Childproofing a Fireplace

Hi Amy,
We have the type of gate that Lindsey was talking about. It's called a hearth gate. I don't remember where we got ours, but I did find them on www.onestepahead.com. I would highly recommend it. Our two and a half year old still is unable to get through the gate! Good luck!

We used a few sections of a play yard structure to block off our fireplace (and conveniently the TV/stereo nearby). A friend of mine had a permanent gate structure installed around the entire fireplace and hearth. It was screwed into the wall and had a gate you could use to access the fireplace, which they used quite a lot. I'm sure it's pricier, but it looked a lot nicer than our play yard mess and I'm sure it's better able to handle a toddler/kid.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/search.jsp?N=0&Nt...

I love this site, so you have lots of options there. And file those vents down or cover them with a paint or something welded on that will not burn, your fingers are important too!

We don't use our gas fireplace and so we put a plastic child gate in it and it works great. No one even pays any attention to it. I would childproof it as soon as possible and your child won't even pay attention to it when he gets older.

You can buy one of those heavy fireplace grates...they sell them at many home decor stores like Rodworks and Taipan. They're pretty and keep everyone back from the fireplace.

Hi Amy,
get a fire place screen, those trifold dividers that go infront of the fireplace. They work great for us. Target or KMart usually has them for a decent price or you might check thrift stores or yard sales. But we have one and it creates a really good barrier for the kids and they know they don't move it, touch it or cross it. Your baby will be curious about it at first but keep on him that he is not allowed to mess with it and he'll leave it alone. Good luck!

C.