Great invention idea

[tuna]

My 2 year old is running around the house and getting into everything. I'm looking at my wood stove, and dreading him coming to me in tears with a painful red hand like his sister did a couple years ago.

Is there a way to hook up, say...a 6 volt lantern battery, or a reduced power electric fence generator (my knowledge of electricity pretty much stops at replacing outlets and lamps - handy enough but not an expert by any means) so that when Tiny Tuna grabs the stove (now, while it is off) he gets a shock, a scare and a lesson?

I'm not a monster. I love my kids, but recognize that sometimes you can only learn from your mistakes. I'd rather a quick shock and its over than a burn that, even at best, hurts like heck for a couple days.

I'm guessing that no one would ever invent, or at least market, something like this - but it could save a whole lot of children's needless suffering.

[bonehead]

My 2 year old is running around the house and getting into everything. I'm looking at my wood stove, and dreading him coming to me in tears with a painful red hand like his sister did a couple years ago.

Is there a way to hook up, say...a 6 volt lantern battery, or a reduced power electric fence generator (my knowledge of electricity pretty much stops at replacing outlets and lamps - handy enough but not an expert by any means) so that when Tiny Tuna grabs the stove (now, while it is off) he gets a shock, a scare and a lesson?

I'm not a monster. I love my kids, but recognize that sometimes you can only learn from your mistakes. I'd rather a quick shock and its over than a burn that, even at best, hurts like heck for a couple days.

I'm guessing that no one would ever invent, or at least market, something like this - but it could save a whole lot of children's needless suffering.

I am not sure if you can hook up the stove in this manner as it will always be grounded. You could surround the stove with an electric fence but you want to keep the box out of ear shot. Kids are not stupid and will soon associate the click, click, click to the wire is on. I know this may sound Awkward and demeaning but another option is one of those invisible fences and a collar for the kid. That would definitely do the trick and is definitely the lesser of the two evils when the alternative is a nasty burn.


They do have screens you can put around the wood stove. Usually they will slow down the kid so he/she feels the heat and doesn't go any further. you can even put bells on it so you can hear if the screen is disturbed. My current wood stove actually has a screen ( outer skin) built in as part of the unit so you can't touch the "hot" parts. If the stove is really putting out the heat you will still get burned but you are looking at a "sun burn" and not a 3rd degree searing.

You may want to educate the kid too. When the stove is running let him/help him put his hand to it and feel the heat. At some point the kid will have their hand close enough to be uncomfortable. After a couple of lessons this should sink in but to be honest vigilance is still needed at that age. If possible have some burn remedies on hand. Talk to the doctor about getting the right stuff as it will make a huge difference right after the burn and months later when it heals.

Good luck this winter.

[Status Quo]

Maybe these?

Amazon.com: SILICONE OVEN RACK GUARD (SET OF 2): Everything Else

[Status Quo]

Nvm my post, didn't read "wood stove" properly.

[bonehead]

Make a silicon "bat man" suit with gloves and the kid is good to go.

[Doktor]

Make a silicon "bat man" suit with gloves and the kid is good to go.

The kid will boil in their own sweat in 30 minutes.

Some sort of a fence with a door and a complex lock mechanism is what I'd think of.

[Status Quo]

How about a dog shock collar, and set the invisible fence around the stove? It combines your love of electricity with Doktor's fence idea. Sounds brilliant to me.

[lemontree]

Just get a standard bolt fitted on the oven with a lock and key. Better not to play ideas to shock the child.
Children find innovative ways to keep us on our toes, luckily I have a daughter who did not trouble us. I remember my younger brother was about 2 years old when he stuck a fork in a plug point - the current threw him about 4-5 feet away.

[tuna]

Forgot it would naturally be grounded and the shock effect wouldn't work.
We had a gate up last year that worked well, but by Summer he was able to get over, under, around or through it.

Back to the old fashioned way, watch closely and have burn ointment ready.

[lemontree]

Back to the old fashioned way, watch closely and have burn ointment ready.

Bless you both :)

[tuna]

Shouldn't have worried. I've had the fire going pretty much constant for the past month. My son is smart enough to get close, look at me and say "hot" and walk away. Now, I need some way to jolt the little guy when he opens the toilet to flush (insert object that shouldn't be flushed here)! And my wife wondered why I wanted the toilet that doesn't jam at a bucket of golf balls!

[DonBelt]

Toilet issue- you could probably place a canned air horn behind the toilet and rig some wire to the seat so when its opened it'll squeeze the trigger. Downside? Your son may fear toilets and pee in the dirty laundry or he'll figure out where the air horn is after 2 or 3 times and surprise you in the morning with it.
You could try making a ring sized to fit down in the bowl and place a piece of screen on it. This will let liquid pass, but block solids. Grups can take it out if someone needs to do #2. The woodstove is a trickier issue. I have 4 kids, 12, 11, 8, 7. The 7 yo when he was 2 lost his balance near the stove and put his hands out to catch himself- I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and yanked so his hands only made quick contact, but that was enough to warrant a visit to the Shriners burn ctr in Boston. Most of the kids had been very good about staying away- it radiates heat so there is a sort of proximity warning when they get close, but for the most part they just ignored it and didn't go near. One of the things we did besides the fence/gate thing was try to wait until the kids were in bed before we built up a fire, that way they weren't wandering around. Beyond that all you can do is keep your eyes open, reinforce the rules of don't touch and take faith that the law of "once burned twice shy" still applies as much today as yesterday. Kids need to develop a sense of caution and self preservation to survive in the world and the occasional burn or shock or scratch teaches them that.

[tuna]

Yup, totally agree about the lessons learned. I make fun of my wife for wanting to keep them "too safe" but I guess I'm just as guilty.

I've heard of the term "helicopter parent", and try to fill that role. Not the hovering, but the true helicopter. Delivery, resupply, medevac and gunship.

I had to deal with Shriners in Springfield for my daughter. They thought she had a back issue, but I think she was just leaning too far right based on listening to me. I have nothing but good to say for the doctors, staff and volunteers at Shriners - truly angels on earth.

[DonBelt]

Ha- my kids lean too far right from listening to me too.
The school hates it. :whome:

[bonehead]

I am going to be looking for a new wood stove for next winter. The current one needs a lot of TLC and is way too inefficient. Kind of sucks feeding it every 4-5 hours too. So far this is my front runner Progress Hybrid Soapstone Wood Burning Stove as I need a side loader. A front door would entail work to the carpet I really do not want to do.

I would love to have one of these but just not practical for my current home. Vermont Bun Baker Soapstone Woodstove Bake Oven Specifications