Choosing crackers for young children, age by age
What a four-year-old, a seven-year-old and a twelve-year-old can enjoy, and what they should only watch.
What the numbers on a sky-shot box mean
Shots, duration, effect and distance: what the label is telling you.
A cracker box carries more useful information than most people read. Learning it takes two minutes and makes buying much easier.
Start with the count. Sparklers and flower pots are sold by the box, usually ten, so the price is per box, not per piece. Sky shots are sold by the number of shots, and the duration printed beside it tells you how long the whole cake lasts. A 12-shot runs about 40 seconds; a 60-shot runs two to three minutes.
Next, look for the effect. Words like crackling, peacock, multicolour or gold tell you what you will see in the sky. Size in centimetres on sparklers tells you burn time: a 10 cm sparkler lasts about half a minute, a 30 cm one close to a minute.
Finally, if you want green crackers, ask us to point them out; we mark them in the shop. Also look for the instructions printed on the side, including the safe distance to stand back. If any box looks damp, torn or crushed, bring it to us rather than using it.
