How to Baby Proof a Woodstove

A wood stove can be a wonderful addition to any home. Whether you want one just to warm up next to on a chilly night, or you want your stove to provide full-time heat, wood stoves are decorative and useful. Unfortunately, they are also made of cast iron and need to be placed on a hearth made of tile, brick or stone, making them potentially dangerous, especially to small children. Baby proofing the stove and hearth area is essential.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Safety gates for fireplaces
• Wrought iron gates and rails
• 2 1-inch by 2-inch pieces of wood at any length you require
• Metal screws
• Drill or cordless screwdriver
• Duct tape
• Water pipe style foam insulation
• Plastic play yard

1. Divide the room. While this gives your child less space to play overall, this method provides the safest and cheapest option for baby proofing your wood stove area. Rather than place a gate around the stove, divide the room with a large play yard or plastic expandable safety gate. This will prevent your child from getting anywhere near the stove.

2. Purchase a hearth safety gate from a baby proofing company or wood stove store. There are metal gates available that can be purchased in custom lengths and placed around your stove and hearth area, preventing your child from touching the stove. These gates or fences screw into the wall around your stove and won't fall over. However, some can get very hot themselves and they do add an extra step to accessing your stove for adding wood or other maintenance.

3. Place your stove in an inaccessible room. Rather than placing your wood stove in a main living area, if you can, place your stove in a room that you can keep small children out of, perhaps with a safety gate in a doorway.

4. Make your own gate system. If you want to place gates around the stove but can't afford pricey safety systems, you can make your own by purchasing wrought iron porch-style gates from your local home improvement store. Screw or tie the gates together in any fashion you wish and then bolt them to the wall with a piece of wood by screwing the piece of wood into the wall and then the gate into the wood. To keep these gates from getting too hot, you can place foam insulation pieces (the kind you use around water pipes) on the parts of your gate that get very hot, securing them in place with duct tape.

Tips & Warnings

• Constantly check your gate system for heat. You'll want to protect areas that get hot to the touch with your insulation.

References

• Mother Earth News, Childproof Your Wood Stove
• Frugal Living Freedom, Wood Stove Safety

Resources

• Hearth.com
• Woodheat.org