Anyone Have a Gas Stove W/small Kids?

I do have a gas range, but my son is about a year and a half old. So we haven't really experienced big time interest in it. He has reached for the knobs a few times, but I stay at home with him so I absolutely always catch him.

For me, when I do need to baby proof my stove I think I'm going to go this route..

Knob covers- http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4029543

Stove shield - http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2305243

I actually already have the shield, but haven't installed it yet.

actually sine the fire has to catch first with a gas stove it might be safer on that aspect. but in the con side if the fire doesn't catch there will be gas leaking out. now with a 3yo he is old enough to be told a very extreme NO and that is hot the minute you bring it home. and pop that hand if you ever see him reaching for it and say HOT! my 4 yo old knows not to touch the stove and moves if he thinks i'm about to open the oven. and he knew these things at 3. it;s what and how you teach them. good luck.

We've always had a gas stove. Kids are 5 and 8 now. They've never tried to touch then knobs. Maybe we were just lucky but they are pretty high so maybe that's another reason they haven't been tempted.

If you get a gas stove, you can take off the COVERS from the knobs,
so that the part you need to turn is a simple metal rod.
A grown-up can turn it but a child cannot.
S.

I loved having a gas stove, its all I knew before moving to Texas! There are two things you can do to ease your mind about the controls in front. You can take the handle covers completely off, when you aren't using the stove (takes 1 second to do, and 1 second to snap it back on), or you can buy child safety covers for the knobs. I have seen those but never used them, so I couldn't tell you what they are like. I have always gone with taking them off.

I actually think electric stoves are more dangerous because you can't see that the burner is hot. (kids could turn an electric stove on too and you might not notice it as quickly.) At least you can teach the kids the fire is hot. I've always had gas stoves and never had a problem. You can get a plexiglass shield to put over the control knobs if the kids can't be taught to keep their hands off of it. But most kids can be taught it's dangerous and don't touch.

We had to look and look and finally found one that had the controls on the top. Of course, my 2 year old does push chairs around. I think they make plastic things that can lock the dials. I'd google "baby proofing gas stove" and I bet you'll find something. I should do that too.

I worry about that, too, so my simple fix is to take the knobs off the front of the stove when I'm not in the kitchen or not in the room with my kids (like at night when we go to bed I take the knobs off so that if they wake up and come downstairs they can't turn it on). So, not only can they not ignite it, they can't accidentally turn the gas on, either.

L.

I bought knob covers from babies r us for ours. And honestly, my son is houdini and has figured out just about everything that he shouldn't, but he's never even attempted to mess with the knobs. You have to push them in before turning, too.

I prefer a gas stove/oven, especially for baking!

On a lot of the newer gas stoves, you actually have to do 2 actions to turn the knobs.. Hold it down and turn or push a button to start the ignite and then turn the knob..

Remember to always teach your children the stove is "Hot".. That is all we would say.. " HOT" and our daughter knew at any place that had a stove not to get near it.. Not every place you visit will be childproofed.. children need to just know there are things they should never touch.. at any time any place.

There is no reason to assume electric is safer. Our controls are on the side (since we have a ga stovetop) but my friends take the knobs off their front controls or buy the plastic baby covers.

Gas- we have a Bertazonni. It turns out that the front glass stays cool while baking. A wonderful feature for little hands. I'm much less worried with this than I was with the electric range where the entire stove got really hot while baking.

Just wanted to add that we tried knob covers, but they were too small for our knobs. It is possible there are larger ones now. We ended up just pulling off the knobs during DS's curious phase.

stick with electric, that way, if there is a leak, you get a BIG electric bill, not a funeral. small children love to turn things on, but typically forget to turn them back off.with a gas stove you get a gas pilot light, small child blows out the pilot light, never realizing the danger, someone lights a match, BOOM!!
K. h.

My gas stove has the knob controls on the top. My old stove did not and we had safety covers for them.

Yes -- I had a gas stove when my daughter was 3 -- I was very strict about never touching the stove or huge boom. And she didn't. But, it's a little nerve wracking.

If you are that worried that they might turn it on you can always remove the knobs and store them out of reach. Also keep in mind that you must push down on the knob and turn it to where it clicks and then turn it some more to light the burners. I personally think gas would be safer since the burners don't stay hot at long after you turn it off.

My daughter isn't old enough to reach the controls yet, but we have a gas stove. Our plan is to buy one of those control shields that goes over the controls so the kids can't get to them. I wish I knew what it was called, but it's basically just a Plexiglas cover that goes over the knobs so they can't be turned or even reached by the kids.

My son is 2 so it might be different, but we've had a gas stove since he was born and he has never played with the knobs. He knows that the stove is Hot and he is afraid of it. However, turning the knobs on takes coordination they would need to push in the knob while turning it at the same time. Also, taking the knobs off it always an option, they also make knob covers that go over the knobs and can be opened by an adult.

we have an electric stove with the controls in the back. kids cannot reach them. we have had controls like that for as long as I can remember. i am sure that you can find a gas stove with the controls in the back.

Stoves are dangerous. Period. Either has a risk or burning or catching something on fire.

I've not once had a problem with my 3.5 year old touching the stove...but she's also been cooking with me since she was about a year old. There is no mystery there. She's knows by now that fire will hurt you and she is not to touch it.

Given the number of safety devices today, in my opinion, gas is the safer option. The burners cool more quickly and it is clear if there are on or not...even if it is just from the smell of gas.

I also think about it from the point of view of...if a kid is that curious, they are going to find a way to turn it on. It is much more dangerous to have top or rear mount knobs in that case. A kid would be leaning over or sitting on the range when it ignited or got hot.

I am the anti-babyproofer. I can admit that. Lol.

Whichever you decide, Babies R Us sells guards for your stove knobs so your kids/pets can't get to them but you still can. They might be available online only. :)

If your only concern is the front burners there is a stove guard you can buy that blocks the burners from kids. I know I've seen it in One Step Ahead and maybe also at Babies R Us.

Stoves and little ones are a scary combination no matter what type. When I put a stove guard on our electric stove, I could actually feel my anxiety level drop. Unfortunately, the "heat resistant adhesive" isn't very resistant when the stove is actually turned on. It would soften and the shield would fall off. Boo. So, I'd say go for the knob covers. That way they can't turn on the gas. You know how they love to play with knobs. (Even though we have electric, I prefer gas. Go for it!)

We have had a gas stove in our house since our son was 6 months old (he is now 4 years old). He has never touched the knobs which are on the front of the stove. We do have the guard on the knobs (they slide behind each knob so they are much harder to turn). I have always told him the stove/oven are hot and that he should never ever touch them.

I definitely LOVE cooking on a gas stove. They heat so quickly and cook so nicely. I am not sure I could ever go back to electric but if you are concerned then just look into the oven/stove guards or maybe put a gate into your kitchen (depending on how your kitchen is set up)!

You can pull the knobs off when they arent in use if you're afraid the kids will turn them on. They pop right on and off. I love gas stoves over electric. Cook much better!

we've always had gas.
i guess it's no mystery that both my boys' first words were 'hot!'
:) khairete
S.

Never had a problem with the gas stoves we've had BUT my parents just bought a new one. It has a "lock" feature on the knobs as well as an "alarm" feature. If the knobs get pushed (which turns on the gas, even before they get turned) on the alarm feature the stove lets out a s *terrible* ratchey fire alarm noise. Pretty cool.