Child safety

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gazelle

Member
Dec 4, 2009
18
SW VA
Hey folks

I am interested in suggestions anyone may have on how to protect my 1.5 yo from touching the stove. I have a VC defiant and I am worried that he will walk over and touch it. He is a little too young to understand hot yet. A more elaborate setup would be ok since this is our first child and we expect to have more. I am thinking of building a fence around the hearth in the shape of a U but will need to figure out how to support the bottom of the U, the tops would be anchored to the wall.

I am sure I am not the first to have a stove in the family room with small children. How have the rest of you dealt with this situation?

Thanks
Gazelle
 
This topic has been discussed before so search for the "child" will probably get you there.
We use KidCo HearthGuard our insert. It's been serving the purpose so far. I didn't even bother to bolt it to the wall.

Cheers....Som
 

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My kids never went near the thing when they were little. My daughter got a very severe burn on her palm from touching the glass door on an old kitchen range, though. Poor thing, her hand looked like a dog paw the blisters were so bad. That thing was way more dangerous than a stove.

My oldest boy burned his bare shoulder bad (twice) on the flue pipe, but he was way past the point a childproof fence was thought to be needed (14 and then again at 15). Fool kid was trying to sneak between it and the wall, hadn't noticed that he had grown since the last time he tried that stunt. He has all of my ADD and most of his mom's. :p

I can appreciate your concern, particularly with the stove you have. They can hit pretty high surface temps, and the heat is transferred almost instantaneously from the cast iron. If I had young kids, I'd consider replacing my stove with a soapstone one. I'm pretty sure you won't be doing that, however.

Let's see some pics, or at least a good description of your setup.
 
I grew up with wood stoves from my youth. My folks never did anything for protection with us or any visitors. I never remember anyone getting burned from an accident. The only burns I recall is if one got careless when loading the stove and burned a hand or arm a bit. Nothing serious. Yet, I can understand the concerns. If you are uncomfortable without a fence, then just put one up. I doubt you would even have to anchor it though.
 
I recommend the solution that FlyingPig put forward. We found one of those gates on Craigslist for about 1/2 the retail and have not regretted it. If you need more sections, find a second person on CL to buy from and link them together.

You will find that this thread will likely ignite the "let the kids learn they are smart" and "don't be overprotective" debate. Whatever.

However, the gate/fence solution is a good option for anyone who is concerned and wants to have the extra measure of protection. They can be secured to the wall (hardware may be included) and are very sturdy as long as you don't have too long of a straight run. Sure you might be able to cobble together a homemade solution for less $'s but it likely won't be nearly as easy/fast to do and with a little one who has time for all that eh? :)
 
You will find that this thread will likely ignite the "let the kids learn they are smart" and "don't be overprotective" debate. Whatever.

Yes they are smart for their age but you have to keep their age in consideration. I am by no means overly protective, as a mater of fact many friends think we are too under protective. My though to those that suggest the kids need to learn the hard way if for them to sit on their knees and fall foward and catch themselves on a hot stove. then once they realize the pain ask them if they would be willing to put a kid though that? As an adult they have the motor skills to quickly roll out of the way. My son on the otherhand, he will move but will likely move his hands because it is hot and then fall on to the stove even further. There are tough lessons in life and then there are silly expectations and grand memories of how it use to be.
 
gazelle said:
You will find that this thread will likely ignite the "let the kids learn they are smart" and "don't be overprotective" debate. Whatever.

Yes they are smart for their age but you have to keep their age in consideration. I am by no means overly protective, as a mater of fact many friends think we are too under protective. My though to those that suggest the kids need to learn the hard way if for them to sit on their knees and fall foward and catch themselves on a hot stove. then once they realize the pain ask them if they would be willing to put a kid though that? As an adult they have the motor skills to quickly roll out of the way. My son on the otherhand, he will move but will likely move his hands because it is hot and then fall on to the stove even further. There are tough lessons in life and then there are silly expectations and grand memories of how it use to be.

Agreed. Also kids may sense the heat and learn to get away from it, I still don't like the plastic ball or other stuff to touch the stove and potentially melt there. One can argue that the fence may even trap those flying objects but to me it's less possibility for my son. He's more on rolling things rather than throwing it.

Also, the fence is a nice place to dry gloves, jackets and other wet stuffs too :) .
 
I built a 3 section fence hinged at the wall and both other sections. Used rolling wheels under the "legs". The fence is permanently attached to the wall, yet will fold flat up against the wall in the off season.

I have no doubt that the children are smart enough to learn about "hot", but if you have ever seen 1.5 yr old and a 2.5 yr old boys get wound up--jeesh. They bounce off of WALLS let alone a stove. Its the accidents that I am trying to prevent. As a former burn patient with 11% of my body with 3rd degree burns I might just be a little more touchy on the subject. If I can prevent an accidental and possibly severe burn to a little one - I will.
 
I fell out of a chair and caught
myself with a bare hand againt a hot woodstove. We had to go to the hispital and get special burn agents on the hand... It was awful. That being said, some 25+ years later, I couldn't even tell you which hand. Still, I'd never want that to happen to my kid.

I do ascribe to the fact that kids won't get too near it on purpose, but accidents happen, and I'd rather not take a chance. i'm lucky in that the previous owners of the house left us the exact same kind of fence as has been posted above. It is surprisingly sturdy, and doubles well as a coop for young chicks when looped in a circle and amended with chicken wire :)
 
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Every home is different, every child is different, every parent is different. My son was 1.5 years when this picture was taken. A few months earlier when we started burning for the season we took him down by the stove and showed it to him. Of course, he was amazed and interested. The first instant he took one step closer to it I hollered "HOT" like he had never heard a human speak before. The discussion of temperature became his topic of choice for every discussion for months. He has never once gone near the stove.

That worked for me, my wife and I feel very safe around the stove, but again, that is our choice.

We decided to take this route rather than make the stove the forbidden fruit like some of our friends had. A few friends of ours have a gate around their stove and since the kids are blocked from it, it becomes the place to try and sneak off to and throw toy's over, poke things at the stove, etc, etc.

Just as another person mentioned about getting burned on a kitchen stove. Many things could happen. Even the best gate in the world could result in a terrible injury to a child. The best a parent can do is make a decision as husband / wife / couple or whatever, stick with it, follow through and any discipline and pray you made the right one.

We think we did and sleep well at night. You do what it takes so that you can do the same.

good luck

pen
 
Since this is going the way of safety for kids anyway and nobody has mentioned it yet in this thread...

Consider also visiting kids who are not used to hot stoves. Perhaps a generation or so ago 'everyone' had them so all kids were more or less aware of the dangers but I'll bet most everyone now will have at least one guest visit who has not had experience around one. I see a big difference in kids who grew up and/or live with a stove (i.e. my own kids and the kids of the one family I know who burns) and other kids in how they respect the fire and hot stove. Having a protective barrier around the stove just seems to make sense to protect the kids of visiting friends.
 
im of the idea that it varies from "kid to kid family to family" with a "rugrat" who was into travelling at that age i was petrified she would get against the stove so i fashioned a gate similar to the kidco one shown above (i'll have to look for pictures as it was long before computers entered the household(she's a senior in HS this year). when i was 3 years old i suffered a burn accident similar to the one described above , somehow i managed to try to take a soup can out of a campfire which had burned down but still had coals under the ash. was one of those flash moments when you are supervised but the "watcher' gets distracted for a small amount of time and there ya go.

due to this , i am a strong supporter of the Kidco gate had i known of them back then i would have found a way to buy one. i recommend them all the time to my customers and i guess im recommending them again here. due diligence is great but all it takes is a moment of distraction and it could be too late. i wouldnt wish what i had to go through on anyone happened 40 years ago and i can still remember it somewhat.

as to igniting the arguement, i'll try to head it off at the pass. as i said above "kid to kid family to family" varience applies. the OP is concerned as any parent should be, different folks have different philosophies on raising kids , and different methods of doing so , there is no knocking the unprotected unit with a proactive parent "teaching" about the stove , nor is there anything wrong with a protected hearth. it all boils down to peace of mind. the product exists and above we see several good reasons why, but that doesnt mean its an absolute must have, "PEN" for instance is ok with having an unprotected unit and the kid seems to not have any interest in approaching the stove (your kid is a cutie BTW pen ) his choice and im sure he or someone is around to keep an eye on the tyke. at the same time there is no reason to bash a person who wishes that extra degree of safety. is there a right way? of course, its called being a good parent, i think both pen and our OP exibit those qualities and should be lauded for it.
 
stoveguy2esw said:
... different folks have different philosophies on raising kids , and different methods of doing so , there is no knocking the unprotected unit with a proactive parent "teaching" about the stove , nor is there anything wrong with a protected hearth. it all boils down to peace of mind. the product exists and above we see several good reasons why, but that doesnt mean its an absolute must have, ... at the same time there is no reason to bash a person who wishes that extra degree of safety. is there a right way? of course, its called being a good parent ...

I can't agree more - just because folks make different decisions on parenting choices doesn't make one better than the other. Even on things like this what works for one family may or may not work best for the next. I know my kids best and in theory I can work out the best solutions for my situation. Something that those who try to legislate every little safety measure into our lives tend to forget eh?

I'm just glad that we have a means here to share ideas and solutions so we can explore options and opinions - see what worked for someone else and why so we can learn from the experiences of a wider community.
 
stoveguy2esw said:
im of the idea that it varies from "kid to kid family to family" with a "rugrat" who was into travelling at that age i was petrified she would get against the stove so i fashioned a gate similar to the kidco one shown above (i'll have to look for pictures as it was long before computers entered the household(she's a senior in HS this year). when i was 3 years old i suffered a burn accident similar to the one described above , somehow i managed to try to take a soup can out of a campfire which had burned down but still had coals under the ash. was one of those flash moments when you are supervised but the "watcher' gets distracted for a small amount of time and there ya go.

due to this , i am a strong supporter of the Kidco gate had i known of them back then i would have found a way to buy one. i recommend them all the time to my customers and i guess im recommending them again here. due diligence is great but all it takes is a moment of distraction and it could be too late. i wouldnt wish what i had to go through on anyone happened 40 years ago and i can still remember it somewhat.

as to igniting the arguement, i'll try to head it off at the pass. as i said above "kid to kid family to family" varience applies. the OP is concerned as any parent should be, different folks have different philosophies on raising kids , and different methods of doing so , there is no knocking the unprotected unit with a proactive parent "teaching" about the stove , nor is there anything wrong with a protected hearth. it all boils down to peace of mind. the product exists and above we see several good reasons why, but that doesnt mean its an absolute must have, "PEN" for instance is ok with having an unprotected unit and the kid seems to not have any interest in approaching the stove (your kid is a cutie BTW pen ) his choice and im sure he or someone is around to keep an eye on the tyke. at the same time there is no reason to bash a person who wishes that extra degree of safety. is there a right way? of course, its called being a good parent, i think both pen and our OP exibit those qualities and should be lauded for it.

Very well said Mike.

I'm a middle / high school teacher. As such, when it comes to getting exposed to every different parenting philosophy in the world, I'm there! I agree with the "fit your family approach" over the far too common in today's society "one fit's all" approach.

When my next kid pops out in a month I might have to mount a fire extinguisher to the back of his diaper and keep a helmet on him full time. Who knows. But, regardless, I like to go by the minimalist approach to begin and then add precautions as appropriate.

pen
 
We've got the same gate protecting the Napoleon, works great. We also took it to MI last winter to guard the Fireview. My daughter (now 8) was never a problem, but the boy (nearing 2) is another story. We have taught him "hot", but when boys get wound up... He does like to rattle the gate like prison bars, and also likes to reach as close as possible to the stove to feel the heat.
 
We have 3 children ages 8, 5 and almost 3. We installed our stove at the end of the heating season last year. It was completely new to our whole family and we explained to our children that the stove is very hot and that they can get burned us very easily. All 3 children understood it very clear and our youngest would walk around saying "Stove Hot!". She new not to touch it on purpose..... but unfortunately one day she lost her balance and to prevent herself from falling put her left hand out and touched the stove. I was sitting very close by and saw the whole incident happen.
The whole palm of her hand began to blister and I can only imagine the pain that she had to endure. We brought her to the hospital and she was treated for her burns. We had to bring her back after 48hrs to change the dressing and make sure infection was not setting in, and then many follow-up appointments as well. In the end she healed very well and you cannot even tell that she received severe burns to her hand.

I decided to post this story only to let people know that accidents can happen even if your right there in the room. Had we had a gate she would not have gone through the pain she did. Its very difficult to watch a loved one in pain especially a young child.

We now have a gate to prevent further accidents. In my opinion having a gate around a stove is not being over protective. If I think back to when I was a child we did not wear seat belts in the back seat of the car. Today we all know that kids must be wearing seat belts in the car. Again it is to prevent injury during an accident!!!
 
bokehman said:
My youngest had his first birthday yesterday. We didn't have any protective gates or anything like that with the others and don't intend to with this one when we start burning in a couple of months.

Why does everything these days have to be cretin-proof?

While I respect your point of view as well as your right to choose to do what you feel is best for your family, I don't believe that I'm making my home "cretin-proof' by putting up a gate.

I still teach my kids that the stove is hot and will not allow them to reach through the gate and I even allow the older one (now 8) to help tend the fire when supervised. However, having the extra measure of safety of the gate may give me an extra 5-10 seconds to react if over-excited kids go tumbling in that direction during play. Or it may just be the visual/physical barrier that keeps the kids that extra bit of distance away so that if they do fall that direction they won't land or catch themselves against the stove.

The cost of the gate is relatively small compared to the rest of the stove setup so that isn't much of an argument against the gate. The actual appearance of the gate isn't all that bad - it blends in rather nicely once we are used to it (although all the clothes hanging on it after a snowstorm do tend to look less than pretty, heh).

So the question I'd like to ask is - why NOT put up a gate around the stove?
 
I taught both mine when they started walking that the stove and the range in the kitchen are hot. I let the stove cool to the point it would not burn your hand but it was still hot like a cup of coffee. I touched it myself and pulled my hand away fast and said "hot" in a very firm voice. I then held their hand a few inches away and let them feel the heat radiating off to be sure they got the idea. After that lesson neither of my kids ever tried to touch it or play around it.

My oldest however did stick gum on the glass just to see what would happen. She knew it was hot so she got out a spoon and used it to stick the gum. She is a lot like me when I was that age. They also know the muffler and engine on a mower are hot when it is just pulled into the shop, neither one like to learn the hard way they take my word for it. Like others have said every kid is different. I had to learn everything the hard/painful way.
 
I have a three year old, that never once did we worry about the stove. But we did put rubber bumpers all around the edges of the brick hearth. her little sister will be two in january. She didnt walk last heating season, so still never really worried. now that she can walk, and knowing her personality, I think we need a fence. She understands hot, she knows she is not allowed on the hearth, but I also know that if given the chance, she will want to self confirm these things for her self. It will only take one time, true. But once is one time to many. I pulled an iron off the ironing board at 3 years old. Landed flat on the back of my right hand. Mom grabbed the iron as fast as she could, taking much skin with it. No, I don't suffer pain from it, but the scarring is a permanant reminder that we as parents are RESPONSIBLE for our kids and their saftey. R.F.
 
For what it's worth, I have two boys and we put up one of those same fences/gates around the stove when both kids were little. In addition to teaching them about the hot stove and watching t hem, we wanted to make sure that nobody slipped and fell or put a hand out by accident. As was said above, every kid is different, and some are so aware of the surroundings that they never go near and so falling or touching it by mistake isn't an issue. But mine tend to get really focussed on what they are doing and lose sight of what's around them. So the gate gave us piece of mind.

Opening it up to load the stove was a pain in the ass, but on the other hand, its a great place to set coats and gloves for drying, and we used to hang bath towels there so they were warm when you came out of the bath, and then after so they would dry. It got to be that my youngest wouldn't even take a bath unless there was a good blaze going in the stove so he's be warm putting on his pajamas in front of it.
 
Two kinds of kids and dogs in this world: the ones I like and the ones I don't. Sorry. (not).

Do what you will to assuage your parental guilt in the unlikely circumstance that YOUR kid gets zapped by the stove.

Personally? I'd spend more time teaching and watching than investing money and time on costly "prevention". But if putting a gate around your stove so it can't get away or so you have a good place to dry clothing... go for it! I'm on record for saying I think it's a waste of time/money, but if it makes you feel better, baby? go for it.
 
I've already stated my opinion that I think whatever a husband/wife decide to do for this situation considering their child and their circumstance is A-OK.

But, I like to make analogies to try and understand situations, so here's one that is troubling me here.

How many homes have puppies / kittens born every year? I wonder how many get burned seriously? I've heard of cats making the mistake of jumping up there for a split second but other than that, I can't think of any. Why are domestic animals as "toddlers" smarter than the domesticator's equivalent? Why are our kids so "weak" for so long? I suppose the evolutionary pressures were different for our kids since we are more able to care for young as adults, therefore being "quick to learn" as a toddler really has never had a survival advantage I guess.

Regardless, food for thought.

pen
 
We have a stove in the middle of the room. We just used the cheap metal surrounds that you can buy at walmart. Never had an issue. Prior to that we had a rental place with an insert. Same thing. No problems.

The problem comes from you, your wife, baby sitter or nanny not being aware of where the kids are with the stove. runnning.

We watched a friends newborn through 3 years. they had a woodstove. First few words when he started talking. POint at the stove "hot". They learn quick.

Again your awareness is what counts. Regardless of what you put around the stove/insert!
 
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