Parent Gossip

As a parent I am always concerned with my children’s wellbeing. With the winter temperatures really plummeting not only have I been turning the central heating up, I have also had our fire lit to make our living space feel cosier and to warm the whole family up in the cold evenings.

If you have children it is vitally improtant to ensure that the fireplaces are made safe so that you can enjoy the warms and look of a real fire without risk.

Here are the Parent Gossip Top Tips for keeping your fireplace a child safe zone this winter.

Invest in a good quality fire guard or screen to put infront of the fireplace. If you can get one that attaches to the fireplace itself then all the better.

Your fire guard or screen should be tall enough to prevent an adventurous toddler from climbing over it and heavy enough so that they can’t topple it over on top of themselves.

Keep your fireplace free of toys, paper and books.

However handy it may seem, don’t EVER dry clothes on your fire guard. It would only take 1 spark to fly from a log fire for tragedy to strike.

Check your chimney on a regular basis and keep your fireplace clean and well maintained.

Teach your children from an early age about the dangers that the fire could present. Don’t frighten them but make sure that they understand that playing too close to the fire or breaking your house rules regarding the fireplace could have very sad consequences.

Install smoke detectors and check them at least once a month to make sure they are functioning correctly.

Invest in Carbon Monoxide detectors that will go off if the emissions from your gas fire become dangerous.

Stick to these guidelines and there is no reason why you and your family can’t enjoy snuggling up and basking in the rosy glow of your fire this winter.