There’s nothing quite like snuggling up next to a cozy fire at night or during the cold winter months. Yet, for those who have little ones roaming about their house, a roaring fire can attract unwanted curiosity as well as become a serious safety hazard. In order to protect your baby from the dangers fireplaces present and keep them out of harm’s way, you’ll need to know how to baby proof a fireplace.
Different Methods For Baby Proofing Your Fireplace
There are a couple of different ways how to baby proof your fireplace and how to keep your baby away from the fireplace. 3-in-1 gates, playards, and fireplace screens are all products that can be used to protect your baby from getting too close to the fireplace.
3-in-1 Gates
One of the most preferred methods of how to baby proof a fireplace is by using a 3-in-1 gate. Typically made of strong, durable metal, the gate can act as a playard to keep your child contained, or as a barrier to completely close off access to certain areas of your house, such as fireplaces. These versatile gates are equipped with a swinging walk-thru panel, so that parents are able to easily maneuver back and forth between the barrier and have easy access to their baby. The walk-thru panel has a double locking system that’s child proof, which is another great feature of how to keep your baby away from the fireplace. 3-in-1 gates can also be secured to your walls, allowing them to create a sturdy enclosure around your fireplace.
The North States Superyard 3-in-1 Metal Gate is one of the top rated 3-in-1 gates and is an ideal solution for how to baby proof your fireplace. (Click here to check Amazon Price)
Playard
Putting your baby in a playard is another way of how to protect your baby from the fireplace. The main benefit of playards is that they keep your baby contained in one area, preventing them from exploring unsafe areas, such as the fireplace. Playards are also great because they’re compact and portable, giving you the ability to safely place them in any room of the house. The downside of using a playard, however, is that your fireplace still remains exposed, so you’ll always need to remember to place your baby in the playard in order to keep them away from the fireplace. When wanting the best playard for baby proofing your fireplace, look no further than the #1 Best Seller among baby playards: The Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard.
Fireplace Screens
Another method for how to baby proof your fireplace is by using a fireplace screen. These are primarily screens that wrap around the entire fireplace and hearth in order to prevent your baby from getting too close to the fireplace. To ensure your baby’s safety, you’ll want a fireplace screen that is able to be attached to the wall on both sides of the fireplace, rather than be freestanding. If not secured, your baby can risk serious injury by trying to climb or pull on the screen, resulting in either them falling into the fireplace or the screen falling on top of them. The Minuteman International Screen Child Guard Stove is a fireplace screen specifically designed for those looking for how to keep their baby away from the fireplace and how to baby proof a fireplace.
How To Baby Proof Fireplace With Glass Doors
Although some may assume that by having doors on their fireplace they’re automatically baby proof, this isn’t true. Fireplaces with glass doors still present serious risks to your baby and you’ll need to know how to protect your baby from the fireplace and baby proof its glass doors.
Prevent Burns
Glass doors can become extremely hot when the fireplace is in use and retain that heat for a long time after the fire is put out. This means if your baby comes in contact with the glass, they’ll get burned. To prevent your baby from being able to touch the hot glass, you can use either a 3-in-1 gate, playard, or fireplace screen. Any of these methods would be a great way for how to keep your baby away from the fireplace.
Prevent Pinching
Besides the danger of burning your baby’s skin, glass doors can also pinch your baby’s little fingers. When the fireplace isn’t in use, and isn’t being guarded by a gate or fence, you’ll want to make sure to install baby proof locks on the glass doors. The Fireplace Door Lock from Safety Innovations is the perfect fix for how to baby proof your fireplace and its glass doors.
Baby Proofing Your Hearth
Knowing how to baby proof your hearth is just as important as knowing how to baby proof your fireplace. The hearth is located at the base of the fireplace, either a ledge or a flat surface area constructed out of brick or stone, that helps keep embers from escaping and potentially igniting the room. Hearths propose a serious threat to your baby because they can fall while trying to climb up on the ledge or injury themselves on the ledge’s sharp corners. Try some of the following methods for how to baby proof your hearth.
Fireplace Screens
One of the simplest ways of how to protect your baby from the fireplace and hearth is by using a fireplace screen. As mentioned before, the best screens to use are those that can be secured into the walls, so that your baby isn’t susceptible to other safety hazards.
Hearth Pads
Hearth pads are terrific products to use when searching for an easy way how to protect your baby from the fireplace and hearth. Made out of foam that is both soft and flame retardant, hearth pads adhere and completely enclose the brick or stone edges and corners of the heath, reducing the risk of your baby encountering bumps and bruises. When in need of a solution for how to baby proof a brick fireplace and how to protect your baby from the fireplace and hearth, The Cardinal Gates Kid’s Edge Metal Hearth Guard is a quality product that can do just that.
Hearth Cushions
Another way of how to baby proof a brick fireplace and hearth is by using a hearth cushion. These are soft, flame retardant cushions that lay on top of the hearth and protect your baby from hurting themselves. One of the best hearth cushions to use is the Kidkusion Soft Seat Hearth Pad.
Reducing Exposure to Carbon Monoxide
One way of how to baby proof a fireplace that most parents don’t think of is by installing a carbon monoxide detector. Odorless, colorless, and flammable, carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that can be emitted into the air via burning coal, wood, and gas. This harmful substance can reach dangerous levels if the vents or exhausts in your fireplace are obstructed. Inhaling excessive amounts of this toxic gas can cause both you and your baby to experience headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fainting, and more severely, death.
If you own a fireplace, having a carbon monoxide detector installed in your house is essential for how to protect your baby from one of the forgotten dangers of your fireplace. The Kidde Nighthawk Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Alarm is the best-selling brand that alerts you when unsafe levels of carbon monoxide are detected in your house.
Proper maintenance and regular cleaning of the venting system in your fireplace can also help reduce the buildup of carbon monoxide. However, if your fireplace doesn’t have a venting system, be sure to open a window while the fireplace is in use so that air can circulate and carbon monoxide doesn’t because an issue. Knowing the serious harm carbon monoxide can cause will help you be more informed about how to baby proof your fireplace.
Protecting Your Baby From The Fireplace
Having a fireplace in your house can seem like a luxury, but it also can cause serious harm to your baby if not properly baby proofed. To keep your baby safe, you’ll need to make sure that they don’t have access to the fireplace while it’s in use and that it’s secure when not in use. Gates, fences, hearth pads and cushions, door locks, and carbon monoxide detectors are all necessary items for your fireplace to have, and are all effective ways for how to baby proof your fireplace.