Are Sparklers Safe for Children? What Parents Need to Know Before Bonfire Night
Short answer: No, sparklers are not safe for children under 5, and they need strict rules for older children too. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) says sparklers should never be given to a child under 5. Older children should only hold one while supervised by an adult, wearing gloves, holding it at arm’s length, and with a bucket of cold water ready for the used sparkler. If you want a worry free option for a young child, a glow stick gives them something bright to wave without the burn risk.
Bonfire Night falls on Thursday 5 November 2026, eight days from today. That makes this the week when sparkler packets start appearing in shopping baskets and when parents ask the same question: are sparklers really dangerous, or are they the safe part of the evening? The honest answer is that sparklers cause some of the most common Bonfire Night injuries in children, precisely because they look harmless. They do not bang, they do not fly, and they are handed to children as if they were toys. They are none of those things. A sparkler is a firework, and it burns at a temperature far beyond anything skin can handle.
Are sparklers safe for children? The RoSPA answer
RoSPA’s Firework Code is clear. Only adults should handle fireworks, including setting them up, lighting them and disposing of them. Children and young people should be supervised and should watch fireworks from a safe distance. Sparklers get their own section in the guidance, because they are the exception families make most often: the firework that children are allowed to hold.
RoSPA says sparklers are often considered a safer alternative to fireworks, but they can still cause serious injuries. Its sparkler rules are: do not give sparklers to children under 5, make sure all children are supervised at all times, wear gloves while handling sparklers, hold sparklers at arm’s length, light only one sparkler at a time, never run with a sparkler, keep sparklers away from faces, clothing and other people, never hold a baby or young child while using a sparkler, and put used sparklers in a bucket of cold water immediately after use.
Every rule in that list exists because of a real way children get hurt. A sparkler held close to the face can burn eyes and skin. A sparkler waved near another child can catch clothing or hair. A child who runs with a sparkler can fall onto it. A baby held in the same arms as a sparkler has no way to move away from the sparks. And a used sparkler stays hot after the sparks stop, which is why it must go straight into cold water rather than being dropped on the ground or handed to someone else.
How hot do sparklers get?
This is where published UK guidance looks confusing at first, so it is worth stating plainly. RoSPA describes a sparkler as reaching a temperature approximately 20 times hotter than boiling water. Parent Club Scotland, the Scottish Government parenting site, gives a range of 1,000 to 1,600 degrees Celsius for sparklers. Other UK safety summaries give similar figures in the same range. The exact number depends on which part of the sparkler is measured and which source you read, and this article does not pretend otherwise.
What every source agrees on is the point that matters for a parent: a sparkler burns at many times the temperature of boiling water, far hotter than a cooker hob or a hot drink, and hot enough to cause a serious burn in a second of contact. Boiling water scalds at 100 degrees Celsius. A sparkler is in a different league entirely. That is why a sparkler burn is not a minor sting. It can be a deep burn, especially on small hands, and it can damage eyes if sparks reach them.
RoSPA is reported as saying that hundreds of firework related injuries happen every year, with the majority involving children under 16. Most of those injuries happen at private or family displays rather than at organised events. That last fact is the one to hold onto when you are deciding how to celebrate. The risk is not mainly at the big public display where professionals keep the crowd back. It is in the garden, where children are close to the fireworks and where sparklers are handed out.
Why are children most at risk from sparklers?
Children are most at risk for reasons that have nothing to do with being careless. Small hands hold a sparkler close to the body. A short arm cannot keep a sparkler as far away as an adult arm can. Children wave things when they are excited, they run when they are excited, and they are less likely to notice that the wire is still hot after the sparks have gone. Loose sleeves, dressing up costumes and long hair can all catch a spark, and a child wearing a costume may not notice a smouldering edge as quickly as an adult would.
That is also why the under 5 rule is absolute in RoSPA guidance, not a suggestion to use your judgement. A child under 5 cannot reliably follow the rules that make a sparkler less dangerous: hold it out, keep still, do not wave it near anyone, do not touch the wire afterwards. No amount of supervision changes the fact that the child is holding a burning object at a temperature their skin cannot tolerate. For under 5s, the safe choice is not a sparkler held more carefully. It is something else to hold.
What age can a child hold a sparkler?
RoSPA’s answer is 5 and over, supervised, with gloves, one at a time, at arm’s length. That does not mean every 5 year old should hold one. It means under 5s should not, and older children should only do so when an adult is in charge of the whole sparkler session: one adult lighting, one child at a time with space around them, gloves on, and the bucket of cold water already in place before the first sparkler is lit.
Think about the practical setup before you open the packet. Each child needs enough space that a waved sparkler cannot reach another child. Long hair should be tied back and loose clothing tucked away or changed. The adult lighting the sparklers should not be holding a baby at the same time. Used sparklers go into the bucket hot end first, straight away, and stay there. Nobody picks a used sparkler back up to check whether it is cool yet. If a child wants to keep waving something after their sparkler is finished, hand them a glow stick for the second round rather than another sparkler straight away.
Are glow sticks a safer alternative?
Yes. Community safety guidance for Bonfire Night regularly suggests glow sticks for young children who would otherwise feel left out when older children have sparklers. A glow stick gives a young child something bright to wave, it lasts longer than a sparkler, and it cannot burn them. It is not a perfect substitute for the sparkler experience, and older children may still want a sparkler under the rules above, but for under 5s it removes the risk entirely while keeping them part of the evening.
The same thinking applies to the rest of the evening. The safest place to watch fireworks is at an organised display, where the fireworks are set off by professionals and the crowd is kept at a safe distance. If you do have fireworks at home, RoSPA’s Firework Code applies in full: only buy fireworks carrying the CE mark or UKCA mark, keep them in a closed box and use them one at a time, read and follow the instructions on each firework, light each firework at arm’s length with a taper and stand well back, never return to a firework once it has been lit, never put fireworks in pockets or throw them, keep naked flames away from fireworks, and make sure the fire is out and the surroundings are safe before leaving.
What to do if a sparkler burns a child
Even with the rules followed, burns happen, so know the first aid before the evening starts. The NHS burns first aid sequence is cool, call and cover. Cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes, as soon as possible and still effective within 3 hours. Remove clothing and jewellery near the burn unless they are stuck to the skin. Cover the burn lightly with cling film laid in layers, never wrapped tightly around a limb. Do not use ice, iced water, butter, toothpaste or creams on a burn, as these can make it worse.
Call 111 for a burn larger than a 50 pence piece, a burn with blisters, or if you are unsure what to do. Call 999 for a large or deep burn, or a burn on the face, hands, joints or genitals. Burns to a child under 5 should always be taken seriously and checked promptly, because small bodies lose heat faster during cooling and small burns can matter more. Our full guide to burn first aid, including the 20 minute rule in detail, is linked in Related reading below.
One more check before Bonfire Night: the medicine cabinet. A basic first aid kit with cling film, sterile dressings and pain relief for children, stored safely out of reach, means you are not hunting for supplies with a crying child in your arms. That is a small job for this week, and it is worth doing before 5 November rather than on the night.
The bottom line for parents
Sparklers are not the safe part of Bonfire Night. They are a firework that burns at many times the temperature of boiling water, and RoSPA says they should never be given to children under 5. For older children, the rules are not optional extras: gloves, arm’s length, one at a time, supervised, and straight into a bucket of cold water when finished. For younger children, a glow stick is the better choice, and for the fireworks themselves, an organised display is the safest place to watch.
None of this means Bonfire Night has to be joyless. It means the joy comes from watching the display, waving a glow stick, eating hot food and staying warm, rather than from handing a burning wire to a small child and hoping for the best. Eight days before Bonfire Night is exactly the right time to decide that, buy the glow sticks, find the bucket, and agree the rules with every adult who will be there. Then the evening can be what it should be: loud, bright and safe.
Frequently asked questions
Are sparklers safe for children?
No, not for children under 5, who should never be given a sparkler according to RoSPA. Older children can hold one only when supervised by an adult, wearing gloves, holding it at arm’s length, lighting one at a time, and putting the used sparkler straight into a bucket of cold water.
What age can a child hold a sparkler?
RoSPA recommends that sparklers are not given to children under 5. Children aged 5 and over should only hold sparklers under adult supervision, following all the sparkler safety rules. Parents should still judge whether their own child can hold still, keep the sparkler away from others and follow instructions.
How hot do sparklers get?
RoSPA describes sparklers as approximately 20 times hotter than boiling water. Parent Club Scotland gives a range of 1,000 to 1,600 degrees Celsius. Published figures vary by source, but all of them are far hotter than boiling water and hot enough to cause a serious burn on contact.
Do gloves make sparklers safe for children?
Gloves reduce the risk of a burn to the hand, which is why RoSPA says everyone handling sparklers should wear them. Gloves do not make a sparkler safe on their own. The child still needs supervision, arm’s length distance, one sparkler at a time, and a bucket of cold water for disposal.
What should I do with a used sparkler?
Put it straight into a bucket of cold water immediately after use, and leave it there. Do not drop it on the ground, hand it to a child to check, or put it in a bin while it is still hot. The wire stays hot after the sparks stop.
Are glow sticks safer than sparklers for young children?
Yes. Glow sticks cannot burn a child, they last longer than a sparkler, and they let a young child join in waving something bright. They are the recommended alternative for children under 5, who should not hold sparklers at all.
Related reading: What to Do for a Burn at Home: The 20 Minutes That Decide How Well It Heals | The Clocks Go Back in Four Days: What the Extra Hour Does to Your Health | Half-Term Starts Monday: The Medicine Cabinet Checklist Worth Doing Today
Sources: RoSPA, Firework safety tips and the Firework Code, https://www.rospa.com/home-safety/Fireworks-Safety ; Parent Club Scotland, Bonfire Night, https://www.parentclub.scot/articles/bonfire-night ; Flourish Education, Fire Safety for Children on Bonfire Night (summarising RoSPA), https://www.flourisheducation.co.uk/resources/news/fire-safety-for-children-on-bonfire-night-what-sc/138/ ; NHS burns and scalds first aid, as summarised in our 22 October burn first aid guide, https://achawaqat.com/what-to-do-for-a-burn-at-home/
Medical disclaimer: This article is general information only and is not medical advice. If a child has a burn that is large, deep, blistered, or on the face, hands, joints or genitals, or if you are worried, call 111 or 999 as described above.
