This one's going to be trouble....

[cmonSTART]

Our first kid who's 2.5 now was pretty easy to keep away from the stove. He learned quickly that stove/hearth = spank and we didn't have an issue. Our 7 month old however who's just learned to crawl is obsessed with the feel of the hearth and stove. He'll shimmy over to it and just touch it as long as he can get away with it. You tell him no and move him away and five minutes later he's worked his way over to the stove again. I may have to put up a gate this winter, at least until he gets the message.

 

[BrotherBart]

Our first kid who's 2.5 now was pretty easy to keep away from the stove. He learned quickly that stove/hearth = spank and we didn't have an issue. Our 7 month old however who's just learned to crawl is obsessed with the feel of the hearth and stove. He'll shimmy over to it and just touch it as long as he can get away with it. You tell him no and move him away and five minutes later he's worked his way over to the stove again. I may have to put up a gate this winter, at least until he gets the message.

So the first one took after Mom huh? :lol:

 

[stoveguy2esw]

google "hearthgate" or click here (broken link removed to http://www.kidco.com/main.taf?erube_fh=kidco&kidco;.submit.gateDetails=1&kidco;.modelNumber=G70&kidco;.bc=gc) great product looks nice and gives peace of mind to the grownups. even folds away when not in use. i recommend them all the time to customers who have toddlers. i think constantly about ways to prevent burns to small children(having had my own , and having suffered a burn incedent personally as a 3 year old) please think safety first.

 

[Slow1]

Don't forget to look on CL - I picked up our gate off a posting and saved quite a bit, even got an extension piece for it that we needed from the same person. We are debating on exactly where/how to mount it to the wall, but the clips are easy enough to pull off and replace so we will be able to take it down when we don't need/want it. I think we'll keep it around after our youngest is old enough to stay back just to stick up when we have toddler visitors over who know nothing about stoves...

 

[bsimon]

That has been a concern in our house. I gave a lot of thought to how I would want to install a fence/gate and couldn't come up with anything that would be 1) non-flammable, 2) reasonably affordable, 3) effective at keeping kids from the stove and 4) not be in the way of loading the stove or using the room. Instead we're using a large one-piece fireplace screen that curves around the sides and top, kindof like a baseball backstop, but rounded. If a kid is determined to touch the stove, they'll easily get past it. But for us, it is effective piece-of-mind that kids won't be falling into the stove or other accidental contact.

 

[madrone]

Second child. My first wouldn't have messed with the stove, but I built a fence anyway. Now I'm glad, as his sister's all trouble. I didn't spend much to build it. Worth the trouble for me not to have to worry about it.

 

[North of 60]

I have two boys. One is 3 and the other is 6. We are finally over the hump and the gate is gone. Removed it mid-last winter. All was fine and a few trial runs this fall has also prov-en that the youngest knows to stay clear and watch from a far. Get the gate/fence ESW recommended. they work like a charm. We have already donated ours to another new family, otherwise I would be shipping mine out to you. They are a great piece of mind. This is a busy time for you, enjoy it all. A responsible parent leads to a responsible and mannered child. Cheers.
N of 60

 

[crazy_dan]

they wont touch it long or often if it is in operation (somebody had to say it).
We never put up gates for our kids they were allowed to go near the stove if they wanted to. N
either one of my kids did ever touch the stove when it was burning tho so no burns here from that.
now an electric stove burner did get one after I turned it off and tok the pot to the table he just had to reach up there (he only did that once).

 

[wahoowad]

ehhhh, don't they learn real quick on their own after that first touch?

 

[North of 60]

It was also the horseplay thing and the easy falling over thing as they were learning to walk etc.... accidents and so on...they do happen.

 

[Jags]

Its when the unexpected happens that'll get ya. You can teach them (or let them learn on their own), but an accidental trip, slip or fall is the one that gets them.

 

[Slow1]

What finally convinced me to get the gate was when we had a neighbor visit at end of last season. This neighbor (who doesn't burn) brought her 18 month old son who made a dash for the stove thermometer on top of the stove. Apparently he thought it looked like a neat toy. Thankfully we intercepted him before he grabbed it off the hot surface as he would have had his whole body against that stove to get it. Little guy was fast and I don't think his brakes would have held in time once he registered the heat of the stove.

It was near end of the season and we never had the stove burning when he was over again. However, he did manage to get that thermometer on one visit before anyone could catch him.

Prior to this I figured our kids would always know about it and respect it, we'd never allow play near it etc to protect against the falls and so on. Since we have young kids (new baby now) we're likely to have small visitors for a few years so as much as I personally dislike the look of a fence around the stove it had to happen. Having now had the vision in my head of a child hitting that stove full force and the aftermath that could follow I just can't have it another way.

 

[KevinM]

We do have a PE Vista insert which is flush with the wall and a 24" hearth so there is a large defined buffer/safety zone.

Our 3 and 5 year old kids didn't do anything with our insert last year when it was running. While I was reloading one evening my son touched the door and got a minor burn. Between being him not wanting to do it again and me being paranoid about it he never touched it again. He reminds the cats to stay off the hearth since he isn't allowed on it.

Kevin.

 

[sullystull]

I have two boys. One is 3 and the other is 6. We are finally over the hump and the gate is gone. Removed it mid-last winter. All was fine and a few trial runs this fall has also prov-en that the youngest knows to stay clear and watch from a far. Get the gate/fence ESW recommended. they work like a charm. We have already donated ours to another new family, otherwise I would be shipping mine out to you. They are a great piece of mind. This is a busy time for you, enjoy it all. A responsible parent leads to a responsible and mannered child. Cheers.
N of 60

Seems there should be some kind of hearth gate exchange program amongst Hearth.com members. I'm in the market...as I would hate to scar the precious face of my 4 month old. However, I guess shipping those things from member to member isn't the easiest.

 

[Dix]

I'd go for a gate or surround, if possible.

I bought a heavy duty 3 sided fireplace grate last year for the puppy. I realized he was small enough to walk right into the door and to the fire box.

'Course then he parked himself in front of it for the entire winter

Buy/get one for a pup, definate for a little rug rat