Any creative ideas to keep kids away from woodstove?

[griz7674]

I started a thread earlier about diy or professional install. I believe I am going the professional install route. Anyways, I do have young children and am looking for the best way to keep them safe away from the exterior of the stove. I am not worried about my oldest three but my youngest (turns 2 on Monday) is a worry. I have seen some baby gates that wrap around the woodstove but did not know if there were other alternatives or suggestions. Thanks!

Bob

 

[weezer4117]

the gate is going to be your best bet. even though the other little ones (and adults) know what "hot" is, you can always trip or fall. i have a 14 month old and his 4th or 5th word was hot so he knows what it means buuuuuuuuut on the other hand their balance isnt the greatest!! with a barrier between the stove and the kids will allow you to rest assure.

 

[Dix]

Some one here made a neat wooden "surround".

Like I can remember who :-/

 

[jeff6443]

My 3 year old grand daugther looked at my stove I told her it was hot . She said POP POP is the metal hot I said yes . I m thinking stove hot , She touched the glass . WTF / Ran her to the sink .She said POP POP Why did I touch that my Dads Afire chief I know fire safty pop pop . Crazy

 

[LLigetfa]

Get three fireplace screens and join them together.
http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=fireplace+screen&gbv=2

 

[madrone]

I built a railing that fits outside the edge of my hearth pad. I used cheap wood, 2x3"s top and bottom with a routered top edge, 1x2's for spindles held in by quarter round and painted to match the trim in the room. The hearth pad is the same size as the clearances, so it looks clean and is safe. I'll try to post pics if anyone's interested.

 

[karl]

One good burn will fix it. I still remember touching one of those old hot oil popcorn poppers when it was operating. I was maybe 5. I didn't get burned on anything again for years.

 

[Gadget]

Make your kids touch it once.

 

[Bobbin]

My friend's toddler was here one day when the stove was crankin'. He was drawn to it instantly. We told him, "hot!" and stood next to him while he moved his hand closer and closer to its surface. He turned his little face to us and with an amazed look repeated, "HOT!". That was that, he never ventured close enough to burn himself and in all the years hence he's never forgotten the lesson about hot stoves. Kids are really pretty smart when adults make the time to teach and let them discover for themselves. "Once burned, twice shy".

 

[cmonSTART]

At least with our toddler, "You touch that stove and I'll spank your bum!" seems to work pretty well.

 

[micah]

I use a different method. While I do tell them its "hot". I found that a more physical warning works better. So what I do is every time I get burn (happens alot)I over exaggerate. Ill scream and make a big fuss. Then I make sure and show them the blisters for a few days. None of my kids will come with in 5 feet of anything I tell them is hot. When we have guests they make sure and pre warn everyone that the stove is hot.

 

[Chettt]

I never let my kids anywhere near it. No toys, no running, no playing anywhere close to the stove.

 

[Heem]

I built a railing that fits outside the edge of my hearth pad. I used cheap wood, 2x3"s top and bottom with a routered top edge, 1x2's for spindles held in by quarter round and painted to match the trim in the room. The hearth pad is the same size as the clearances, so it looks clean and is safe. I'll try to post pics if anyone's interested.

Would love to see pics of this!

I have 14 month old twins, and they both love to sit on my lap and warm their hands by the stove (they actually put their hands out, it's cute) We use a baby gate to keep them away.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

I started a thread earlier about diy or professional install. I believe I am going the professional install route. Anyways, I do have young children and am looking for the best way to keep them safe away from the exterior of the stove. I am not worried about my oldest three but my youngest (turns 2 on Monday) is a worry. I have seen some baby gates that wrap around the woodstove but did not know if there were other alternatives or suggestions. Thanks!

Bob

Hi Bob - I recommend getting the gate. I have a 6 y/o, 4 y/o and 18 months. Agree with the earlier poster that you can teach young ones the words "hot"...but when they are running around and collide with the gate, I am sure glad that it is there.

We have a gate with a door on it, will post some pics once my wife shows me how to resize the pictures

 

[LeonMSPT]

I've told nieces and nephews, "Hot.", to little or no avail. I took them by their little hand and we walked over to the stove. I kept saying "HOT"... as we approached the stove, I held my hand, and theirs', out toward the stove like I was going to touch it with their fingers. I don't do it fast, but I do it until they start raising hell because they don't like it.

Then I say, "It's HOT!! Stay away from it! MOVE!", and I let go... job done. And they're not allowed to play or run in the room where the stove is.

 

[magsf11]

my son who was 1 and 1/2 at the time touch our pellet stove door glass and got 2nd degree burn and till this day he will not go by it and he 4 now.

 

[burntime]

I let the hot air blow in my kids face so that it was drying...I said hot and you will get an ouch...No burns here and my 3 1/2 and 2 year old stay clear. My oldest challanged a lot, he was being cocky and the stove was mostly cool. He touched it and it was only warm. He screamed and solved the problem.

 

[madrone]

Am I strange to find something wrong with either threatening violence or allowing your kids to get burned? My son is a well behaved child without ever being threatened and would never touch the stove, but he is occasionally clumsy. All kids are. I guess I don't understand how "learnin' 'em" by physical harm is good parenting. On top of that, I'm not in control of his friends or cousins. The last thing I want is someone else's kid getting a serious burn. Why take a chance? Just to prove a point?

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Cant agree with you more Madrone.....having a kid fall down riding a bike is one thing...having a kid fall face first into a stove running at 600 degrees is another.
One look at my little guys, and I know which route I am taking.

 

[Valhalla]

An impenetrable screen with a locked gate is absolutely necessary. Build it or buy it, but put it in place.

 

[LeonMSPT]

Who threatened to harm, or harmed, a child? I am holding my own hand in the same place theirs' is. Nobody is being burned. Someone is more uncomfortable than I am, because it goes past their normal exposure to such things. But nobody is being harmed by anything, nor threatened.

Build your fences and gates, and the child will go next door and burn himself on their stove. "Gee, can't get near the one at my house, fence around it. I'll touch this one."

No different than the street in front of the house, the pool in the back yard, or the guns in a cabinet in the living room. Teach them too look both ways, swim, and know what guns are capable of, and you'll have a healthy, happy, kid, that knows how to avoid things in life that will hurt him or someone else.

Just build fences around them, they're going to be hurt someplace where there is no fence.

I'd rather control the amount and severity of the hurt. There is no doubt, ever child is going to be burnt. Without some conceptual framework within which to process the information, "HOT!", means absolutely nothing.

 

[LeonMSPT]

What did you tell your child about running into the street? I certainly hope you made it clear it could result in a trip to the hospital or Heaven. Warning a child about a potential harm, and then allowing a controlled exposure to that harm to allow the lesson to sink in, is simple teaching.

If they're in my house, they will be "controlled", whether or not it is by their parents or me remains to be seen.

Am I strange to find something wrong with either threatening violence or allowing your kids to get burned? My son is a well behaved child without ever being threatened and would never touch the stove, but he is occasionally clumsy. All kids are. I guess I don't understand how "learnin' 'em" by physical harm is good parenting. On top of that, I'm not in control of his friends or cousins. The last thing I want is someone else's kid getting a serious burn. Why take a chance? Just to prove a point?

 

[madrone]

Who threatened to harm, or harmed, a child? I am holding my own hand in the same place theirs' is. Nobody is being burned. Someone is more uncomfortable than I am, because it goes past their normal exposure to such things. But nobody is being harmed by anything, nor threatened.

Build your fences and gates, and the child will go next door and burn himself on their stove. "Gee, can't get near the one at my house, fence around it. I'll touch this one."

No different than the street in front of the house, the pool in the back yard, or the guns in a cabinet in the living room. Teach them too look both ways, swim, and know what guns are capable of, and you'll have a healthy, happy, kid, that knows how to avoid things in life that will hurt him or someone else.

Just build fences around them, they're going to be hurt someplace where there is no fence.

I'd rather control the amount and severity of the hurt. There is no doubt, ever child is going to be burnt. Without some conceptual framework within which to process the information, "HOT!", means absolutely nothing.

Yeah, Leon, I'm not sure what your deal is. I wasn't responding to your post. Your technique makes sense to me. For some reason you've come unhinged at me.

Yes, I've taught my son safety as it relates to all sorts of things. He listens, he learns, and follows the rules without having to have it reinforced by measured doses of, what?, pain? He doesn't run in the road, touch the range, stick his fingers in outlets. He doesn't need to be burned by an accidental fall in order to not touch the neighbor's stove. I get the feeling you didn't understand my post at all. The railing is accident prevention, like fire extinguishers or seat belts.

As for others' children, my nephew is too young to be under "voice control", as we say. He is even clumsier than his cousin. I'm not going to guard the stove so he doesn't stumble into it, and I'm not going to allow him to learn via an emergency room trip when I'm watching him. That's not teaching, it's negligence. When he's old enough he'll understand the rules.

Bottom line: I and others here choose to prevent accidental burns by limiting access to the stove. Others here chimed in with suggestions about spanking and letting kids get burned in order to teach them. That's not what the OP asked for.

 

[madrone]

What did you tell your child about running into the street? I certainly hope you made it clear it could result in a trip to the hospital or Heaven. Warning a child about a potential harm, and then allowing a controlled exposure to that harm to allow the lesson to sink in, is simple teaching.

If they're in my house, they will be "controlled", whether or not it is by their parents or me remains to be seen.

Are you suggesting he'll never learn not to run in the street unless he gets "controlled exposure" to cars? Interesting theory.
I'll teach my own way, thank you.

 

[madrone]

No different than the street in front of the house, the pool in the back yard, or the guns in a cabinet in the living room. Teach them too look both ways, swim, and know what guns are capable of, and you'll have a healthy, happy, kid, that knows how to avoid things in life that will hurt him or someone else.

One more thing: If the neighbor's kid (who you didn't teach) drowns in your pool, or gets ahold of your guns, who's fault is it? Answer: Who wants to find out?