Keeping your child away from fire sources and blocking access to fireplace doors and fireplaces is an important part of baby protection. You need to treat each part of the fireplace as a potential risk and treat each part individually.

We break down various aspects of fireplace safety below. Get started by following these quick and easy steps to keep your kids safe by the fireplace.

Securing something as dangerous as a fireplace should be easy, but you'd be surprised how much damage can still happen with fireplace fixtures -- even in baby-protected living rooms. Kids have this crazy ability to find new ways to risk their lives, don't they?

So think like a baby and give your fireplace once with your hands and knees. Feel for any nails or rough, sharp edges in the hearth, and use doors or any openings to identify pinching risks. Get to know your fireplace.

It's unlikely that your child will thwart any protections you put in place, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Rather than restricting access entirely, make some smart changes. You can literally save lives.

Once you get up close to your fireplace and may see some odd expressions from the dog, you will need to document your findings.

Write down or keep track of what you think may be harmful to your child, and keep these aspects in mind when shopping for baby protection. A lot of the stuff I use on my fireplace is left over from baby fencing in other areas, so having a checklist handy can be a great way to save time and money.

This one is simple, so we'll keep it short. The less chance a walking or crawling baby has of reaching the fireplace, the less threat it contains.

You can block access to the fireplace in several ways. Some parents don't even want to think about messing up the fireplace, so they keep the living room door closed. This solution isn't always practical, so many opt for a fireplace baby gate or fireplace screen.

You can use a baby gate to block the fireplace or confine your child to a different part of the room or house. Which method you choose to use will depend on the layout of your home and what works for you.

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