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!
March 5th, 2007 at 11:06 am
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.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
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.
March 6th, 2007 at 7:24 am
The Brookstone one looks pretty hip and has the perfect knobs for some sort of child-hampering device that can later be removed.
March 6th, 2007 at 10:01 am
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!!
March 12th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
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!
August 7th, 2007 at 6:38 am
Brookstone is a good way to go. I also have a one year old and he has never tried to venture near the fire.