
Newborns aren’t moving around the house yet, so you can avoid both by keeping your baby a safe distance from the fireplace. Pictured below is a child safety gate placed around a wood burning fireplace. Beyond ensuring the fireplace is working properly, burns and smoke inhalation are the biggest threats of injury for a baby. We all realize the importance of teaching children as early as possible the dangers of a fire, and the consequences of getting to close to it, but when dealing with babies, actions have more power than words.

In a study released in 2009, poison control centers reported more than 3,500 cases of carbon monoxide exposure in children under the age of 19, proving how a carbon monoxide alarm is a must for everyone who owns a fireplace.
#BABYPROOF A FIREPLACE INSTALL#
Make sure the area surrounding the fireplace is clear of flammable objects, such as furniture, drapes or newspapers, and install both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. To keep your family safe during the cold season we suggest to carry out annual maintenance on your fireplace and chimney, in order to prevent creosote buildups and potential fires. Not only can babies and small children get burnt by the fireplace, they can also breathe in unsafe levels of carbon monoxide. Most fireplaces can be securely restricted with a high-quality gate alone, so investing in a good product is worth it. Every type of fireplace, whether wood-burning, gas, or electric, poses a potential danger to children. Three Great Baby Gates for Fireplaces Since baby gates are the simplest and most obvious solution to babyproofing a fireplace, we will spend a minute looking at different types of baby gates and their best uses. In a fireplace, doors keep children and pets from getting too close to. Check that the fireplace doors are child-safe.

Ideally, you should not have any heavy, sharp, or small, choking hazard items in your baby’s reach, including decorative fireplace pokers. Match your eye level to theirs, and target any dangerous items in their field of view. When parents want to make a fireplace safe for their kids, a hearth is. Try your best to imitate where a baby would be if they approached your fireplace.

Make sure your hearth is safe for babies.
#BABYPROOF A FIREPLACE PLUS#
Cover these pointy parts of coffee and end tables plus the fireplace hearth with padding to prevent bumps and bruises. And if you store guns in this space, pay extra close attention to this area. Fireplace doors prevent kids and pets from reaching into the fireplace to touch the flames. Sharp furniture corners, lamp cords and the fireplace are just a few hot spots in the living room. Baby proof a fireplace with a safety gateĪccording to the US Fire Administration, more than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves or other fuel fired appliances to heat their homes. 13 Ways to Baby Proof Fireplace on Your Own 1. For many parents, the first step in child-proofing a fireplace is addressing the hearth.
