Pets, babies and grandparents: a gentler Deepavali at home

Not everyone in a house enjoys Deepavali night in the same way. A dog that hides under the cot, a three-month-old baby, a grandfather with a weak chest: we hear about all of them at the counter. Part of the reason we sell only green crackers, and many with no sound at all, is to make the evening a little easier for them.

For pets, the bangs from the street are the main problem, not your own sparklers. Keep dogs and cats indoors from 6 pm, in an inner room with the windows closed and a fan or radio on to soften the sound. Feed them an hour earlier than usual, and stay nearby. Many dogs settle better under a table covered with a sheet. Do not take them out for a walk during the permitted hours.

Babies and small toddlers are better watching from a window than from the doorstep. Smoke drifts indoors, so close the door on the side where crackers are being lit and open the windows on the far side once the evening is over.

For older relatives with breathing difficulties, choose flower pots and sparklers over smoke items, and set up the crackers downwind of the house. Our family pack of 60 items has no sound crackers in it at all, which suits homes where someone is unwell. If neighbours are bursting large garlands, it may simply be kinder to shut the windows and celebrate with lamps indoors for an hour. Grandparents usually prefer the sweets anyway.