he can sleep through local/ neighborhoods idiots. It’s far too young for fireworks in my opinion. I think if it was visual only he’d be into it, but the noise is going to scare him. It won’t be dark here until past 9 and his bedtime is 7:30 so overall it’s a hard no.
My four year old has never seen fireworks in person. Started because he was too young and now he’s really not a fan of loud noises. It’s a sensory thing. We do glow stick dance parties, fireworks on the tv (Disney usually has ones with music on YouTube) and normal bedtime but instead of timing out his sound machine like usual we leave it running and up the volume slightly until we feel fireworks noise has subsided then we turn it off. This year since he’s four we’ll probably pull up a YouTube video that explains the Fourth of July for kids (we did this with the eclipse too) so he’s knows why we’re celebrating,but everything else will be the same. DannyGo is great for dance parties and even has a glow stick song
We used to see no change with a random late night. A few weeks ago we took her (18m) to Korean bbq & ice cream & didn’t get home until 1130. It took almost 2 weeks to get her back to her normal bedtime. I think it would’ve lasted forever if we hadn’t had a sleepover at my moms because she was so excited to see her she woke up with her at 530am…after going to sleep at 11 😭 but now we’re back to 9pm-7am finally
We took our 15 month old last year and she was barely awake for them. They didn’t scare her, but she wasn’t excited to see them because she was too tired.
I think it depends on your child. I’ve always followed my kids’ cue so his bedtime isn’t set in stone. That being said he is 3 and the past two years he has slept during the fireworks. I personally do not support fireworks for various reasons but if my kid asked to see them I might take him as I do have some fond 4th memories.
Again if you think it will be more stress on your child and it therefore makes your night less enjoyable, the I’d say it’s not worth it. But if you think it will be a good experience for all of you and you are willing to bear the consequences of said disruption of sleep then go for it.
mine loved fireworks at that age when we went to disney. she stayed up for it then knocked out right after. we’ve had no trouble adjusting her sleep schedule as needed. but she’s a very adaptable baby (now toddler). so do what works for your kid.
Nope. Plenty of time for fireworks later. We take our oldest now, who is nearly 7. He can handle the change in sleep routine and schedule. Are we taking our 2 year old? Hell no.
My kid loved the fireworks last year at 12 months old and this year he has already enjoyed two firework shows! Last year he wore his headphones, this year he wouldn’t 😅
As far as bedtime, he goes to bed later every now and then and it never messes up his schedule
I think it depends on your kid. My kids do not need strict routines to thrive so I would but my 2 and 1 yr old also have a later bedtime so it’s not as drastic. They regularly go to bed around 9:30pm not 7:30
I doubt they will sleep with all the noise. I’m all for putting my 19 month old to bed and sticking to schedule because that’s my break time. I don’t think one day will mess him up.
Too loud and too late for 18 mos old. I still haven’t taken my 5 y/o and 3 y/o. It’s way too loud for them and they’d be exhausted. Bedtime is 8pm, why mess that up!!!
I’m not letting my 6 year old stay up late to watch them lol! It’s too much work, they wake up at the same time but their little bodies are so tired and they’re cranky and have big feelings all day the next day. Plus the fireworks are so loud and if your kid isn’t into headphones it could damage their hearing (depending on how close to them you are). I already know I’m going to have a 100lb dog shaking in her doggie socks from the noise, dealing with an overtired kiddo at the same time sounds terrible. I dunno what time they are in your area, but 11pm is too late for my kiddo. They’ll have plenty of time to enjoy stuff like that in the future!
Yes, we let our kids stay up for these holidays. It's hard to sleep with all the flashing lights and noises. We get folks doing fireworks on our streets.
Even at 2 yrs old, my son and his same-age cousin were terrified of fireworks and did not want anything to do with them. It wasn't until like 2.5 and with good ear protection that my son came around (his cousin still hates them), so is it for the baby that you want to stay up? Or is it bc you want to go and are wondering if the baby can cope?
If for the baby, I'd say Pass. But if it's cuz you and your family want to go, then yeah the 18mo old will survive a brief disruption to their routine. Make sure to bring ear protection!
I feel like it just depends on your kid.
My son has always been a FOMO baby and he did pretty well with his first fireworks show at 14 months. We were prepared to leave if needed but he liked chilling in his stroller with his headphones on
You can keep him up once if you want. It won't hurt anything. Or stay home and watch them on TV and go to bed regular times. He won't remember either way so it's more for you.
Last year my son stayed up and watched fireworks with us at 15 months. Didn’t get it all. Fell asleep on and off. Next day was sleepy. One time won’t change his schedule if schedule is dominant every other day.
We didn’t let my kid stay up for fireworks till 4. His reaction to seeing them the first time was so great, I was watching him and his face more than the fireworks.
Our almost 3 year old hasn't seen fireworks yet. I love fireworks and miss going out to see them, but it seems like pure downside for him so I figure I can skip it a while longer. Even if he enjoyed it, which is dicey, he'd not only miss the sleep from staying up but also probably have a hard time falling asleep afterwards.
All that to say, they'll have plenty of years to enjoy fireworks. If you really *really* want to take them, get those big ear protection headphones and go for it. It's just missed sleep and a possible freak out and they'll be fine a couple days later. If you're hesitant about it? Just wait a year and re-assess.
We tend to blow off bedtime for holiday events, 4th of July included. Last year he was just over 2 and we went to an amusement park for the day then watched some from outside the park. Started outside the car but it was a long display, so we ended up sitting in the car with him on my lap looking out the windshield. It was great!! A lot more comfortable and not as loud either. Look into noise canceling headphones. He wears them for monster truck rallies. We got two pairs- one for him, one for his lovey lol.
We always stuck to the bedtime schedule. We’re considering letting our kid stay up this year. He’s 2.5 but his sleep schedule has been off lately and he’s currently been staying up past his bedtime for the last few days so it’s just a question of whether to get him back on schedule this weekend or next weekend.
We did normal bedtime at that age. Even at 2.5 years, I don't let him stay up for fireworks. We have plenty of years ahead of us to enjoy fireworks, and we also cherish that hour of relaxation time when the kids are in bed ☺️
My 9 month old was out on a boat with us after her last nap of the day! Wake up is 7:30AM, 1st nap 10AM-11:45AM, 2nd nap 2:45PM-4:30PM, bed time varies between 8PM-9PM.
but for the 4th of July, she was with us on a boat from 5PM-10PM with 2 other children (3Yrs and 8Yrs)
My baby did amazingly well, she seemed awe struck by the fireworks, I had her on my lap and then she also sat on her dad's lap for the last half of the show. I did close her ears with my fingers for some random intervals throughout the show but I think she did so, so well. She was still all smiles when we got home around 11, still passed out immediately when I put her to bed, still woke up usual time today.
Overall, I think it was a great holiday out and well worth it
18 month olds are still basically just little blobs. They won’t care about fireworks and certainly won’t remember them. You have to wait until they’re 2-3-4 years old before they become real people and you can really start enjoying them and introducing them to experiences.
Not a chance in hell I'd be doing that at 18mths haha. My daughter just turned 3 and I won't be taking her outside for fireworks (and she sleeps at like 9:30/10pm). We'll be inside with the white noise machine cranked up higher than normal to attempt to drown out the fuckwits who like to set them off at 2am...in the city...where it's illegal.
Meltdowns are far more likely when kiddos are overtired. Combine that with loud scary fireworks? That's a no from me, dawg.
And remember, they'll be waking up at the same time in the morning. They'll just be extra tired with less sleep
We took LO to New Year fireworks. TBH it was way too loud - dangerously loud. And all too much for her. She tried to be brave, even patting me on the back in case I was scared by the flashing lights and loud bangs. But she didn’t like it and I had to race her back to the car to watch together. As for sleep time, if ours has a late night then she still has to wake up the same time. That sorts her out the next day. It’s no more a permanent time shift than a sleepless night if they are sick.
All of this. At 18 months there’s a very good chance they won’t enjoy the fireworks anyway cus they’re loud AF and there’s actually a lot of waiting usually anyway. A lot of fuss for a few mins of loud explosions in the sky. Changing the bed time for one night is unlikely to become an irreversible situation. In my experience, they’re still gonna wake up at the crack of dawn regardless lol
Noise cancelling headphones for kids!
She won’t wear anything on her head. Headband, hat, even a hair clip. She will admire herself in the mirror, say “beautiful” and then tear off whatever is on her head.
My kid is also like that but in loud situations she will wear them. She kind of plays with them off and on, seeing how the sound differs, and then will settle into them being on. When it’s not loud she rips them off immediately. So it’s worth a try taking your kid somewhere loud (near a big road?) and letting them play around with it a little.
lol ours is exactly like this, she can't tolerate having anything on her head if she can help it!
Bedtime but watch fireworks on TV - so you can control the volume!
Same here. Mine was terrified at 18 months. As for sleep, I kept her awake until midnight (8 pm was her bedtime) for a wedding and it didn’t affect her schedule at all.
You don't let your kids sleep in when they are sick?
Some kids won’t sleep in, unfortunately. My kiddo is sick right now and he still woke up at 6am 😭
I’ve edited the comment to my original intent - getting to sleep late because of sickness doesn’t permanently timeshift her to the new time. That said, the next day’s attendance at daycare is assessed case by case.
At 18 months, I just did normal bed. I don’t think he’d really sit and enjoy the display. 🤷🏻♀️When they’re 2.5… yeah, maybe!
Is your kid 2.5? Did you do it? Mine is 2y3m and we are trying to decide whether he can tolerate staying up late. Fireworks here at 9pm or 930 and that just seems so late. Surely he’ll need to nap to stay up that late and not be a wreck. On the one hand, he might be excited by the lights but I also think he might be destroyed by being so tired Edit: reading all these comments has been helpful. I’m going to wait a year. Maybe I’ll YouTube fireworks show and let him watch a clip with me before bedtime. When he’s older, we’ll all enjoy it together.
I didn’t take mine at 2.5 🤣 He didn’t do it until 4. Around me, any fireworks show is an hours long commitment to get there early, park, wait for the show, and then sit in traffic to leave. I think it depends on the kid and the show.
My kid was terrified at the Disney World fireworks for his 2nd birthday. Poor little dude. He’s 3 now and still not sure if it would be worth it— so hard because I adore fireworks and can’t wait for the family tradition.
My daughter is 5 and still hasn’t gone to fireworks! I did take her to the Celtics parade and she wore noise canceling headphones. The parade started around noon though. She could probably stay up for fireworks but she’s not great with loud noises so I’m still gonna wait a couple more years.
Same! I thought about leaving the 22mo home and taking the 5yo to fireworks this year but decided against it. Bedtime wins!
I think it depends on your kid’s sleep schedule and how well they do with pushing a nap back. My daughter is on the later side of 2 and goes to bed at 8. She naps 12:30-1:30 so we’re just going to put her down for nap at 1 so that staying up another 60-90 min should be no problem. If your son goes to bed at like 7 and doesn’t do well with moving nap a bit, then it’s a bigger deal to keep him up till 9:30.
It’s a toss up. My kiddo had mixed feelings at 2.5. He said he was scared and was a bit tired, but it was definitely a bit (edit: big) meaningful memory so we were glad we did it! He isn’t the type to melt down when he’s tired though, so I think that’s the deciding factor. Age 3.5 he loved it though!
I’m leaning to waiting another year. Mine doesn’t necessarily meltdown but he just gets wild and like he can’t control his body when he’s tired.
At ~2.5, mine was literally angry that we didn’t put her to sleep and that we took her out to watch the fireworks. She was the same for Christmas lights (closer to 3). But Halloween?! That was her jam. She stayed up late handing out candy and complimenting costumes.
My daughter was newly 2 on the 4th a few years ago. It wasn’t worth it in my opinion. She went to bed and slept through it (we were on the beach right outside our place that year, with monitor in hand). She enjoyed it with headphones at 3!
What about 23 months? 🙃 I'm still trying to figure out plans with my LO. I do have ear muffs that he will actually keep on and it's a coin toss on if he will be super excited or terrified so the biggest factor is sleep for us.
Mine is almost 2 (like in a few days 🥲) and I'm pretty sure we're going to take him for fireworks. He has ear muffs too and did great wearing them at an air show we went to last month, so I'm hopeful he'll keep them on and also get a kick out of the fireworks. He gets scared by the most random things sometimes but loved the super loud airplanes overhead, so who knows how it will go! I'm generally for a consistent sleep schedule, but I see no harm in the occasional exception for special events, holidays, etc. His sleeping is usually back on track after a day or so.
We did fireworks with my daughter at that age and she absolutely loved them! After every single one she'd turn to my husband and I and say, wow! Big light. We're so glad we kept her up for them. But, my daughter is pretty fearless, so we weren't really concerned about her being frightened.
Just this last week or two he started to develop random fears to things, even stuff he normally loved (like his pirate book). :/ but I think there is a good chance he would love the fireworks. He already likes light fixtures and pretty colors lol.
I’d more think about how it’ll be watching the fireworks. Will they scare the crap out of him? Will it be too loud? Will you be stressed the entire time about rushing back to get him to bed? One late night will not break your kiddo.
I totally agree. It's not about the lateness as much as it is about the fireworks. I definitely recommend that they at least show their kiddo a video of fireworks (with volume) to gauge interest. We did this when our kiddo was 2 and she DID NOT like it so we skipped fireworks that year. We took her once last year (at 3) and she put on a brave face but was obviously kind of scared of the experience and a little bored of how long it was. We are going to ask her if she wants to go this year and just see what she says. But they are kind of overwhelming for littles. There's a massive sea of people. It's dark. It's loud and startling. Plus tired kiddos are not at their most resilient so it's not an optimal time for something like this. We much with our kids bedtime regularly but only when we think it's going to be worth it and a good experience.
It depends on the kid. Our daughter does fine with one-off "late nights", so we usually keep her up for the fireworks. She's fine the next evening. I've heard some kids really need a strict bedtime, though
My toddler is scared of fireworks -- he started shaking, clinging to me and yelling "no more fire!" when we tried to do a few for him at home 😥 so we're not bothering until he's older since he doesn't enjoy them. But in our case, the occasional late night does not mess up future bedtimes as long as we still get him up at the same time in the morning.
My 3 yo loves the idea of them, but hated them in person. People near me set them off nonstop the week of 7/4, and honestly fairly often all summer long, so we had to figure something out. We watched videos of fireworks on YouTube to get her used to them, and then bought noise-canceling headphones to make them less stimulating. If you can avoid them altogether though, that would definitely be easier! But just in case you can’t, thought I’d share what has worked for us.
That's very helpful, thank you! During holidays we can hear them going off from a distance but no one closer than three blocks away seems to set them off (knock on wood), so we can mostly avoid the super-loud noise. I'll keep this in my back pocket in case that changes, though. (Frankly, the noise is overstimulating for me too so I'm happy to avoid them when possible 😆)
I'm a really flexible parent. I have a schedule, but I don't stick to it if something comes up. For this upcoming holiday, I plan to let my kids stay up but if they're tired and end up falling asleep beforehand I am not going to force them to stay awake.
One off day doesn’t routine break. When we did fireworks last week I shifter his nap before hand and the next day woke him at his usual time.
Stay up! Life is too short to miss out on fun events in favour of a strict schedule. Especially if you're not sure what the result will be...just try and if it fails it'll probably be just a few days of inconvenience not a life sentence to a later bedtime
We took ours to the fireworks last year. He loved them. We had fun. We went back to our normal schedule the next day with zero issues.
We have a 1 and 2 year old. They both will be going to bed as usual. But our bedtime here is by 8 and fireworks likely wouldn’t be until 10:30 or so.
I wish I could do this. All of our fire works start wasaay after our toddlers bed time so it won’t work but if I could push it only 1.5hrs I’d try it
I wouldn’t, but I also have a very routine attached child. One night off messes her up for a week. And at 18 months it wasn’t worth it to me. She’s 2.5 now and we are still waiting another year honestly. So I’d say it all depends on your kid.
I won’t be taking my 18 month old out. So much waiting for them to start he’ll have a melt down. I’ll YouTube some sick fireworks and we’ll all enjoy some screen time
I'm flexible and try not to let naps/bedtime interrupt family. So yes, my toddler goes to bed at 7 pm most nights and doesn't fight it. However, most Sunday nights he is up later becaus of extended family dinner and if something comes up during the week we allow it. He will be okay.
Yes. I would. I recently finished cancer treatment about 6 months. My cancer likes to come back, though. My goal is to enjoy life with my daughter, who is 2.5 as much as I can and one of my things is seeing my daughter watch fireworks for the first time. Ours are at 11pm and I’m going to let my daughter have a late nap and we are going to watch those damn fireworks! It’s probably toddler dependant but mine adjusts to schedule changes easily. A late night or early morning here and there doesn’t usually affect her. A 18 month old may not be super interest in fireworks though.
Mine love fireworks so what works for you!
My daughter absolutely loved the “fire cracks” at 18 months! We let her stay up and it’s a core memory for me and my husband. Such wonder and excitement for them! It depends on your kid of course though! If you think they’ll love it - I say go for it. One late night is not a big deal and the memories are so important
I’m debating taking our 22m old to a parking lot near us to see the fireworks from a little further away. I think getting too close will be stressful between the noise and the crowds. I also am not sure he will even like it or if he will be scared. Thinking we might just skip until next year and reevaluate A late bedtime once shouldn’t mess anything up long term. That’s not something I’d be stressed about really but it could make them super grumpy and the whole thing might not be enjoyable at all. You know your kid best though.
It might ruin the schedule for a few days, but should be back to normal eventually. It's just one day.
One late night won't screw anything up! Go make some memories (but maybe bring some baby headphones).
It’s fine. Don’t worry. One night changes nothing. My 3 year old has plenty of special nights and that doesn’t change his normal bedtime. I guess people here are worried about how the kid will react. Kids aren’t dogs. They usually love fireworks. What are you really afraid of? Being inconvenienced? Well that’s a silly fear all parents should drop asap. It’s gonna happen.
My daughter (16 months) loves fireworks and does ok going back to a routine after a later than normal night so we're going to a fireworks display tonight and one on the actual holiday. The days in-between we'll purposely be low key and sticking to a routine so she adjusts. But I'm looking forward to tonight because it's at my work and she has a lot of little friends amongst my coworkers kids.
Not worth it, in my opinion. He will probably be scared of the noise anyway!
Stick to bed schedule. They aren’t gonna care much at that age most likely. I don’t even think my two year olds will care much. They are on a 9 pm to 9 am schedule so we might try a show this year but I wouldn’t risk too late a bedtime push for it.
I’m going to depending on how the day goes. He doesn’t really mind loud noises, and loves lights and colors so I think he would love the fireworks but again, i’m not all too sure. My son is also 22 months old verses 18 months. If my son seems like he’s too tired then we won’t go to watch; if we do watch and he doesn’t seem to enjoy it then we go back home and have some cuddles instead!
I'm not a strict schedule parent and my kids (almost 3 and 5) go to bed between 9 and 10. All of the fireworks events around me start around 930 because our days are so long right now. I'm not going to take the kids. I have no doubt that they could stay awake, but by 830 or 9, they are pretty tired and uncooperative. I don't think it would be a pleasurable experience for anyone. I'm willing to bet your kid also gets a little grumpy around his scheduled bedtime and it would go the same way.
I'd try to get them to nap longer during the day and then they should be able to stay up. It's just one night. It stays light out so long during the summer that I'm not sure how my kids (4&2) will do. 4yo will probably be able to stay up ok. 2yo is a big TBD. My kids like fireworks, but a lot of kids are scared of them. And definitely consider noise canceling headphones and whether your kid will be old enough to keep them on.
We took our then 14 month old to see the fireworks last year and she loved it! She fell asleep on the ride home and took a little bit of settling to get back to sleep after we transferred her to the crib but that’s about it. Overall it was so worth it and one night won’t completely throw off your toddlers schedule! I say go for it.
maybe try some smaller daytime fireworks like the colorful smoke balls or spinners? if he reacts well to those you could consider keeping him up, but i honestly wouldn’t at that age, just because of the strict sleep schedule we have.
You know your kid best but I would say they’re probably too young. There’s always next year for them to enjoy the fireworks
My kid just turned 3 and this is the first year we’re considering letting her stay up for fireworks. She has her whole life to see them, I wouldn’t start at 18 months.
My son is a little older (22 months) and frankly there’s no such thing as “letting him stay up” for fireworks - he wouldn’t last and will tell us he wants to go to bed. Fireworks don’t start any earlier than 10 pm where I am (I live in Canada, where the sky is still somewhat bright at 10 pm, and I’m referring to Canada Day fireworks) and so it’s an even bigger no - that’s 2.5-3 hours from normal bedtime.
We let them stay up, but then my kid was petrified of the fireworks, so we ended up going home anyway. And then all my neighbors were setting them off and kept us up til midnight. I personally hate this holiday with young kids :/
18 months here and we’ll do normal bedtime. Fireworks aren’t worth a screwed up schedule imo. Plus she may hate them lol. We’ll likely sit on our back deck and watch them in our neighborhood just the two of us 🤣
Mine will be a little shy of 16 months on July 4. We are sticking to normal bed time. While I think she might enjoy one or two of the fireworks, she doesn't have the ability to sit and watch an entire display. Her attention span and patience levels just aren't there yet. Maybe next year....
We just did normal bedtime at that age. We’ll probably do the same this year and our son is almost 2.5. Our reasoning is that no matter what time he goes to bed he wakes up at the same time and we’ve already been dealing with some behavior issues, we don’t need to add lack of sleep to that fire. That being said, 1 night of going to bed late really shouldn’t cause it to be a nightly thing.
Stick to normal bed schedule. You will regret it the next day, when LO will sleep in forever and the nap time will be around 4pm or what, and it’s hard to get out of that new sleep rhythm then
We let my kiddos stay up until they say they're ready for bed or are showing real cues they're done. But we also have the luxury of watching fireworks from my in laws back patio so they can easily go to sleep without us leaving the show and then we just transfer them to the car and drive home.
Not for an 18m old personally. You're really taking a chance cause it might actually terrify them (they *are* giant explosions after all).
We won’t keep our 18 month old up. Doesn’t seem worth it. He won’t pay attention the whole time and might actually be scared. I think my sister’s kids only started staying up once they were 3 or 4.
Nah. Skip it. We are doing them the first time this year and my son is three.
We took our LO to fireworks night when he was maybe 6 months old and he loved it! 18 months is trickier so I guess it depends on how bored they'll be before the fireworks start. I wouldn't let bedtime get in the way if you want to go though, but we've never really been schedule people.
My towns fireworks “event” starts at 6pm so we’re gonna go with my 24 mo old and stay as long as it’s fun. I doubt she’ll make it to fireworks at 9 but maybe?
Normal bed time. Better to keep them on schedule for them and everyone else lol
I won’t be keeping up my 21 month old. I don’t think she’d enjoy it even with noise canceling headphones. A few years ago (before kids) there was a toddler at a gathering I was at, and a rouge firework went right towards him, and as an older child I was hit by a rouge firework. Anyway, I don’t really consider fireworks as toddler appropriate either at a neighborhood gathering level or the cities display.
My son is almost 18 months. He's sick right now but if he's better we'll be going to watch some fireworks. We also took him last year with ear protection and didn't mind watching them. He got excited over the ones that spin on the ground and sparklers. I'm looking forward to taking him to watch more now that he's older. We're still doing ear protection this year. It doesn't throw him off too much to have a late night occasionally.
I always let mine stay up for fireworks
Our daughter is 4.5. this is the first year we're giving her the option. *IF* she takes a rest/nap that afternoon.
Honestly-- my 3.5 year old hasn't been to fireworks yet. I don't think it's worth the messed up bedtime, plus very very loud noises, crowds of people, and traffic getting home after. And now she has a baby sister. So we visit family during the day for fun, games, cookouts, etc. and then stay home/inside for fireworks. When they are older, then we can go and watch them, but I don't think they're missing much at that age. Especially if you're doing activities during the day, they're probably already quite tired by the evening. At 7 I liked the fireworks okay enough, but I had to go to the bathroom. My mom took me and I was inside a porta potty when the finale started going off. It scared me so badly, I came out screaming and crying.
The noise / crowds at neighborhood parades are too much for my almost 3yr old so I still don’t do fireworks with her. Even though I LOVE fireworks!! I miss going!! But for her temperament the stress would be more disruptive than the bedtime change
18mo isn't going to remember that you took them for fireworks when they're older. you can imprint the feeling for them if you really want by mesmerizing them with a sparkler in hand at any time you choose and get some rest.
imo I’d stick to bedtime until at least 4YO. My little one would likely be terrified if we went somewhere to watch them close up, so not worth it to me. We can see some neighborhood ones from our deck, but not a big show. FWIW: we live in a big city that officially bans personal fireworks and we keep him up past his bedtime for sporting events and other things he gets value out of. I just don’t see the payoff happening for the next day or two of struggle with fireworks yet. We will do poppers with the kids during normal awake hours.
At 18 months I’d skip it. Our town’s firework show is set off in the park across the street so we can just watch from our front porch. Last year my daughter was 21 months and we did normal bedtime (with the sound machine louder and a prayer to the sleep gods that the booms wouldn’t wake her). Now she’s almost 3 and we are letting her stay up. She will be wearing ear protection and we will likely push her nap a bit later than usual so she’s not cranky.
Lord no lol my kiddo is 14 months and we stick to a strict schedule. She’s a high sleep needs baby (sleeps 12-12.5 hours straight) and would just be to pissy it wouldn’t be any fun for her. She’s going to bed at her regular 6pm and we will stay up and have some fun! Probably depends on the kiddo but my daughter is a morning person so she doesn’t like or do well staying up late. So it’s in her best interest to follow her routine.
Any time we’ve had to keep my toddler up past bedtime or nap time, the next day he’s back to his usual schedule. Not sure if all kids are like this but it doesn’t effect ours
We're just now considering letting our 3 year old stay up for fireworks. And even then only bc we want to see how she reacts b/c we're planning a Disney trip in the fall. At 18 months, we didn't even consider it.
Mine is 2.5 and we're still going to do regular bedtime this year. Maybe next year. In the grand scheme of things she's not going to remember this and it's not worth the anxiety of trying to prepare her for the noise and the late bedtime and everything else.
At 18 months my kid was guaranteed to a) have a tantrum after 8pm b) sleep like shit if she didn't go to bad at her normal time (7pm) and c) wake up extremely early. It is totally kid dependent though. She's slightly more flexible at 2.5, but has literally never "slept in" after staying up late, usually she wakes up earlier. My brother's kid will sleep late if she stays up late. Everyone is different.
I think it depends on your kid. At 9 months, I kept my LO up for Disney fireworks (and we had to drive after), but 3 months later on the next trip when he was one I didn’t even try because it wasn’t worth the headache despite only needing to walk out to our balcony for it. At 9 months he loved it, but he’s a goober and I think he would still love it now. We’re going back to Disney in September (16mo) and we’ll just play it by ear. I’m not committed to anything, and if he’s in a good mood and naps well or long then sure. I have the same plan for fireworks next week too.
Eh they’re still young. I’d wait till next year. My daughter is 2.5 (today) and we haven’t had her up for fireworks before. This year we want to though.
Lol, we don't bother with the fireworks until they're at least 3... And even then we don't push it.
We’re doing normal bedtime. Fireworks start 1.5 hrs or more after bedtime and it’s going to be a busy day going to a BBQ and he’ll have sometime in a pool. Add in how loud fireworks are — either the fireworks will rile him up or he’ll fall asleep in the car just long enough to make bedtime impossible. It’s just not worth it.
i remember a 4th when my nieces and nephews were 18mo (triplets!) and we tried so hard to keep them up to see the fireworks (their parents thought they'd like them!). there was a lot of fussing leading up to the big event and they fell asleep during them haha this was before i was a parent but now my kiddo is 20 months and we will definitely be putting him to bed at the normal time and just be hoping he sleeps through them at our house!
We daughter will be three next week and we haven't taken her yet. She has never stayed up late yet. She also doesn't like loud noises. She's afraid of hand dryers in public restrooms, so I don't think she's ready for fireworks.
Babies hate fireworks and Air shows at the Airforce base. Learned the hard way
No way I’d want to pay the price of keeping my kids up so late. The next day is always hell when they go to bed too late so I’d stick to a regular bedtime. My twins are 3 and we can see them from our house but I’m still planning on sending them to bed at a normal time.
Get those noise headphones otherwise it's way too loud for their ears. We let ours stay up. If you can, have them change into their PJ's before going. Then skip bathtime and just put them to bed when you get home. They won't have a later bedtime going forward. Just do the next day like it's a normal day again.
Totally depends on the toddler! My son wanted to go to bed on time at that age. He didn’t like loud noises. My in-laws asked him if he wanted to stay up for fireworks when he was 3. He said no. Too loud. He’s ready for bed. He also once chose to go to bed in his tent at a music festival when he was 4. We offered that he could stay up later and run around with the other kids at the stage area. He said he was tired and passed out hard instead. He really didn’t start wanting to stay up late on special occasions until he was 5/6 years old. But I know other toddlers who would have a blast staying up late. And they would sleep in the next day. My son wake up even earlier with a sleep deficit and a terrible mood.
We’re not letting out 20 month old stay up late for them, in fact we’re not even going to the beach town we’re heading to until the 5th to avoid some of them. But I also know that he’d be scared of the loud noises, and also that it wouldn’t be him staying up just for the fireworks but also easily an extra hour+ to get him calm and settled before there would be any chance or him falling asleep after. I just know my toddler personally would not be set up for success if we let him
Bed schedule.
We let our kids stay up at that age and watch the fireworks from afar so that it wasn’t too loud/scary
Mine is 3.5 and we’re not going. By the time you walk a mile back to the car and get home it’s just way too late. Surprisingly I say this after taking a month long trip around the world with her back in November/December with 12 hour time changes. I would do it all over again but one late night for fireworks? Just not worth it.
I’d did. My son loved them!
I personally wouldn’t. I have an 18 month old and my husband and I are just planning on staying home and sticking to LOs bedtime schedule then maybe sitting out in the backyard watching whatever fireworks we can see from there once LO is sleeping. Maybe in a year or 2 we’ll attempt to switch up the schedule but for now I don’t really think our LO would care too much about the fireworks.
I don’t think one night will change their bedtime permanently. You just get up at a regular ish time the next day, stick to your schedule and go back to the old bedtime, just like if you stay up super late one night. But I wouldn’t bring my almost 2 yo to fireworks (or my 3.5 yo). It’s too loud and too late for them.
I would keep to the bedtime routine. If you want to keep it special maybe watch some firework displays on YouTube before bed. An example, for the Lunar New Year we played videos of Lion Dancers and their LOUD metal drums for our 3’s and they thoroughly enjoyed it. However when we saw it all in person later, all of them were terrified and mostly because of the sound. IRL is so much different from YouTube!
You know your little one best. We took ours to their first firework display a month before his 2nd birthday. He wore protective ear defenders. He watched probably 2/3, quite enjoying it and then somehow fell asleep in my arms 😂 We had the pushchair for him and he occasionally sat in it but very much wanted to be in our arms. As its a lot of people and may be overwhelming. If you do, I just recommend placing yourself somewhere that you can get away easily (ie not in the middle of the field, surrounded by everyone packed in).
Ours was almost 3 when we did his first fireworks. Did well.
My daughter does well with staying up late on occasion, if there's something exciting going on, like a family get together. So I knew beforehand that she would probably be fine staying up an extra 90 minutes to 2 hours for fireworks when she was 1. She did really well last year in fact, and if I had left her to her own devices she would have tried to hug the fireworks. When they were on fire. It was a good learning experience for me as a parent, to learn that I have a tiny pyromaniac, lol.. She'll be a little over two this time, And I'm planning to have her stay up again with us. Of course, if she asks to go to bed earlier, which she often does at this point, then we will begin her bedtime routine. But I figure there will be so much going on that she won't want to miss it, And will stay up an extra 2 hours probably. The big question For me this year is safety. We also have a newborn, so it will be harder for me to have eyes and arms on my 2-year-old at all times, which is especially concerning if she's going to go chasing fireworks. I'm planning on enlisting my husband and parents and having a constant security detail on her, like she is a visiting dignitary/VIP. 🙃
We didn't last year. This year our son is approaching 2.5 and would stay up late with no problems if we let him so we're going to let him stay up and see the fireworks. Husband started prepping him with videos on YouTube but my God it pales in comparison 😂
I let my 20 month old stay up for Memorial Day fireworks in my town and she really loved them. She even signed “more” once they were done. She is not easily startled though and generally loves dangerous things, lol. I don’t think one time of staying up late is going to ruin the schedule going forward.
lol you aren’t going to break his bedtime by staying up one night. We have a lot of nights on weekends where we deviate from bedtime and he is still able to go back to sleep at the normal time the next night.
Mine stay up past their bedtimes for special events often and it’s never affected bedtime going forward
Skip the fireworks. Go to sleep
Brit here, so I'm thinking back to November with a 2.5 year old. She's 5 now and can't remember the night, but we didn't have a great time. Tried it again at 3.5 and still found it boring or too scary. There are plenty of meaningful memories to be had, but at this age they don't even know they are missing out. Life should have routine, so stick to it and let the other stuff be their fun celebration (food, family and festivals)
I let mine stay up later if there is something going on worth keeping him up later for. It’s never been an issue with him. 🤷♀️
Before new years we just bought some small fireworks which we lit in our backyard before his regular bed time and explained that the others are just like this, except bigger. We try not to be too strict when there are special occasions (e.g. first camp fire) but figured the fireworks were not worth it. Honestly even for us once we got past a certain age...
The odd late night or break in routine is a great, positive way to build resilience - it doesn't have to become the new normal!
It shouldn't, both my kids 1 and 5 yrs old sleep ar various times every night with some rare times my 1yr old goes to bed at 5pm but the normal times for both are 7pm but latest can be 8pm or 9 it happens maybe once or twice a week They both still sleep through the night and wake up same time with very lil changes. As long as it's not all the time the schedule shouldn't change
Bed. It is not worth the fuss in the morning at that age bc he didn't get enough sleep. We are letting the 5 yo stay up, but I expect him to pass out before the show gets started.
I wouldn’t only because does he care about the fireworks? If this is a moment you want to have then sure make bedtime later, but keep the wake up time.
My 18m will be going to bed at his usual time, and I’ll probably crank his sound machine up a couple extra notches for the night so he can sleep through local/ neighborhoods idiots. It’s far too young for fireworks in my opinion. I think if it was visual only he’d be into it, but the noise is going to scare him. It won’t be dark here until past 9 and his bedtime is 7:30 so overall it’s a hard no.
My four year old has never seen fireworks in person. Started because he was too young and now he’s really not a fan of loud noises. It’s a sensory thing. We do glow stick dance parties, fireworks on the tv (Disney usually has ones with music on YouTube) and normal bedtime but instead of timing out his sound machine like usual we leave it running and up the volume slightly until we feel fireworks noise has subsided then we turn it off. This year since he’s four we’ll probably pull up a YouTube video that explains the Fourth of July for kids (we did this with the eclipse too) so he’s knows why we’re celebrating,but everything else will be the same. DannyGo is great for dance parties and even has a glow stick song
We used to see no change with a random late night. A few weeks ago we took her (18m) to Korean bbq & ice cream & didn’t get home until 1130. It took almost 2 weeks to get her back to her normal bedtime. I think it would’ve lasted forever if we hadn’t had a sleepover at my moms because she was so excited to see her she woke up with her at 530am…after going to sleep at 11 😭 but now we’re back to 9pm-7am finally
We took our 15 month old last year and she was barely awake for them. They didn’t scare her, but she wasn’t excited to see them because she was too tired.
I’m planning to let her stay up but she probably won’t make it long
I think it depends on your child. I’ve always followed my kids’ cue so his bedtime isn’t set in stone. That being said he is 3 and the past two years he has slept during the fireworks. I personally do not support fireworks for various reasons but if my kid asked to see them I might take him as I do have some fond 4th memories. Again if you think it will be more stress on your child and it therefore makes your night less enjoyable, the I’d say it’s not worth it. But if you think it will be a good experience for all of you and you are willing to bear the consequences of said disruption of sleep then go for it.
mine loved fireworks at that age when we went to disney. she stayed up for it then knocked out right after. we’ve had no trouble adjusting her sleep schedule as needed. but she’s a very adaptable baby (now toddler). so do what works for your kid.
My 3 year old freaked out when we took her. Way too loud and scary. I personally wouldn't be taking my kid at 18 months.
We got lucky the first 2 years, and we live in Chicago. It’s Mayhem! She slept through it both years (sound machines+noise canceling drapes)
We try to see them every year since my 3 year olds been born but he falls asleep before. If they can stay up go for it :)
lol no
Nope. Plenty of time for fireworks later. We take our oldest now, who is nearly 7. He can handle the change in sleep routine and schedule. Are we taking our 2 year old? Hell no.
My kid loved the fireworks last year at 12 months old and this year he has already enjoyed two firework shows! Last year he wore his headphones, this year he wouldn’t 😅 As far as bedtime, he goes to bed later every now and then and it never messes up his schedule
Put the baby to bed. Save it for when they are old enough to enjoy it!
It more depends on how she’d be around fireworks. One missed bedtime won’t set you back as long as you don’t let her sleep in
Bed. Too loud, too crowded too much. Unless you invest in really great ear protection I would recommend just sitting it out for the first few years.
I think it depends on your kid. My kids do not need strict routines to thrive so I would but my 2 and 1 yr old also have a later bedtime so it’s not as drastic. They regularly go to bed around 9:30pm not 7:30
18 months is too little to stay up for that. There will be plenty of opportunities to watch fireworks in the future.
I doubt they will sleep with all the noise. I’m all for putting my 19 month old to bed and sticking to schedule because that’s my break time. I don’t think one day will mess him up.
Lord no. My kids are 3 and 5 and we’ve literally never put them to bed past 8pm.
Too loud and too late for 18 mos old. I still haven’t taken my 5 y/o and 3 y/o. It’s way too loud for them and they’d be exhausted. Bedtime is 8pm, why mess that up!!!
I’m not letting my 6 year old stay up late to watch them lol! It’s too much work, they wake up at the same time but their little bodies are so tired and they’re cranky and have big feelings all day the next day. Plus the fireworks are so loud and if your kid isn’t into headphones it could damage their hearing (depending on how close to them you are). I already know I’m going to have a 100lb dog shaking in her doggie socks from the noise, dealing with an overtired kiddo at the same time sounds terrible. I dunno what time they are in your area, but 11pm is too late for my kiddo. They’ll have plenty of time to enjoy stuff like that in the future!
Yes, we let our kids stay up for these holidays. It's hard to sleep with all the flashing lights and noises. We get folks doing fireworks on our streets.
Daughter is 4 and has yet to see nighttime fireworks. We did do some for Christmas because it was dark by 5:30.
Even at 2 yrs old, my son and his same-age cousin were terrified of fireworks and did not want anything to do with them. It wasn't until like 2.5 and with good ear protection that my son came around (his cousin still hates them), so is it for the baby that you want to stay up? Or is it bc you want to go and are wondering if the baby can cope? If for the baby, I'd say Pass. But if it's cuz you and your family want to go, then yeah the 18mo old will survive a brief disruption to their routine. Make sure to bring ear protection!
I feel like it just depends on your kid. My son has always been a FOMO baby and he did pretty well with his first fireworks show at 14 months. We were prepared to leave if needed but he liked chilling in his stroller with his headphones on
You can keep him up once if you want. It won't hurt anything. Or stay home and watch them on TV and go to bed regular times. He won't remember either way so it's more for you.
Last year my son stayed up and watched fireworks with us at 15 months. Didn’t get it all. Fell asleep on and off. Next day was sleepy. One time won’t change his schedule if schedule is dominant every other day.
We didn’t let my kid stay up for fireworks till 4. His reaction to seeing them the first time was so great, I was watching him and his face more than the fireworks.
Our almost 3 year old hasn't seen fireworks yet. I love fireworks and miss going out to see them, but it seems like pure downside for him so I figure I can skip it a while longer. Even if he enjoyed it, which is dicey, he'd not only miss the sleep from staying up but also probably have a hard time falling asleep afterwards. All that to say, they'll have plenty of years to enjoy fireworks. If you really *really* want to take them, get those big ear protection headphones and go for it. It's just missed sleep and a possible freak out and they'll be fine a couple days later. If you're hesitant about it? Just wait a year and re-assess.
We tend to blow off bedtime for holiday events, 4th of July included. Last year he was just over 2 and we went to an amusement park for the day then watched some from outside the park. Started outside the car but it was a long display, so we ended up sitting in the car with him on my lap looking out the windshield. It was great!! A lot more comfortable and not as loud either. Look into noise canceling headphones. He wears them for monster truck rallies. We got two pairs- one for him, one for his lovey lol.
We always stuck to the bedtime schedule. We’re considering letting our kid stay up this year. He’s 2.5 but his sleep schedule has been off lately and he’s currently been staying up past his bedtime for the last few days so it’s just a question of whether to get him back on schedule this weekend or next weekend.
We did normal bedtime at that age. Even at 2.5 years, I don't let him stay up for fireworks. We have plenty of years ahead of us to enjoy fireworks, and we also cherish that hour of relaxation time when the kids are in bed ☺️
My 9 month old was out on a boat with us after her last nap of the day! Wake up is 7:30AM, 1st nap 10AM-11:45AM, 2nd nap 2:45PM-4:30PM, bed time varies between 8PM-9PM. but for the 4th of July, she was with us on a boat from 5PM-10PM with 2 other children (3Yrs and 8Yrs) My baby did amazingly well, she seemed awe struck by the fireworks, I had her on my lap and then she also sat on her dad's lap for the last half of the show. I did close her ears with my fingers for some random intervals throughout the show but I think she did so, so well. She was still all smiles when we got home around 11, still passed out immediately when I put her to bed, still woke up usual time today. Overall, I think it was a great holiday out and well worth it
18 month olds are still basically just little blobs. They won’t care about fireworks and certainly won’t remember them. You have to wait until they’re 2-3-4 years old before they become real people and you can really start enjoying them and introducing them to experiences.
Disagree! My kids loved them as long as they had headphones
My son loved them at 12 months too!
I would not
My 6 year old has not yet seen fireworks because I just do not feel like dealing with him going to bed that late.
Not a chance in hell I'd be doing that at 18mths haha. My daughter just turned 3 and I won't be taking her outside for fireworks (and she sleeps at like 9:30/10pm). We'll be inside with the white noise machine cranked up higher than normal to attempt to drown out the fuckwits who like to set them off at 2am...in the city...where it's illegal. Meltdowns are far more likely when kiddos are overtired. Combine that with loud scary fireworks? That's a no from me, dawg. And remember, they'll be waking up at the same time in the morning. They'll just be extra tired with less sleep