How to babyproof a fireplace: the hearth edge, the fire, and the glass you didn't think about

Two hazards, three parts

The hearth is a raised stone or brick shelf with a square edge at exactly the height a cruising toddler falls from. That hazard is there in July. The fire is a burn hazard for the months the fireplace is lit, and with a gas unit the glass front is the burn hazard even when the fire is not visible. So the plan has three parts: a cushion on the edge always, a barrier around the whole thing in season, and a rule about the glass. Nothing here replaces an adult in the room with a lit fire; the barrier buys you the thirty seconds you are not looking.

Part 1: the hearth edge, all year

A hearth cushion is a length of dense foam, L-shaped or flat, stuck along the front edge and wrapped around the corners. KidKusion makes one specifically for hearths, 8.33 feet in a pack, attached with adhesive- backed hook-and-loop, made in the USA. Roving Cove's HeftyFit edge and corner set is denser foam (a stated Shore A 20) in a 15-foot roll with pre-taped corners, and it publishes its flame-resistance testing, which matters on a hearth. Either way the surface is the problem: stone and brick are rough and dusty, so clean the edge, press hard, and expect to re-stick a corner after the first winter of heat. The full ranking is best hearth pads and edge guards. Foam near a fire is fine when the fire is behind a gate; foam is not a gate.

Part 2: the gate, in season

A fireplace gate is a run of steel panels, hardware-mounted to the wall on each side of the fireplace, standing off the hearth far enough that a child at the gate cannot reach heat. Two rules from the makers. North States requires a minimum 2-foot distance between its 3-in-1 Superyard and a fireplace. KidCo's purpose-built HearthGate wraps a standard 6-foot hearth with a door you can move to any section, but its page gives no clearance figure, so use your fireplace or stove manual's clearance-to-combustibles number as the minimum standoff. Both are hardware installs at the wall; a freestanding run of panels around a fire is a suggestion. The gates are ranked in best fireplace baby gates; the multi-panel install is the same as any wide gate, in how to install a baby gate.

Part 3: gas fireplaces and the glass

A sealed gas fireplace or insert has a glass front that gets hot enough to burn skin on contact while the fire is running and for a long time afterward, and it does not look dangerous once the flame is off. The CPSC's own guidance says the glass fronts can reach 500 or even 1,000 degrees F and that severe burns happen in seconds, and it notes that starting January 1, 2015 all new gas fireplaces that vent outside come with a protective barrier; for older units it recommends buying a retrofit barrier, such as an attachable safety screen or a fireplace safety gate. The rule for a home with a toddler: the gate goes up before the fire is lit and stays up until the glass is cool to the back of your hand, which can be an hour. A screen over the glass reduces the contact temperature; it does not make the glass touchable.

Brick, ledge, insert, stove

Brick fireplace with a raised hearth: cushion the edge and corners, gate in season. Flush hearth, no ledge: no edge to pad; gate in season, and corner guards on the mantel corners if they are at head height. Gas insert in a wall: the glass rule above; a gate with a door, because you will be opening it to light the pilot. Wood stove: the hottest surface in the house, on all sides; a full wrap of panels at the stove manual's clearance, which KidCo says its HearthGate can do with extra sections. The rest of the room, including the TV over the mantel, is in babyproofing the living room.

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