Addressing Concerns for Florida Homeowners Throwing Easter Parties
Easter egg hunts are a holiday party favorite for children of all ages and give their parents a little bit of peace during the holiday. By planning ahead and staying vigilant, you can ensure that your egg hunt is fun for everyone involved and doesn’t result in any injuries.
People’s Trust has put together these great tips to make your eggs-travaganza the best one so far. Happy Hunting!
Safety Tips for Egg Dyeing
Plastic Easter eggs are typically your safest bet since they don’t contain any of the food risks that hard-boiled eggs do. If your egg hunters are too young to keep eggs out of their mouths, we recommend using plastic eggs and putting a small amount of tape on the edge to keep them closed.
If you plan to hide hard-boiled eggs, we’ve got some great tips to help you prepare and maintain a safe holiday party. Here’s a great walkthrough for making safe hunt eggs:
- Preparation: Keep eggs refrigerated until it’s time to cook them.
- Inspection: Check your eggs, and don’t cook any with damaged shells.
- Cleaning: Wash your hands before every step change. That means when you move from cooking to dyeing, wash up!
- Cooking: Boil your eggs until the white and the yolk are very firm. Runny eggs can be dangerous for your future handlers.
- Safe Storage: Refrigerate your eggs to help them cool and leave them in the fridge until you’re ready to dye them. After dyeing, refrigerate them again until it’s time to hide them.
- Double Check: Give the eggs a second check before you dye them. Never dye or hide eggs with cracked shells.
- Hidden Dangers: Don’t hide eggs where animals, bugs or chemicals on your grass can come into contact with them. Ant poison is a big danger in Florida, so keep them clear of old ant hills.
- What to Eat: Don’t eat dyed eggs or those you’re hunting. It’s better safe than sorry with these eggs, so make a separate batch for snacks.
When it comes to eggs, these tips are a great start but you should always remember – if in doubt, throw it out.
Pre-Hunt Yard Preparations
Do you have all the best spots picked out for your hunt?
Whether or not you’ve made that mental list, walk around your yard the morning of the hunt. This is a great time to pick up any toys or tools that could harm your guests. If you notice an area that can be dangerous, mark it off with a flag or tape. Remember that you’ll want to avoid areas where chemicals have been sprayed recently, so this can include ant and termite mounds as well as lawn treatments.
After you’ve marked off the dangerous sections, determine where your hunt will be and set boundaries with objects or colored tape. This helps kids not to wander too far and keeps them away from dangerous areas.
Stay Watchful During the Egg Hunt
Take some time to hide the eggs away from prying eyes with a mix of easy and harder-to-find spots. As you’re hiding the eggs, take note of what kind of day it is. If it’s a hot one, like most Florida Sundays, make sure to lather the kids up with sunscreen before they start the hunt.
After the eggs are hidden, gather the kids near your safe zone and let them know the boundaries. This prevents children from searching in barren areas and missing out on the fun. If you have any additional rules, explain them before letting the kids free.
After setting the kids loose, make sure an adult or babysitter is on hand to monitor them at all times to ensure a safe holiday party. It’s best to have at least two adults keeping watch to minimize any risk. This also keeps the kids safe if one adult needs to use the restroom while the kids are searching.
Candy Safety Concerns
One special note about candy is to make sure it is appropriate for the kids hunting. Avoid small, hard candies if many youngsters are involved. It’s also a good idea to avoid any candy with nuts.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth and crave something in particular with nuts, wait until all your guests have arrived and then check with the parents. If no one at your party has a nut allergy, bring out this candy after the hunt and leave it on a table for people to enjoy.
A Note on Toy Safety
Lots of egg hunts involve special finds that can be exchanged for toys or other large goodies. If you plan to go this route, get a variety of toys and gifts that are appropriate for all of the ages that are attending.
Erasers, stickers and many other small toys make great options for your eggs – so the kids aren’t too hyped up on candy – but make sure they’re safe for everyone involved.
If you want to add these in but have a range of age groups, try assigning a specific egg color for each group. This means you can make the eggs for the youngest kids the easiest to find that also makes them the easiest to watch.
This Blog is sponsored by:
People’s Trust Insurance Company