Having your first child brings many responsibilities, including childproofing your home to ensure your baby stays safe. When you have a fireplace, you must take care to protect your child from getting too close to the fire. Young children are very curious and have not yet learned that fire can hurt them, so a flickering flame can draw lots of interest. At Bart Fireside, we like to educate our customers about all sorts of aspects of fire safety, and we would like to tell you the best ways of childproofing your fireplace by sharing with you some information from Parent Guide.
INSTALL A BABY GATE IN FRONT OF YOUR FIREPLACE
The best way to keep your child safe from getting burned by a fire is to restrict access to the fireplace. You want to stay away from using a freestanding fireplace screen because a child can easily pull the screen over or lean on the screen and possibly fall into the fireplace. Your best options are to set up a play yard in the same room as the fireplace or to fence off the area around the fireplace with a sturdy fireplace screen or fence. A play yard will definitely keep your child from getting too close to the fireplace, but it will also keep your child from being able to explore other areas of the room since it keeps your child in one place. If you decide to go with the fireplace screen option, you will need to secure the screen to the wall on either side of the fireplace so that your child cannot pull the screen down. You can find a fireplace screen with a gate that will allow easy access for you to get to the fireplace to tend the fire. No matter which option you choose, you should always be in the same room with your child whenever a fire is burning in the fireplace.
USE HEARTH PADS TO SOFTEN SHARP EDGES
Of course, your fireplace screen will keep your child from the hearth area, but in the warmer months when you are not using your fireplace, you may need to childproof your hearth. If you have a flat hearth, all you need to do is cover the hearth with a soft mat to provide a soft area in case your child were to fall onto the hearth. If you have a stepped hearth, you will need to soften up the corners and edges with hearth pads. Made of flame retardant foam, hearth pads run along the edges and corners of your hearth and are held in place with double sided tape. Easy to install, hearth pads are also easy to remove, which could cause a problem. A better solution could be an adjustable hearth guard that clamps on to the side of your hearth. Available in five colors, adjustable hearth guards can fit hearths from 45 to 78 inches, and if you have a larger hearth, you can find 24-inch extensions. You can also find hearth cushions that will soften the top of your hearth.
Don’t forget one of the most important things you can do to keep your child safe from the hazards of a fireplace: install smoke and carbon monoxide detector alarms throughout your home. If you need more fireplace childproofing tips, contact us at Bart Fireside. We are happy to help you keep your children safe while your family enjoys a warm fire in your fireplace this winter.
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