Children Home Safety
Children’s Safety for the Wood Stove Owner
Author: Craig Elliott
As energy costs are rising, the wood stove is coming back into favor with many homeowners. While a wood stove can heat an entire home or help offset the high cost of electric or gas heat, consideration for children in the home must be a top priority.
A fence either purchased or custom built, must be installed around the wood stove if young children are present. Crawling infants and toddlers are most at risk as they are too young to understand the dangers of a wood stove and the word ‘no’ is simply not enough.
The enclosure must be tall enough that only an adult can step over it. It must also be made of materials that cannot be climbed on. Vertical rails or fine mesh can keep a child from climbing over the fence. The enclosure should also be placed far enough from the wood stove that a reaching child cannot touch the surfaces of the stove.
Even with a fence installed, a crawling child or toddler should never be left alone unsupervised in a room with a wood stove burning. Toddlers, especially, like to toss items over the fence. Heavier objects such as blocks could easily crack or break the glass front of certain models of stoves. Plastic items, should they reach the top of the stove could easily melt and release toxic fumes into the area.
From an early age, children should be taught the dangers of a wood stove. It should be explained that fire is indeed hot and should not be played with in any form. The same explanations given to children about the kitchen cook stove and safety should apply to a wood stove heater.
Children are fascinated with fire. As you are loading a wood stove with either logs or pellets, this becomes a perfect time to discuss with them the dangers. You don’t want a child to be terrified of the wood stove, but at the same time you do want to instill a healthy respect for the appliance.
Older children can help with wood stove chores, such as bringing in firewood or pellets. They can also help sweep up the area or engage younger children while the parent is occupied with the stove. Other chores, such as loading the stove or emptying the ash pan is best left to older teenagers or adults.
Another concern with wood stoves, not just for children, is the pollutants put into the indoor air by the stove. If a child has an allergy to smoke or asthma, a wood stove could make an attack more likely. Care should be taken that such a child is out of the room when the stove is opened for filling or for cleaning the ash pan.
Before purchasing any wood stove, make sure that the stove is EPA approved. Do not take the salesman’s word for this; ask to see a demonstration model that includes the EPA sticker. The EPA has stringent requirements for wood stoves that will help keep indoor pollutants to a minimum.
The disposal of the contents of the ash pan is another concern when children are present. Ashes should not be dumped in any area where children are likely to play, as there could be hot embers alive in the ashes. A better solution is to dump the ashes into an ash bucket and allow it to sit twenty four hours or at least overnight. Ash buckets should be kept within the confines of the fence until totally cold.
Firewood or pellets should also be kept within the fenced enclosure. Any wood chips or pellets that have fallen outside the fence should be swept up immediately if young children are in the home. Both chips and pellets pose a choking hazard for children who put either into their mouths.
A pot of water should be kept on the wood stove when the stove is in use. Wood heat is a very dry heat and the water will help keep the air moist. This is especially important to help keep children’s skin from drying out during the heating season. Infants are more at risk, but children and adults of any age can be affected by the drier air of a wood heated home.
The use of precautions and safety measures can make children and wood stoves a happy mix. For centuries, children were raised in homes with either a wood stove or an open fireplace. With diligence and supervision, any home can be heated with wood and still have happy, healthy children.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
QUESTION:
home safety issues for preschool children or community safety issue?-
ANSWER:
Girlintheshadows made some good suggestions. I would, also, suggest putting protective covers in plug sockets, safety gates to keep children from falling down stairs or not so safe areas in the house. You can go to this website to find more suggestions:http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/grand/12steps/12steps.html
-
-
QUESTION:
need ideas for child safety in home for 9 yr old?
I have a 9 yr old with severe ADHD and other medical problems. He is now getting to the porint to where he can’t trusted safety wise for he has done things that would cause harm to others. I need any ideas on how to child proof my home so others can be safe and him. He can take things off and part if he wants so i’m all out of ideas. If you can think of anything i would greatly appreicate it.-
ANSWER:
I don’t think you can babyproof for a 9-year-old, as they can get around it just as an adult can. What you can do is supervise very closely to keep him and others safe. Playing by yourself is a privilege you have to earn by playing safely. If you have other children and so physically can’t always be in the room where he is, or if he’s getting in danger in the night when everyone else is asleep, consider putting video baby monitors to keep track of what he’s doing when you’re in another room.Beyond that, I’d consider some counseling so you can get ideas tailored both to the details of his medical situation and the specific dangerous things he’s doing. If he’s really a danger to himself and others, you’re beyond what any two-paragraph answer here will be able to effectively help with. Ultimately, you’re going to have to find an effective disciplinary strategy so he starts to learn appropriate and safe behavior.
-
-
QUESTION:
Home fire drills and fire safety procedures for children?
Not sure what children should do. Stay in bedroom? Climb out window? Run and find parents? Just get out? Etc.Any information out there on proper procedures?
-
ANSWER:
They need to learn how to crawl under the smoke, check the door to see if it is hot, and then get out of the house. They need to know 2 ways out of the house. Their window if they door is hot, and an easier way, like the front door, that they can use if their door is not hot. You should have a designated meeting place as safe distance away from the house so your children know where to meet you. Tell them not to go back into the house for anything and not to take the time to take things out of the house. A fire can move very fast so getting out needs to be their main priority.
-
-
QUESTION:
does child social services do an annual review and safety check of your home each year in alberta?
I have couple of cute children in my home that are under child social services act. Was wondering if the social workers do an annual review and safety check of your home each year. If this is required of the worker and home.-
ANSWER:
yes, it does.
-
-
QUESTION:
Can you please take part in my child and home safety survey?
Hello Parents out there,I am hoping you can help me out…
I am looking for parents with children ages 2-6 who would be willing to take a short survey. The survey, entitled the Home Environment & Safety Survey (HESS) is designed to gather more information about the safety of the homes of children ages 2-6, and the frequency in which children suffer in-home injuries. On average the survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.
I am administering this survey as part of a class project for research course in the Department of Community Health at Brown University. Your participation is completely voluntary and you have the right to discontinue participation at any time. All of the data will be reported in summary statistical form only and will not be connected with your name in any way.
If you would like to take the survey, please click the link below
https://pph-illume.chcr.brown.edu/Collector/Survey.ashx?Name=Tracy_Jackson
-
ANSWER:
if I participate, do I get free bubble wrap for the life of my child?
-
-
QUESTION:
Buying child home safety equipment..?
I need to now start buying safety equipment for my home, like stair gates, plug socket protectors, fire guards etc.. which are all quite expensive. I was wondering if there is any help towards getting these as im a single parent on a very low income.i was made redundant whilst on maternity leave and my husband died before baby was born. i have had the sure start maternity grant but the £500 was spent on a cot, clothes, nappies, pram etc..
if anyone knows of any schemes out there to help provide these will be great… else its walking around those charity shops in hope to find something..
*reply to proud* do you have children? if so you should understand that all these things add up.. a stair gate may only be £30 but you need 2 for top and bottom of the stairs.. fire guard..another £30+.. then u need plug, door and corner protectors, cabinet locks for under sinks etc.. all adds up. you may be fortunate enough to say it doesnt cost alot.. but having to save up for all these things means that only my baby eats that week-
ANSWER:
In my area there is a project that’s council run and founded (I live in quite a deprived area), they actually contacted me and came to fit cupboard catches and stair gate etc. So if I were you I’d phone your local council and ask them as they provide these services in deprived areas because of the high infant mortality and accident rates.Oh or failing that you could join Freecycle on yahoo groups and ask for free safety equipment or look out for it.
Good luck.
-
-
QUESTION:
How do I safety-proof a home/apartment for a child above 5?
I am putting together a school report (Master’s level). I need the communities thoughts on dangers in the home that children 5 and above face. Mom’s, Dad’s, Aunt’s, Uncle’s, Friends, please fee free to respond. The best answer will be voted in 3 days. Thanks so very much!! Smiles….-
ANSWER:
I have 5 children,ages 12,8,6,4 and 3.Here is how I safety-proof my home (I’m the only parent,their father left some time ago) for them.I work and they are usually alone at home,especially if the 12yo is somewhere with her friends and the younger brothers and sisters are alone.So,I have to be sure everything is OK.The main is that you can’t safety-proof your house enough for even the smartest child.so,you have to teach them how to take care of themselves if something happens and how to avoid something happening.
- The bathroom is never being locked but also nobody uninvited doesn’t enter while anyone is there
- All the children have been taught how to work with computer and TV,so they don’t mess it up
- The electric appliances are being kept away from wall-plugs after usage.That is required from my children too,if they are washing their clothes or iron them
- The food I leave them for lunch has to be only warmed up,even the 4yo knows how to do it.they have a timer,so they don’t forget to take the food away from the oven when ready.they all know how to make sandwiches,so they eat if the 12yo or the 8yo aren’t there to help with warmng the lunch or if there is no electricity
- When I go to work,I lock the door – whe they go out,they lock the house door too.The 12yo,8yo and 6yo have keys from the home door.The other don’t need them yet.
- The 12yo and 8yo have their own cellphones and all the others have these phones which select certain numbers.They also have a list of important numbers and know what to do in case of fire or an earthquake and anything like that.
- They know why and in which cases they shouldn’t answer the home-door
-
-
QUESTION:
Is there help for parents who want to keep their disabled children home with them?
I have two children with disabilities, but my apartment is to small for safety and because they’re boys I can’t get housing to give me a bedroom for each. I can’t effort to buy a home alone my part time job won’t support it. Can I get help support from the gorvenment or any programs out there. Please let me know.-
ANSWER:
yes. check with your local area for help. theres definitely programs out there. look around online as well.
-
