How to Keep Kids Safe Around the Fireplace

About 65 percent of fireplace-related injuries occur in children under the age of 5, and another 15 percent occur in children between the ages of 5 and 10, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A roaring fire turns your home into a warm and cozy place, but it can pose serious hazards to your children. If you have a fireplace, take time to childproof it, as well as the area around it. This way your family can enjoy cozying up to the fire without worrying that anyone will get hurt.

Things You'll Need

  • Fireplace safety screen

Instructions

    • 1

      Make it a rule in your house that your children aren't allowed play around the fireplace whether it's on or not. Remind them to keep pillows, blankets and toys away from the area directly in front of and around the fireplace. When your children stay far enough away from the fireplace, the chances of injury are drastically reduced.

    • 2

      Install a fireplace screen around the entire perimeter of the fireplace. The screen will protect your children from touching the glass doors of a fireplace, which can heat up to 200 degrees in as little as six minutes, according to the Colorado Children's Hospital. A screen also prevents sparks from flying out of the fireplace, which can cause a blaze or catch a child's clothing on fire, says the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (See Reference 1)

    • 3

      Check for the location of the activation switch for gas fireplaces. If possible, keep this switch out of reach of children. This prevents your children from accidentally or purposefully turning on your fireplace, potentially without you knowing about it.

    • 4

      Provide adult supervision at all times when the fireplace is in use. Always know where your children are when you have a fire going. When you're providing direct supervision, you can intervene if your children are getting too close to the fireplace.

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