How to Baby-Proof a Fireplace

Where children get hurt at a fireplace

Fireplace injuries to small children tend to follow a few predictable patterns. The hearth is a raised, hard edge at exactly the height of a baby learning to pull up and cruise along furniture. Glass doors on a wood fireplace, and especially the fixed glass front of a gas fireplace, get hot enough to burn skin and stay hot well after the fire is out. Tools, ash, kindling and the bits of a log basket are within reach of curious hands and mouths.

Baby-proofing means dealing with each of those, whether the fireplace is lit every weekend or sits cold all year. A fireplace that is never used still has a hard edge, soot and old ash, and sometimes a gas key valve in the floor or wall beside it.

Hot glass on gas fireplaces

The sealed glass front of a direct-vent gas fireplace or gas insert is part of the combustion chamber. It heats up as the burner runs and can take a long time to cool after the flame goes off, often longer than an adult would guess by looking. A toddler who puts both hands flat on the glass to look at the flame can be burned before anyone crosses the room.

Many newer gas fireplaces come with a mesh barrier screen that mounts in front of the glass and stays cooler to the touch. If yours came with one and it was taken off, put it back on. If it is missing, the unit's manufacturer can tell you which part fits the model on the rating plate. A barrier screen is not a substitute for a gate, but it is a good second layer.

Choosing and placing a hearth gate

The most effective step is a barrier that keeps a child out of the fireplace area entirely. Hearth gates are freestanding panels that wrap around the front of the fireplace, often with a walk-through door for adults. Placement matters as much as the product: far enough out that small arms cannot reach the glass or screen through the bars, and secured so it cannot be pushed over onto the hearth.

• Tall enough that a climbing toddler cannot get a foot over it
• Anchored to the wall at both ends, or heavy and wide enough not to tip
• Bar spacing narrow enough that a child cannot reach through toward the glass
• A latch an adult can open with one hand but a child cannot
• Set back so the gate itself stays cool when the fire is lit

Padding the hearth edge

Hearth guards and bumpers are padded strips or cushions that fit over the front edge of the hearth. They soften falls and bumps on brick, stone, slate or tile. Choose one that fits the hearth's actual shape, since many older hearths in brownstones and rowhouses are irregular or set slightly out of level, and make sure it is attached well enough that a child cannot peel it off and chew it.

Many pads are not made to sit close to a burning fire. Read the maker's instructions on whether the pad can stay on while the fireplace is in use, and keep it clear of the opening. For a fireplace that is no longer used, a fitted hearth cushion across the whole hearth and a cleaned, empty firebox may be enough.

Tools, fuel and gas controls

Work through the fireplace from a child's eye level. Much of what sits around a hearth is heavy, sharp, sooty or flammable, and all of it is tempting:

Glass doors on a wood-burning fireplace deserve the same caution as a gas front. They get hot during a fire and take a long while to cool, and the frame and handles heat up with them, so keep the gate in place while they cool.

• Poker, shovel and tool stand moved behind the gate or out of the room
• Log racks and kindling baskets stored where a child cannot pull them over
• Matches, lighters and fire starters stored high, in a closed cabinet
• Gas remote, wall switch cover or floor valve key kept out of reach
• Ash bucket outside on a nonflammable surface, not on the hearth
• Screen that stands firmly or attaches, so it cannot be pulled forward

When the fireplace is lit

Use the gate every time the fireplace is on, and leave it in place until the firebox, glass and screen are cool, which can take hours. An adult should be in the room while a fire burns. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends keeping anything that can burn at least three feet from fireplaces and other heat sources, which includes toys, play mats and a pile of blankets on the floor.

Holiday decorations deserve a second look with small children at home. Stockings, garlands and lights hanging from the mantel are tempting to pull, can bring heavy holders down with them, and can catch fire when hung low over an open fire. Hang them high and away from the opening, or move them somewhere else for a few seasons.

Fireplaces that are no longer used

Many families decide not to light the fireplace for a few years while the children are small. That is a reasonable choice, and it makes baby-proofing simpler. Clean out the firebox completely, remove the grate and andirons, and store the tools elsewhere. A fitted fireplace cover or panel across the opening keeps hands out of the soot and stops cold drafts at the same time.

If the fireplace has gas logs, have the gas shut off at the appliance valve and keep any key or remote locked away. Before lighting the fireplace again once the children are older, have the chimney inspected, since nests and debris collect in a flue that has had no use for several winters.

The hazard a gate cannot stop

A gate keeps children away from the fire. It does nothing about smoke or carbon monoxide coming out of the fireplace when the flue is not drawing well. Federal fire safety guidance puts CO alarms outside each separate sleeping area and on each floor, and a nursery on a floor above the fireplace is exactly where one belongs.

A yearly inspection, which is what NFPA 211 calls for, matters even more with little ones in the house. A cracked flue, a nest in the chimney or a damper that will not open fully can send smoke into the room. A licensed and insured crew can inspect the fireplace and tell you whether a damper, screen or glass door needs repair.

As children get older

Gates come down eventually, and the fireplace becomes something to teach rather than block. Preschoolers can learn a simple rule, such as staying off the hearth while there is a fire, and older children can learn that matches and lighters are tools for adults. Keep the storage habits even after the gate is gone: matches up high, the gas remote put away, and the screen in place every time.