kids and stoves
If you are concerned about kid safety with stoves: I was raised around wood stoves. They taught me a healthy respect for fire at a young age. When I was little I even made the mistake of touching it. I think I was 5. Mom put my finger under cold running water, and from then on, I always remembered what to do for a minor burn.
A friend of mine just moved to northern NH and now has a wood stove in the middle of their kitchen. His kids (age 6 and 8) have been around my wood stove enough so they know they shouldn't get too close to it. They snuggle up to it, and keep the same distance that the adults do.
I think it's also a good way for kids to learn about fire - basic things like "fire is too hot to walk through" and "smoke rises." When kids learn things like that, it can save their lives.
Chances are, the kids are in much greater danger when riding in a car than they are with a wood stove in the house. If you still have reservations about wood stoves, pellet stoves are a lot more kid-friendly.
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