We have 2 year old and a 3 year old daughters. One of the things we initially worried about was them getting hurt on the stove. We have a Hearth stone Soap stone stove. It never gets skin singeing hot on the outside. At first we would suround it with a gate, but eventually tossed it as the girls had a healthy respect for the hot stove. We worry more about them hitting there head on it then we do heat injuries. Of course they are just as likely to hit their heads on the bathtub or furniture. Did we just get lucky, train them right? or do little kids seem to have a natural respect for stoves?
I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that you can feel the heat long before you touch it. I've raised 3 with no burns.
You posted this at such the right time for me, my daughter knows when things are hot but I'm getting a gate to use around the wood stove i'll have put in soon so I can make sure that is a cautionary thing. Im actually beyond excited about it as it will teach her how to burn correctly and I have another level of learning as well. Let me ask you this. When you put your gate or fence in, was it with a kind of rail or the like so you could easily remove it if it were needing some maintenance and the like?
My youngest daughter has a scar on her back from leaning up against our previous stove, a hearthstone heritage. It happens.
We initially used parts of the shipping pallet that came with the stove. Once we saw the girls did not go near it, we used it to stack wood on and left the stove bare. I was going to get something from. Amazon but again we just did not find a need for it. If we had an iron or steel stove I might still get something to prevent accidents, but I feel hitting their head on a hard surface would be worse then fall8ng into the stove.
my daughter is 2 months shy of 3. At first, I wasnt planning on burning much this year (our first in this home with stoves) However, when I did have a few fires early on she showed great caution staying away from it. Luckily now, with a growing puppy, her play room is gated off, and her toys stay in there, that was my only concern was her chasing a ball or something over towards the stove. She likes to command me to put more wood in, and when I am lighting it, she knows to stay away. Though, she figured out a work around on that and glues herself to my back while Im kneeling down lighting it.
2 kids, both were curious (and dumb) enough to do it twice. Once around late 1s then again 2.5 - two different burning seasons. My daughter also couldn't resist touching the red hot electric burner on the stove when helping me cook dinner one night and repeated reminders. Every little kid gets a lesson - take their hand, hold it close to the stove - "hot, ouch". The raised hearth and sharp corners were more worrisome for us. Kids will do their best to injure themselves on anything, might as well not fight nature. Case in point, my kid just cracked hit head going to take a leak in the bathroom - decided to drop trousers and shuffle the last few steps backwards just because he thought he was funny. Turns out he walks about as well backwards as forwards, trip and wack right on the baseboard.
My grandson only touched it once, he figured it out quickly. Pellet stove hot enough to get your attention
It was cold outside, the girls often sit on the hearth while watching TV facing away from the stove and warming their backsides. She just snuggled too closely and touched her back to it. Small scar, couple inches, not a big deal but it was on the heritage. The cast iron framework it would appear. She was probably 4 years old and it was just an accident, she knew to avoid it. Hell, I've burned myself on the stove too!
We have a fence up around the stove. More to keep toys away and avoid the accidental trip & fall. Clumsy 3yr old here.
I just have to think back to my youth when most folks we knew heated with wood. I never remember any kids getting burned on stoves. In our home there were 4 of us kids. I did get burned a couple times but that was when I was loading the stove. As for when I was small, my folks heated with wood and coal all the time I was at home. My wife and I had 2 sons. Don't remember either of them getting burned. I look at this like other things and that is that you have to teach children but today I see so little teaching, instructing or even discipline going on it is amazing. And so many just try to "talk" to a child. Trouble is, they try to talk to a child and think a child will think like an adult. It won't happen. A child will think like a child and can not think like an adult until they are an adult. However, if one really has to feel safe it does no harm to put up a barrier.
For the most part, kids, cats and dogs do not have to be taught to avoid something hot- they will generally do so through self- preservation. Of course this only applies to those old enough to make conscious decisions and make conscious choices: a toddler just learning to walk, for example, could walk into anything just because cannot control where they end up. I have read that the only fear a human is born with is a fear of falling, all others are learned. If that is true, then the (very healthy) fear of fire and anything 'hot' seems to be learned very early and extremely well. I raised two sons around an unprotected wood stove in the living room without any incidents at all except for one: my youngest just got out of the tub and was dancing naked all around the stove, trying to be funny. He was about 4 at the time, and bend over at the waist and pointed and shook his butt at the stove.... but he got just a wee bit too close and made contact. Then he un- made contact surprisingly quickly. The stove was hot but not in 'nuclear' mode and while he did get a slight burn, it did not blister or leave a scar and was just a red dot about 2" in diameter. In fact, I do not remember him even crying over it but he did stop the little act he was putting on.... and as soon as we found out that there was no real harm done, it was actually kinda' funny. So other than babies and very young toddlers, and of course perhaps a young kitten jumping on something hot just because they can, I do not think it is really much to worry about. In fact, I agree with you about a child more likely to get hurt by crashing into the large lump of steel than getting burned by it. I believe a regular staircase in the average house is a bigger danger for both the young and very old than any type of heater. All of that said, I do not think it is foolish or a bad idea to put a fence or screen around a woodstove either. What is the worth that can happen, it could become too safe? Brian
We have a baby playard set up around our stove. The oldest knows the stove is hot and stays away. He'll try to blow out the fire from behind the fence when I load the stove but that's all. The 18 month old has no clue. For the potential burns and harm that can come from a hot stove, a $100 fence is a cheap price to pay. Once kids are older get rid of it.
Brother you're getting at least 3 kinds of good warmth there and that's priceless. Sounds like you set the stage for expectations and if such happens she'll know. I would be frightful myself for my daughter too if something happened but there's more than enough room here for teaching. The benefit for you is that she's already set the boundary
I know I am late on this, sorry been busy with life. My son is just starting to get mobile but I put a gate up this year due to young visitors and what not. Its worth it to me, hopefully saves me from a hospital visit. Folds up neatly when I dont need it.
Had my cat jump on mine this winter... He learned real quick and thank goodness he was fine. Thinking about the look during those landing moments brings me to quite a chuckle, however I wouldn't wish that upon anyone excpessialy a child.
Our four never got burned by the stove. We moved here 6 years ago when the youngest was 1. We let them know that the stove is hot and feel the heat, they still won't touch it. The oldest is 15 and she still won't help load the stove or close the damper. I was 5 and my sister 3 when my parents got their wood stove (tempwood, I really want one for this house) I burned my wrist on it once running near it, and my sister did once also. We don't have scars, thanks to aloe plant, and it didn't stop me from playing with the stove. Today we both heat with wood, my sister has an OWB though
