Lava lamps - are they safe? Need some advice...

[Southernbelle]

My 7yo son would like a Lava Lamp for Christmas; he loves the way they move. I was all for it, but my husband says they aren't safe. I googled lava lamp safety and I heard about a story of a person dying because he tried to heat his lava lamp on the stove and it exploded. Mythbusters even confirmed that it was possible. So other than refraining from heating it on the stove - are there any other hazards to Lava Lamps? Does anyone know of a similar product that may be safer for a kid?

 

[accio! chickens]

I had a lava lamp when I was your sons age. I'm still alive.

 

[ChickenToes]

They do break pretty easily, at least the ones I've seen. I can't think of a good alternative at the moment, if I think of something later I'll post it.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

I don't know of any hazards to lava lamps right off hand. I know they make miniature ones that you plug into your computer. I was thinking since your son is seven why not liquid motion toys? If you google liquid motion toys you can see all different kinds and most of those are made of plastic so if he was to drop it or knock it over it won't break. My 7 yr old son is fascinated by this thing at the dentist's office. It is an electric liquid motion toy green liquid in the bottom clear on top and somehow when you turn it on the green explodes up through the clear like a volcano. Here is a link to the little simple ones. They are pretty cheap too.

http://www.officeplayground.com/Liquid-Motion-C23.aspx

Edited to say: The only thing I would be concerned with as far as a child and a real lava lamp go would be the glass and the heat. These liquid motion toys don't have either of those elements.

Oh gosh this has me really thinking of gifts now LOL What about kinetic motion toys? You know those metal things you set in motion and it just keeps going?

http://www.officeplayground.com/All...urce=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=BROI2

 

[agnes_day]

they are perfectly safe..all of my boys had one at one point or another. and they broke them all too, in the end.

they have an obsessive need to dismantle everything it seems. they also have those really neat lamps with the paper shade that rotates and casts interesting shadows on the walls.

 

[3goodeggs]

they have an obsessive need to dismantle everything it seems.


I have one of those. We had things...now we have stuff.

 

[gritsar]

I had several way back in the 70s. I'm sure my father still has them packed away somewhere. They are perfectly safe.

 

[agnes_day]

Quote:
yep!

 

[bufforp89]

I have a blue lava lamp for like 3 years. It has not exploded yet. It does got hot to the touch though mostly at the base. The globe stays just warm. If you get him one I would just advise you to tell him that this is something we look at but dont touch.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

"We had things..now we have stuff."

That my friend is the story of my life.