10 to 16mo. old child + wood stove

[wolfonahill]

Hi everyone- long time lurker first time poster.
This will be my second full season as a wood burner and I love our Clydesdale which i bought after sifting through the loads of valuable info on this forum.
Our big concern this year is avoiding any accidents with our child. She's already shown interest in the knob/handle of the insert and I'm afraid that when we start burning soon she's just going to get more curious.
The insert sits about 14" up off of the HW floor. Is there any kind of protective screen that can be recommended?
Any general advice on keeping a child safe with or without some kind of barrier??

 

[mellow]

Do a search for a kidco hearth gate, plenty of topics on it. You will also get other advice in those topics about not having a gate.

 

[jharkin]

We got a Kidco hearth gate second hand on Craigslist. Works great and you can buy extra sections to vary the length.

 

[Bluerubi]

I have gone through both my toddler age kids being around my exposed insert, and never had a gate. Each kid had one very minor burn from curiosity, and not surprisingly learned quickly that it's not something fun to touch. They then would stay clear of the area without being told, and we make sure that running in the house is kept to a minimum.

 

[KaptJaq]

Depends on the look you want...

I used the first one but added some hook/eyes to attached it to the wall so it would not get knocked out of the way.

http://www.amazon.com/3-Fold-Child-...&sr=8-2&keywords=childproof+fireplace+screens

The second one gives you room to have wood & tools inside the screen for reloading. It prevents the child from knocking the wood pile down or tripping on it.

http://www.amazon.com/North-States-...&sr=8-1&keywords=childproof+fireplace+screens

That said I very rarely used the screen. In the beginning I made sure that I was with them in the stove room. Every time they ventured near the stove I would sternly warn them "HOT" and establish a limit as to how close they could get to the stove. We have a rug that ends about 2 feet from the hearth. If they passed that line they were told to move back. Soon they learned their limits. About the only time we used the screen was when company came with younger children.

KaptJaq

 

[MishMouse]

For me Child 1, 2 and 3, stayed away from it. Child #4 got curious and did get an owie while trying to help mommie load the stove.
She didn't touch it since.
A child gate should work for all non-monkey children.
For mine, climbing is a passion, and a child gate would only serve as a challenge.

 

[MishMouse]

How I taught child 1-4 I would sit in front of the stove and hold my hand out and say hot. Then I would hold their hand out and show them it is hot.
For your child that you do not want to touch the knob, put on a show for them next time you touch it when it is lit.
Having daddy/and or mommy say OW that's hot, may get her to not touch it. If you do try this don't over do to make it look funny, make it look like you actually got burnt. So she knows touching it is a no-no.
As with mine if I did use a gate, my biggest fear would be one of them pulling a chair next to it in order to get to the other side and having the child fall towards a running stove.

 

[Sons924]

If you see your baby getting somewhat curious choose the strongest gate and install it properly. The baby will soon be old enough to know not to go near it, and you can remove the gate. Being a father if 2 I think it's better to be safe then sorry.

 

[BrotherBart]

Lots of people here with kids. And a lot of them aren't little anymore.

Put an item in the For Sale/Wanted section of this site. I bet there are a lot of nice gates collecting dust.

 

[Dix]

I'd go with a gate, and teaching "hot". They pick up on it quick !!

Welcome to the forums !!

 

[wolfonahill]

Hey thanks for all the great replies!!

I'm gonna look into getting a second hand gate. If I don't find one, I'll probably just watch her like a hawk for the first few fires and see how well the learning process moves along- maybe get a new one if need be. Definitely gonna be very cautious this season...

 

[dafattkidd]

We have the kidco hearthgate. Its pretty invasive in room and not fantastically attractive, but I have two clumsy young boys. This thing is sturdy. It allows us serious peace of mind. While I'm at work my wife can leave the room without having to lock the kids in their rooms, or bring them with her everywhere she goes in the house. Our insert is in the living room where we spend most of our time. Added bonus: we hang our wet clothes on it when we come in from the snow. Its a perfect drying rack.

Our biggest concern wasn't really the kids touching the insert, but more the fear of the kids falling into it while bouncing around like lunatics.

 

[rdust]

I was in the no gate camp, wife was in the gate camp, wife is smarter than me so we have a Kidco gate. I agree it's pretty easy to teach "hot", it's more difficult to avoid clumsy accidents from happening. My stove is in my family room(ie play room) where we spend most our time and it's not a large room so the gate provides some level of security against the accidental fall, toy getting tossed into the stove etc........

 

[Wingman]

We did gate last year with 8 month old. This year I plan to go without. The youngest will be 20 months and starting to get a good handle on things. I will have to break her of the habit she has now of sitting on the stove lip and playing with the handle. The 4 and 6 year old know to stay away.

 

[Oregon aloha]

It easy to keep the little ones away for the wood stove, but when they get older rough play can get too close to the stove that's when you should be concerned. Three of us kids grew up around wood stoves just fine and I raised three boys with a wood stove or insert and never had anything serious happen. There is a thing about keeping kids too safe. Playgrounds have become so safe that kids are suffering serious injuries from not learning how to be cautious.

 

[mepellet]

Just bought this one and it seems real sturdy with plenty of room. Actually had to take two panels out of it. I have a corner install on a smallish firebox.
http://www.amazon.com/North-States-...579785&sr=8-2&keywords=north+states+superyard

 

[NectarNook]

My children were exposed to wood stoves at a young age. They learned respect for the heat it puts out by constant intervention and teaching on my part. My kids are smart and listen well, so I guess my experience might not be a universal one.

Gates are ugly and a pain in the buns. I would never use one, personally.

 

[dafattkidd]

My children were exposed to wood stoves at a young age. They learned respect for the heat it puts out by constant intervention and teaching on my part. My kids are smart and listen well, so I guess my experience might not be a universal one.

Gates are ugly and a pain in the buns. I would never use one, personally.

Well that was kind of a crappy thing to say. I understand your point, but some rooms (mine in particular) lend themselves to be more accident prone than others. Function over form with this one. We're not safety nuts, but this seemed to be a necessity in our situation.