Best Protection for Little Ones?

[Coog]

Perhaps a bit heavy on the theatrics, to teach our boy once he was mobile that the stove was hot and dangerous, I pretended to touch it, then dropped to the ground howling. He got it and never willingly went for the stove. He did trip once and grazed the stove on his way down. Fast forward a couple years and a new house and an additional child, we do protect our insert, which happens to reside in the play room. (Good planning from great parents.) The protection is not only for the kids, but also for all the random toys that could find their way near the stove.

edit: taking a closer look at OP's hearth (very beautiful, btw), I'd definitely find a way to protect the kiddos from the stone edge. That's always been my biggest fear, those sharp edges. And, while maybe not the best recommendation, we picked up the cheapest grate we could find at Box DIY to protect our stove.

Yes, the sharp edges are a greater concern for me than the hot surface. Watch the little ones slam their heads on one of those sharp edges, big ouchy.

 

[DuckDog]

We have a "Superyard" as linked above by DJB. We have a small house and the woodstove is in the living room where our young lad plays. Not fair to have him get burnt chasing after a toy or something. He knows "hot". But he's also only 2.5 years old. We still need to take care of due dilligence for him a little. Hope to remove the gate after this upcoming burn season.

 

[rdust]

Kidco gate here....I didn't install it due to the fact I can't teach my kids what "hot" was. My stove is in a small family room which is basically the kids playroom so this keeps the toys from coming in contact with the stove. It's saved me headaches of cleaning burned up/stuck on pieces of toys many times. We also entertain friends with young children who may not understand the stove is "hot" and I don't want to feel bad if one of their kids gets burned up.

It also makes a good drying rack for wet clothes in the winter.

 

[rdust]

I won't tell you to not worry or not get a gate. However, my wife just requested I write as if this were her answer so the following words are hers:

When a child is growing, it is necessary to teach them about HOT. This is just part of the normal teaching process whether you burn wood or not. For instance, you start by teaching them the word hot and the way this is best done is with a cup of something hot. Such as a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. You say hot as you move the child's hand toward the cup. For sure you do not touch the cup; just let the child feel some warmth. Gradually you might get it a bit closer so they know the difference between warm and hot. Well, the very same thing can be done with a stove and it is actually easier to teach this.

This was the method I used to teach both my kids. The boy was getting the idea but decided to dunk his hand in a pot of water at a rolling boil, things went much better with the baby when I was using the same method.