In hindsight, that fireplace wasn’t very well protected, and I wouldn’t want my kids to do what I did. This is how I knew right away I needed to sort something out when it came to my hearth. Here are some protective measures you can take. 1. Soften the Edges

We’ve thoroughly explored this subject to find solutions that don’t involve getting rid of the fireplace or holding off on using it until your child is older. If you have a flat hearth that isn’t raised from the ground, you can slide a rug over it. No problem, right? Well, for other hearth styles, it is a little more complicated than that. A draft stopper for your fireplace can make a noticeable difference to the temperature of a room or even your whole house. We’ve definitely noticed that our living room hasn’t been so cold since we started using a draft stopper within our open fireplace. It may seem obvious, but babyproofing your fireplace is a crucial step in childproofing your home. The fireplace is a significant hazard to curious infants but also a big part of your home. Here are some workarounds to ensure this doesn’t happen to your child. 1. Test Out Your Fireplace DoorsIt should be easy to babyproof something as dangerous as a fireplace, but you’d be surprised how many injuries still happen involving fireplace fixtures — even in babyproofed living rooms. Kids have this crazy ability to find novel ways to risk their lives, don’t they? Sadly, there aren’t many options for babyproofing a peninsula fireplace. The stunning extended design is precisely what makes it such a risk, so your only option is to restrict access by using a baby gate.

Carbon monoxide is one issue people tend to forget when babyproofing their fireplace. This is a toxic gas that fire produces, and it can be much more harmful to your child than a bump or scrape. Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about this one too much if you maintain standard fireplace safety habits. The chances of your child thwarting whatever safeguards you’ve set aren’t high, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Instead of restricting access entirely, make a few smart changes. You could literally save a life. 2. Make a List of Hidden Dangers Did restricting access to the fireplace take care of some of the risks you identified? Great! You can start crossing things off your list now. We love a home that feels open and breezy, but it makes babyproofing hard — unless you have a gate like this. 3. Tall Doorway Gate You can also choose to have glass doors fitted to the opening of your traditional fireplace and provide a barrier between the fireplace and the room to help prevent cold drafts.You can prevent access to the fireplace in a few ways. Some parents don’t even want to think about messing with the fireplace, so instead, they keep the living room door closed at all times. This solution isn’t always practical, so many opt for a baby gate or fireplace screens.

The only downside that we’ve found when using our Chimney Sheep draft excluder is that the ends of it can become frayed, but this doesn’t seem to affect the performance of it once it’s up the chimney. Peninsula fireplaces are very modern and beautiful. They are generally a narrow fixture that extends further into the room and shows three sides of the fireplace. They make a gorgeous focal point, but they’re a lot harder to babyproof. Any hard, sharp, or rough surface is a risk to their soft, adorable little heads. Covering and softening the sides of your hearth will prevent head injuries if your little one stumbles while crawling or toddling around. So think like a baby, and get on your hands and knees to give your fireplace a once-over. Feel the hearth for any nails or rough, sharp edges, and play with the doors or any openings to identify pinch risks. Get to know your fireplace.Our favorite style of fireplace baby gate, which offers a lot for “just a gate,” is the multi-paneled metal gate. If you have a top-sealing damper there should be a chain with a handle located to the side of the firebox. Pulling this lever will open and close the damper. By cutting out draughts, you can keep your home nice and cosy. You will also use less heating, which is a win win: reducing your bills and helping the planet. The climate is changing due to emissions of greenhouse gases resulting from human activity, and heating buildings currently accounts for more than a third of the UK’s emissions.

This one is a no-brainer, so we’ll keep it short. The less chance your walking or crawling baby has of getting to the fireplace, the less threat it contains. If your fireplace doesn’t have a damper and you’re looking to stop those cold drafts from coming down the chimney then look to use a Chimney Sheep. We’ve found that ours works really well. As this warm air rises, it needs to be replaced. So cold air is pulled in, usually from around doors and windows, creating the chilly draught that you can feel (and hear when it’s windy). Did you ever get your skin pinched in a door when you were young? It’s a terrible feeling — even for adults — and kids do not react well to it happening. Pinched skin can result in cuts, bruises, or puncture wounds. Plus, fireplace doors get hot, so you have a burn risk to top it all off (1). Since baby gates are the simplest and most obvious solution to babyproofing a fireplace, we will spend a minute looking at different types of baby gates and their best uses. Most fireplaces can be securely restricted with a high-quality gate alone, so investing in a good product is worth it. 1. Multi-Panel GateAs always, restricting access to the risk is the easiest solution. If you’re using a baby gate, you probably have this covered already. Even so, it wouldn’t hurt to go the extra mile in babyproofing, especially if you have extra materials for something fun and safe. How to Babyproof the Fireplace Doors You’ll need to size up the internal area of your chimney and choose the right size chimney balloon to provide a good seal. 3) Draft Excluders If not, give your doors a shake, and run your hands over them. Anything feel dangerous? Make a note of it. 2. Restrict Access