help! we need a (baby-safe) fireplace screen
Our friends Tim and Eileen need some shopping advice. They have a fire-screen with a broken mesh sliding curtain. The curtain can probably be repaired, but even so, they’re in the market for something new. Their home is simple and modern, with a few classic touches. Ideally they’d like a screen that is that way, too. But here’s the catch: They’re expecting their first baby and are wondering if there’s such a thing as a baby-proof fireplace screen? If not baby-proof, than slightly more baby-safe? This one is similar to what they have now, at fireplacedoorsonline.com and we are liking this one from Brookstone which seems like a good buy — it’s half off right now, marked down from $200 to $100. Ideally it will have doors (Tim likes to poke at the fire) and be mountable. We’ve seen this kind of thing that looks like a fence you put around the fireplace to keep tykes out. Safe, but not so pretty. If you have any kids-and-fireplaces wisdom to share, please let us know. This is new terrain for us!
Hi- When our baby was born, we were living in a house with a stand-alone gas heater which is more dangerous than a fireplace. We ran into a similar dilemma – no easy way to fence it off and still walk around the house.
I know it sounds lame, but if you can NOT use the fireplace – use other house heaters or electric space heaters – that’s really the easiest/cheapest solution.
And, from what we could tell, babies are smarter than they look :) Even if they get close, they are unlikely to touch, and if they do- they’ll never touch again. This sounds cruel- only if you intend not to watch what your baby is doing. Watch your baby, keep it away from the fireplace.
Sorry, I know this doesn’t help with deciding which one to go with.
There are some relatively easy fixes for babies and fireplaces: 1) never leave a child unattended in a room with a burning fire or hot fire screen – if you leave the room, pick the baby up and take him or her with you. 2) keep a playpen in the room with the fireplace. Pop in some toys and most babies are happy to stay there and enjoy the fire from a distance. 3) teach children from an early age to respect fire and anything that heats up. But monitor them! They like to test things out! :-)
Never trust that a firescreen or door is going to be enough to keep your child safe. While they may keep children away from the fire, they heat up too.
The Brookstone one looks pretty hip and has the perfect knobs for some sort of child-hampering device that can later be removed.
check out the fireplace screens at the woven company. they’re extremely cool–
could be extremely pricey, too. i was looking at them because we have a 16 month old and they seem like they would be a good solution for our fireplace. all of them are backed with mesh…well, you just have to see for yourself. they have a website: thewovencompany.com. good luck!!
I agree with Shanon – I have also seen The Woven Company’s firescreens and they are gorgeous! They have over 25 styles that are all available in custom sizes. I recently purchased the “moorish” style. All of the styles were exclusively designed by the owner – Kenneth Nguyen. You should definately check out their website.
http://www.THEWOVENCOMPANY.com
Good Luck!
Brookstone is a good way to go. I also have a one year old and he has never tried to venture near the fire.