# Any creative ideas to keep kids away from woodstove?



## griz7674 (Jan 31, 2009)

I started a thread earlier about diy or professional install.  I believe I am going the professional install route.  Anyways, I do have young children and am looking for the best way to keep them safe away from the exterior of the stove.  I am not worried about my oldest three but my youngest (turns 2 on Monday) is a worry.  I have seen some baby gates that wrap around the woodstove but did not know if there were other alternatives or suggestions.  Thanks!

Bob


----------



## weezer4117 (Jan 31, 2009)

the gate is going to be your best bet. even though the other little ones (and adults) know what "hot" is, you can always trip or fall. i have a 14 month old and his 4th or 5th word was hot so he knows what it means buuuuuuuuut on the other hand their balance isnt the greatest!! with a barrier between the stove and the kids will allow you to rest assure.


----------



## Dix (Jan 31, 2009)

Some one here made a neat wooden "surround".

Like I can remember who  :-/


----------



## jeff6443 (Jan 31, 2009)

My 3 year old grand daugther looked at my stove I told her it was hot . She said  POP POP is the metal hot I said yes . I m thinking stove hot , She touched the glass . WTF / Ran her to the sink .She said POP POP  Why did I touch that my Dads Afire chief I know fire safty pop pop . Crazy


----------



## LLigetfa (Jan 31, 2009)

Get three fireplace screens and join them together.
http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=fireplace+screen&gbv=2


----------



## madrone (Jan 31, 2009)

I built a railing that fits outside the edge of my hearth pad. I used cheap wood, 2x3"s top and bottom with a routered top edge, 1x2's for spindles held in by quarter round and painted to match the trim in the room. The hearth pad is the same size as the clearances, so it looks clean and is safe. I'll try to post pics if anyone's interested.


----------



## karl (Jan 31, 2009)

One good burn will fix it.  I still remember touching one of those old hot oil popcorn poppers when it was operating.  I was maybe 5.  I didn't get burned on anything again for years.


----------



## Gadget (Jan 31, 2009)

Make your kids touch it once.


----------



## Bobbin (Jan 31, 2009)

My friend's toddler was here one day when the stove was crankin'.  He was drawn to it instantly.  We told him, "hot!" and stood next to him while he moved his hand closer and closer to its surface.  He turned his little face to us and with an amazed look repeated, "HOT!".  That was that, he never ventured close enough to burn himself and in all the years hence he's never forgotten the lesson about hot stoves.  Kids are really pretty smart when adults make the time to teach and let them discover for themselves.  "Once burned, twice shy".


----------



## cmonSTART (Jan 31, 2009)

At least with our toddler, "You touch that stove and I'll spank your bum!" seems to work pretty well.


----------



## micah (Jan 31, 2009)

I use a different method. While I do tell them its "hot". I found that a more physical warning works better. So what I do is every time I get burn (happens alot)I over exaggerate. Ill scream and make a big fuss. Then I make sure and show them the blisters for a few days. None of my kids will come with in 5 feet of anything I tell them is hot. When we have guests they make sure and pre warn everyone that the stove is hot.


----------



## Chettt (Jan 31, 2009)

I never let my kids anywhere near it. No toys, no running, no playing anywhere close to the stove.


----------



## Heem (Jan 31, 2009)

madrone said:
			
		

> I built a railing that fits outside the edge of my hearth pad. I used cheap wood, 2x3"s top and bottom with a routered top edge, 1x2's for spindles held in by quarter round and painted to match the trim in the room. The hearth pad is the same size as the clearances, so it looks clean and is safe. I'll try to post pics if anyone's interested.



Would love to see pics of this!

I have 14 month old twins, and they both love to sit on my lap and warm their hands by the stove (they actually put their hands out, it's cute) We use a baby gate to keep them away.


----------



## daveswoodhauler (Jan 31, 2009)

griz7674 said:
			
		

> I started a thread earlier about diy or professional install.  I believe I am going the professional install route.  Anyways, I do have young children and am looking for the best way to keep them safe away from the exterior of the stove.  I am not worried about my oldest three but my youngest (turns 2 on Monday) is a worry.  I have seen some baby gates that wrap around the woodstove but did not know if there were other alternatives or suggestions.  Thanks!
> 
> Bob



Hi Bob - I recommend getting the gate. I have a 6 y/o, 4 y/o and 18 months. Agree with the earlier poster that you can teach young ones the words "hot"...but when they are running around and collide with the gate, I am sure glad that it is there. 

We have a gate with a door on it, will post some pics once my wife shows me how to resize the pictures


----------



## LeonMSPT (Jan 31, 2009)

I've told nieces and nephews, "Hot.", to little or no avail. I took them by their little hand and we walked over to the stove. I kept saying "HOT"...  as we approached the stove, I held my hand, and theirs', out toward the stove like I was going to touch it with their fingers. I don't do it fast, but I do it until they start raising hell because they don't like it. 

Then I say, "It's HOT!! Stay away from it! MOVE!", and I let go...  job done. And they're not allowed to play or run in the room where the stove is.


----------



## magsf11 (Jan 31, 2009)

my son who was 1 and 1/2 at the time touch our pellet stove door glass and got 2nd degree burn and till this day he will not go by it and he 4 now.


----------



## burntime (Jan 31, 2009)

I let the hot air blow in my kids face so that it was drying...I said hot and you will get an ouch...No burns here and my 3 1/2 and 2 year old stay clear.  My oldest challanged a lot, he was being cocky and the stove was mostly cool.  He touched it and it was only warm.  He screamed and solved the problem.


----------



## madrone (Jan 31, 2009)

Am I strange to find something wrong with either threatening violence or allowing your kids to get burned? My son is a well behaved child without ever being threatened and would never touch the stove, but he is occasionally clumsy. All kids are. I guess I don't understand how "learnin' 'em" by physical harm is good parenting. On top of that, I'm not in control of his friends or cousins. The last thing I want is someone else's kid getting a serious burn. Why take a chance? Just to prove a point?


----------



## daveswoodhauler (Feb 1, 2009)

Cant agree with you more Madrone.....having a kid fall down riding a bike is one thing...having a kid fall face first into a stove running at 600 degrees is another.
One look at my little guys, and I know which route I am taking.


----------



## Valhalla (Feb 1, 2009)

An impenetrable screen with a locked gate is absolutely necessary. Build it or buy it, but put it in place.


----------



## LeonMSPT (Feb 1, 2009)

Who threatened to harm, or harmed, a child? I am holding my own hand in the same place theirs' is. Nobody is being burned. Someone is more uncomfortable than I am, because it goes past their normal exposure to such things. But nobody is being harmed by anything, nor threatened. 

Build your fences and gates, and the child will go next door and burn himself on their stove. "Gee, can't get near the one at my house, fence around it. I'll touch this one." 

No different than the street in front of the house, the pool in the back yard, or the guns in a cabinet in the living room. Teach them too look both ways, swim, and know what guns are capable of, and you'll have a healthy, happy, kid, that knows how to avoid things in life that will hurt him or someone else. 

Just build fences around them, they're going to be hurt someplace where there is no fence. 

I'd rather control the amount and severity of the hurt. There is no doubt, ever child is going to be burnt. Without some conceptual framework within which to process the information, "HOT!", means absolutely nothing.


----------



## LeonMSPT (Feb 1, 2009)

What did you tell your child about running into the street? I certainly hope you made it clear it could result in a trip to the hospital or Heaven. Warning a child about a potential harm, and then allowing a controlled exposure to that harm to allow the lesson to sink in, is simple teaching. 

If they're in my house, they will be "controlled", whether or not it is by their parents or me remains to be seen. 




			
				madrone said:
			
		

> Am I strange to find something wrong with either threatening violence or allowing your kids to get burned? My son is a well behaved child without ever being threatened and would never touch the stove, but he is occasionally clumsy. All kids are. I guess I don't understand how "learnin' 'em" by physical harm is good parenting. On top of that, I'm not in control of his friends or cousins. The last thing I want is someone else's kid getting a serious burn. Why take a chance? Just to prove a point?


----------



## madrone (Feb 1, 2009)

LeonMSPT said:
			
		

> Who threatened to harm, or harmed, a child? I am holding my own hand in the same place theirs' is. Nobody is being burned. Someone is more uncomfortable than I am, because it goes past their normal exposure to such things. But nobody is being harmed by anything, nor threatened.
> 
> Build your fences and gates, and the child will go next door and burn himself on their stove. "Gee, can't get near the one at my house, fence around it. I'll touch this one."
> 
> ...



Yeah, Leon, I'm not sure what your deal is. I wasn't responding to your post. Your technique makes sense to me. For some reason you've come unhinged at me.

Yes, I've taught my son safety as it relates to all sorts of things. He listens, he learns, and follows the rules  without having to have it reinforced by measured doses of, what?, pain? He doesn't run in the road, touch the range, stick his fingers in outlets. He doesn't need to be burned by an accidental fall in order to not touch the neighbor's stove. I get the feeling you didn't understand my post at all. The railing is accident prevention, like fire extinguishers or seat belts. 

As for others' children, my nephew is too young to be under "voice control", as we say. He is even clumsier than his cousin. I'm not going to guard the stove so he doesn't stumble into it, and I'm not going to allow him to learn via an emergency room trip when I'm watching him. That's not teaching, it's negligence. When he's old enough he'll understand the rules. 

Bottom line: I and others here choose to prevent accidental burns by limiting access to the stove. Others here chimed in with suggestions about spanking and letting kids get burned in order to teach them. That's not what the OP asked for.


----------



## madrone (Feb 1, 2009)

LeonMSPT said:
			
		

> What did you tell your child about running into the street? I certainly hope you made it clear it could result in a trip to the hospital or Heaven. Warning a child about a potential harm, and then allowing a controlled exposure to that harm to allow the lesson to sink in, is simple teaching.
> 
> If they're in my house, they will be "controlled", whether or not it is by their parents or me remains to be seen.



Are you suggesting he'll never learn not to run in the street unless he gets "controlled exposure" to cars? Interesting theory. 
I'll teach my own way, thank you.


----------



## madrone (Feb 1, 2009)

LeonMSPT said:
			
		

> No different than the street in front of the house, the pool in the back yard, or the guns in a cabinet in the living room. Teach them too look both ways, swim, and know what guns are capable of, and you'll have a healthy, happy, kid, that knows how to avoid things in life that will hurt him or someone else.


One more thing: If the neighbor's kid (who you didn't teach) drowns in your pool, or gets ahold of your guns, who's fault is it? Answer: Who wants to find out?


----------



## Burl (Feb 1, 2009)

I've taken my son (3.5yo) close to the stove to the point of uncomfortable hot and told him hot, repeatedly.  So far so good as he now seems to have a healthy respect for a flaming stove and no interest in getting close. YMMV


----------



## colsmith (Feb 1, 2009)

The top of our raised hearth is about 28" above the floor.  So along with the other advantages of being raised (easier to  load, better to watch from the couch, etc.) it is also automatically safer.  Along with being far up of course the stove is set back the required foot or whatever from the edge of the hearth.  Toddlers cannot reach the stove.  We have some dear little 2 and 3 year old friends, they can't touch the stove so we don't need to worry.  By the time they are tall enough they will be able to understand why not to, although they have both known "hot" from an early age.


----------



## Burl (Feb 1, 2009)

You are lucky as mine is easily reachable although we do not seem to have a problem since the sensation of heat is apparent several feet from the stove and children seem to get the concept as do the adults.  My kids also do not walk into a campfire for some reason, other than us stopping them.......curious, since they cannot feel heat, all i am saying is that self preservation is a strong instinct.


----------



## madrone (Feb 1, 2009)

Burl said:
			
		

> My kids also do not walk into a campfire for some reason, other than us stopping them.......curious, since they cannot feel heat, all i am saying is that self preservation is a strong instinct.



Sure, but I've seen both children and adults fall or stumble into campfires. Scary. Easier than you think. It has nothing to do with learning. Accidents happen to careful people too.


----------



## Burl (Feb 1, 2009)

You're right and I am diligent about keeping young people away from the stove.  My point is that self preservation actually goes a whole lot farther than "I" would have thought initially.  A little prevention goes a long way but not the whole way.


----------



## Burl (Feb 1, 2009)

My experience has been that after showing my kids the stove up close , and holding their hand up close to the stove to feel the heat, they stay away.  Am I lucky?  Mine are 4yrs and 6mos so do I have something to learn still.


----------



## LeonMSPT (Feb 1, 2009)

That's why it's called my house. And when guests are present, especially little ones, they'll be controlled by mom or dad, or me. They're not to be running wild throughout the entire place without supervision. Part of the problem is we've come to a stage in this country where everybody runs around scared of something all the time. You cannot eliminate all the risk associated with getting out of bed in the morning. No matter what you do, there is a chance you won't get back in it tonight. 

I suspect, if someone else's child runs into the street in front of my house, who's responsible for that? Pool, house, gun, all the same level of ignorance as far as I am concerned. They didn't supervise or teach their child to stay off other peoples' property, out of their pools, and to not intrude into places and play with things they have no business playing with. So, asking who's fault it is doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 

When a child does something they know fully well they shouldn't be, and they get hurt or harm someone else as a result, it's their parents' and their fault. 



			
				madrone said:
			
		

> LeonMSPT said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## termv (Feb 1, 2009)

LeonMSPT said:
			
		

> That's why it's called my house. And when guests are present, especially little ones, they'll be controlled by mom or dad, or me. They're not to be running wild throughout the entire place without supervision. Part of the problem is we've come to a stage in this country where everybody runs around scared of something all the time. You cannot eliminate all the risk associated with getting out of bed in the morning. No matter what you do, there is a chance you won't get back in it tonight.
> 
> I suspect, if someone else's child runs into the street in front of my house, who's responsible for that? Pool, house, gun, all the same level of ignorance as far as I am concerned. They didn't supervise or teach their child to stay off other peoples' property, out of their pools, and to not intrude into places and play with things they have no business playing with. So, asking who's fault it is doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
> 
> When a child does something they know fully well they shouldn't be, and they get hurt or harm someone else as a result, it's their parents' and their fault.


[/quote]

Too bad courts don't see it that way.


----------



## LeonMSPT (Feb 1, 2009)

Wasn't "unhinged", in any sense of the word. Possibly a bit stronger response than necessary and I didn't intend for you to be offended or your feelings hurt. Wasn't feeling well yesterday, and it must have spilled over. No excuses, but it happens. 

I continue to maintain that building fences is only solving the problem in your living room. Which is I suppose the best you can hope for with some kids, especially visitors' kids.   


Yeah, Leon, I'm not sure what your deal is. I wasn't responding to your post. Your technique makes sense to me. For some reason you've come unhinged at me.

Yes, I've taught my son safety as it relates to all sorts of things. He listens, he learns, and follows the rules  without having to have it reinforced by measured doses of, what?, pain? He doesn't run in the road, touch the range, stick his fingers in outlets. He doesn't need to be burned by an accidental fall in order to not touch the neighbor's stove. I get the feeling you didn't understand my post at all. The railing is accident prevention, like fire extinguishers or seat belts. 

As for others' children, my nephew is too young to be under "voice control", as we say. He is even clumsier than his cousin. I'm not going to guard the stove so he doesn't stumble into it, and I'm not going to allow him to learn via an emergency room trip when I'm watching him. That's not teaching, it's negligence. When he's old enough he'll understand the rules. 

Bottom line: I and others here choose to prevent accidental burns by limiting access to the stove. Others here chimed in with suggestions about spanking and letting kids get burned in order to teach them. That's not what the OP asked for.[/quote]


----------



## LeonMSPT (Feb 1, 2009)

You might actually run over a watermelon with it, so the child sees what happens when something is run over by a car...  

This stuff is all unknown to kids. "Run over"? What is that? What happens when one is "run over"? 
Now he knows. 

Or, we live in the country. Lot's of animals get run over here. I've taken a moment to stop and show a dead animal to a child, and feel bad for a minute... and then add, "He should have been more careful, and looked both ways before he went in the road." 

So, yes, I suppose I am saying that controlled exposure to the danger is exactly what is called for. 



			
				madrone said:
			
		

> LeonMSPT said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## LeonMSPT (Feb 1, 2009)

Courts don't generally see much any way we'd ever agree with. Juries are funny...  

"Legal duties", "Due diligence", and "attractive nuisance" are all things examined in a lawsuit regarding negligence. A jury might find negligence in a specific situation, when that same case in front of a different jury, wouldn't. 

Taking a reasonable step of building a fence around a swimming pool? Good idea, keeps the lesser determined and intelligent ones out. 

A fence around a woodstove? Hey, it's your living room, and your children and guests. You have to do what you have to do. I'd argue to the other side of the moon that it is not a minimum standard of any sort. To me, it's like five point racing harnesses in a passenger car. 



			
				termv said:
			
		

> LeonMSPT said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Too bad courts don't see it that way.[/quote]


----------



## deck2 (Feb 1, 2009)

I remember a commercial on TV when I was a Teenager... It went something like this-- This is your brain(they show you an egg) This is your brain on drugs(they show the egg being cracked and fried in a hot pan) I still had friends that decided that drugs were a way to have a good time.
Some people just can't be taught.  I hope my son's will listen to me, but I bought and installed a Kidco hearth gate just to make me feel like I did everything that I could to protect them.


----------



## madrone (Feb 1, 2009)

LeonMSPT said:
			
		

> A fence around a woodstove? Hey, it's your living room, and your children and guests. You have to do what you have to do. I'd argue to the other side of the moon that it is not a minimum standard of any sort. To me, it's like five point racing harnesses in a passenger car.



Sure. I don't have a fence around the kitchen stove, but I do at the top of the stairs. We make choices. Teaching prevents bad choices, but not accidents. 

As for 5-point harnesses, when I was a kid, we had no seat belts at all. I lived. Now children ride in car seats with, guess what, 5-point harnesses. Is it over protective? Maybe, but if we can limit injury from accidents, why in world not?

I'm with you on teaching, 100%. What will your kids do when you're not there? On the other hand, some things are easy to prevent, so what's wrong with a little insurance?


----------



## LLigetfa (Feb 1, 2009)

madrone said:
			
		

> Burl said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My son tripped and fell right into a campfire and suffered a serious burn.  I had a chain link fence around our wood stove to keep him safe but nothing to keep him from falling into the campfire.

I took the time to anchor the kitchen stove's back legs to keep it from tipping should he stand on the oven door but I had an old water heater set aside in the basement that the installers left because it was too heavy from all the lime buildup inside, that I did nothing about.  My son climbed up it and it toppled over, nearly crushing him.  I kicked myself for not recognizing the hazzard.

It is incumbent upon us to mitigate any hazzard we see and to look for hazzards that aren't obvious.


----------



## mike1234 (Feb 1, 2009)

Edit:  Decided there had been enough said about a comment, so I erased mine.  Can't just delete these things I don't think.


----------



## SlyFerret (Feb 1, 2009)

My brother and sister and I grew up with a wood burning stove.  My parents used one as did my grandparents.   My Dad and my grandpa never built fences around their stoves.  I can honestly say that not one of us ever had a problem with getting burned on the wood burner.  This question comes up from time to time here, and we all go through the same debate over and over.

I currently have two burns healing.  They aren't the first burns I've received (this season even), and they certainly won't be the last.  Yeah they hurt and blister, but they certainly aren't the most painful things I've ever experienced.  I think that the two times I broke my arm were more painful.  Once was on the playground at school, the other was stepping off the wrong rung of a bunk bed ladder!  I've received numerous bruises and scrapes, probably the most painful came from a trailer hitch ball on the back of my truck) that hurt much more and lasted much longer than the pain from a burn from my stove.  Heck, having some warts removed from my hands by a doctor a couple years ago was much more painful than these burns.

My wife and I don't have kids yet, but anxiously await the day that we find out that we'll be parents.  I've thought about this a little bit, and for us, it doesn't seem like that big of a problem.  The stove is in the corner of the living room.  It's one small part of the house that simply will NOT be the play area.  We have plenty of play space in the family room, which is a bigger room anyway!  We're lucky enough that we have a pretty open floor plan, which will make supervising the kids (and eventually teenagers) VERY easy.  It's one of the reasons we bought this house.

I'm just going to play it by ear.  If it becomes a problem, I'll deal with it at that point.

-SF


----------



## Jimxj2000 (Feb 2, 2009)

We have 4 kids under age 10.  The wood stove is in a center room with lots of traffic and playing.  For us the fence is a must.  No need to worry about the kids forgetting, getting too close, falling, etc.  Or the dog bumping one of the kids.  We don't have to worry - they can't reach the stove.   Also great place to dry all the winter clothes.

Stove is top loading so the fence really isn't in the way.


----------



## daveswoodhauler (Feb 2, 2009)

Lots of comments on this one...but there is a huge difference in teaching the word "hot" to a 3-4 year old vs. that of a 6-12 month old.
Get the gate, and you wont regret it. (If my youngest one was a bit older, I would send you mine free of charge and just have you pay shipping)


----------



## bsimon (Feb 2, 2009)

I've had the same dilemma this year, my daughter turns two next week.  Thought about building or buying a fence with a gate, but am a little cheap, and wasn't ever quite sold on the idea anyway, it kindof seems like overkill.  We finally bought a fireplace screen.  Its a one-piece screen that curves around the sides and over the top, kindof like a baseball backstop.  We have an insert that juts about 8" out of the fireplace, not a full stove, so this suits our needs.  Keeps the kid off the stove, is easy to move, is fire safe, non-permanent, relatively inexpensive ($40) etc.


----------



## madrone (Feb 2, 2009)

Here's the fence I built: 
All cheap lumber from lowe's. I think it cost around $40 total. 2x3's top and bottom, 1x2's for the spindles, quarter round on either side of the spindles to hold them in. Rattle can paint job. I used a miter saw for the cuts and a finish nailer to assemble it. There are screws at the corners for added strength. It's not attached, because it's heavy enough to stand freely, and I can remove it any time I need to. It's outside the stove clearances on every side, even the front, although it doesn't look like it in the photo.


----------



## mjbrown (Feb 2, 2009)

JimJ said:
			
		

> We have 4 kids under age 10.  The wood stove is in a center room with lots of traffic and playing.  For us the fence is a must.  No need to worry about the kids forgetting, getting too close, falling, etc.  Or the dog bumping one of the kids.  We don't have to worry - they can't reach the stove.   Also great place to dry all the winter clothes.
> 
> Stove is top loading so the fence really isn't in the way.



when my daughter was little, i had a setup like this, only closer spindles and no wire. when she started walking and talking, she would go to it and stick her arm thru the spindles and mom or i would say "ah, ah its hot in there"...she would look back at us and repeat, "hot inare". 

then while watching dad, she figured out how i was opening the gate to get to the stove.as i was watching her play one nite, she decided to try out a new skill...yep opening the gate.when i noticed what she was doing, i shouted" look out, babe, its going to bite you", she snapped around real quick to look at me , and when she did the door came back on her fingers. her eyes got as big around as soup bowls . she looked at me , pointed at the gate and said " bite me".

after that she never went near either one.i guess i was one of the lucky ones...she was very easy when it came to stuff like that. now shes 13 and knows more than me.when asked how old she is now i just tell people she has finally reached the age where I am stupid.

mike


----------



## Mikeyvon (Feb 2, 2009)

We have a 4 year old and a 10 month old. We do not have or need a gate around our stove. From our experience, kids know that hot is HOT and they will not touch it. In the end, it comes down to parenting styles. 

Our kids hike and bike in the woods with us. We let them run free and play. My 4 year old runs quite far ahead and we are ok with that as long as he is in eyeshot and with our German Shepard. We have seen other parents walking their kids with a harness and leash attached, concerned about snake bites, cougars, and getting lost. 

If a fence is what you need to do to feel that your kids are safe from a wood stove, build a fence. In my opinion and obviously that of some others here, a fence is not required.


----------



## karri0n (Feb 2, 2009)

What about when they're 15 year olds that know how to open a fence and dare each other to put their hand/face/balls on it? Gonna need a padlock and some razor wire for that fence.


----------



## mikepinto65 (Feb 2, 2009)

Tell them if they even think of touching the stove this will happen to them
(If anyone is offended by this its only a prop!)  :lol:


----------



## gpcollen1 (Feb 3, 2009)

I would do a nice wooden gate if I felt the need.

My 2 yr old [just turned] understands hot pretty well - hot food, hot water - HOT stove.  I talk about it with her, show her and she has been pretty damn good about not getting too close to 3 stoves, when all running.  

Good Luck!


----------



## raybonz (Feb 3, 2009)

When my kids were very young I was concerned too so I built a "fence" about 2' tall around the stove.. I used 2x4's blind drilled every 4" or so large enough to accomodate closet pole for the ballusters.. The corners were bolted together so it could be taken apart and stored for the off season.. None of my kids (I have 5) got burnt so it worked OK..

Ray


----------



## raybonz (Feb 3, 2009)

madrone said:
			
		

> Here's the fence I built:
> All cheap lumber from lowe's. I think it cost around $40 total. 2x3's top and bottom, 1x2's for the spindles, quarter round on either side of the spindles to hold them in. Rattle can paint job. I used a miter saw for the cuts and a finish nailer to assemble it. There are screws at the corners for added strength. It's not attached, because it's heavy enough to stand freely, and I can remove it any time I need to. It's outside the stove clearances on every side, even the front, although it doesn't look like it in the photo.



Very nice job on the stove fence!!

Ray


----------



## central_scrutinizer (Feb 3, 2009)

madrone said:
			
		

> Am I strange to find something wrong with either threatening violence or allowing your kids to get burned? My son is a well behaved child without ever being threatened and would never touch the stove, but he is occasionally clumsy. All kids are. I guess I don't understand how "learnin' 'em" by physical harm is good parenting. On top of that, I'm not in control of his friends or cousins. The last thing I want is someone else's kid getting a serious burn. Why take a chance? Just to prove a point?



I didn't see anyone threatening anyone.  It's simple.  There's a stove in the room.  Tell the kids not to touch it.  If they touch it, they get burned.  Their natural reflex will kick in and they will jerk away before any serious harm is done and a two valuable lessons will be learned.  

1.  Do what you're told.
2.  Don't touch hot stuff, it hurts.

My guess is they will only get burned once.  Everyone has to get burned once.  If they learn sooner rather than later, so be it.

There are hundreds of things around the house that are potentially harmful given the right circumstance.  You can't protect kids from everything.  I certainly wouldn't construct some behemoth contraption because my kids won't do what they are told.  Letting kids face the reality that they CAN get hurt if they don't mind their parents isn't poor parenting.  Having the misconception that you can protect your kids from everything while preparing them for nothing, however, is.


----------



## Shipper50 (Feb 3, 2009)

This is kinda related to hot stoves and such, when I was about 9-10 I was cooking some soup and my mom was watching me. I left the spoon in the soup while it was cooking not realizing it was getting hot also. When I picked up the spoon to stir the soup it burned my hand and she said now you know.

Its been almost 50 years since then and I have never forgotten it. :roll: 

Shipper


----------



## raybonz (Feb 3, 2009)

central_scrutinizer said:
			
		

> madrone said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I agree with what you're saying however a kid could trip and land on the stove or someother crazy thing could happen.. It always amazed me how creative kids can be injuring themselves.. One time one of my kids slammed the toilet seat on his head lol..Another time (the same kid) did a swan dive off the couch into a heavy cypress coffee table, yes head first!! Even to this day and he is 24 he a bit of a daredevil!! This kid is not a dummy either.. graduated 3rd in class of 150 students..  You simply cannot predict every crazy thing that runs through their minds.. The idea of the fence was to slow them down and hopefully give us enough time to stop them before they get burned.. 

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...

Ray


----------



## joustinghill (Feb 3, 2009)

I have a hearth gate installed around our stove, not just for the kids but because I'm a klutz too.  I can teach anyone to not touch the stove on purpose, but I felt safer knowing that no one could trip or stumble and crash into a 600+ degree hunk of metal.  The gate also serves as a visual reminder of how far away combustibles must be kept so no one accidently leaves a basket of laundry or stuffed toy too close either.


----------



## madrone (Feb 3, 2009)

central_scrutinizer said:
			
		

> madrone said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've pretty much answered this at least once on this thread, so I'm done after this.

I was talking about the threat of spanking if the child touches the stove. "If you hurt yourself, I'll hurt you" seems like a strange way to keep kids from harm, but that's another huge topic for some other site. I shouldn't have even opened that door, and I don't really want to debate it here.

As I've already explained, I don't have any illusions about protecting my kids from everything. I do believe that teaching them is the best way to ensure they'll be safe when I'm not around. My son is not stupid, he doesn't touch hot stuff. At the same time, accidents happen. A stove has the potential to leave scars. The glass on the front of the stove is breakable. Even well-trained kids are clumsy at times. This isn't about learning not to touch hot stuff, it's about keeping them from getting an unnecessary injury. I expect them not to run in the street either, but I'm not going to let them get hit by a car in order to "learn a lesson".

It's too bad the original poster couldn't just get some ideas for a gate without a bunch of unrequested parenting advice. You do it your way.


----------



## mikepinto65 (Feb 3, 2009)

everyone should probably just rip the childs arm off and slap them across the face with it


----------



## raybonz (Feb 3, 2009)

mikepinto65 said:
			
		

> everyone should probably just rip the childs arm off and slap them across the face with it



LOL Mike sounds like my warped brand of humor!!

Ray


----------



## LLigetfa (Feb 3, 2009)

madrone said:
			
		

> I was talking about the threat of spanking if the child touches the stove...


My mother would wup my ass if I ever hurt myself.  I still remember hiding in the attic as a child, bleeding from a bad cut I got by sticking my arm into a rusty old tin stove.  Wore long sleeves for the longest time to hide the cut.  As a deterent, the threat of violence never worked.


----------

