Edge guards for brick hearth?

[boogiemomz]

I'm not a very thorough baby-proofer, but I am trying to cover the hard edges of the brick hearth in my parents' house before DD goes to stay there for a while in January while I am recovering from surgery. They don't really ever use their gas logs in there, and they're not the kind that put out a lot of heat anyway, so I'm not as concerned about the heat as I am about the edges, so I'd rather cover the edges than do a wrap around fence. It seems like all the edge guards don't get great reviews, due to weak adhesive. Is there an edge guard out there that works well and stays put? Or should we just rig up some pillows with duct tape or something? Any advice would be appreciated. :)

[sarahsthreads]

Well, not so temporary, but DH built a plywood frame (top, sides & front) that fits over the hearth, then we used spray adhesive to put thick foam (6" maybe? - the thickest they had in the home dec. department of JoAnn's) over it, and then used a staple gun to put decorative fabric over that. Oh, and I think maybe I put a layer of (quilt) batting in there too to smooth out the edges of the foam - I can't remember, it's been too many years! It doubles as (reasonably comfortable, though somewhat low) extra seating in the room, and can be removed just by lifting it off if we want to use the fireplace.

We did it because, yeah, all the edge guards seemed poorly rated, and the room isn't big enough to put a fence/gate thing around it and still have a reasonable traffic flow. The foam was pretty pricey even with a coupon, but considering the number of times the kids have fallen on or against it, it was worth every penny!

So, if your parents are relatively handy, that might be an option? And it could be removed and stored somewhere until the next time you visit. :)

Good luck with your upcoming surgery!

Sarah :)

[katydid1971]

DFs have rigged a cover for theirs with a carpet remnant. Its kinda gift wrapped over the bricks if that makes sense. I know they paid almost nothing for the carpet remnant. Just an idea.

[mnosky1]

Admittedly, I'm not much of a babyproofer (electric sockets, meds/cleaning products, tops of deck stairs) but...
I didn't think people really used that. We have a brick hearth in our family room which is the kids main play room and my parents have one too - also in the main room the kids play and it has never been an issue. I have girls and maybe they just aren't as rough and tumble or maybe I should knock on wood that we've been lucky? Is the concern that they'd run and trip/fall face first into it?

[infocrazy]

Well, not so temporary, but DH built a plywood frame (top, sides & front) that fits over the hearth, then we used spray adhesive to put thick foam (6" maybe? - the thickest they had in the home dec. department of JoAnn's) over it, and then used a staple gun to put decorative fabric over that. Oh, and I think maybe I put a layer of (quilt) batting in there too to smooth out the edges of the foam - I can't remember, it's been too many years! It doubles as (reasonably comfortable, though somewhat low) extra seating in the room, and can be removed just by lifting it off if we want to use the fireplace.

We did this almost exactly, although I only put the foam over the corner and the 2-3" on the top/side, not the whole thing. That stuff is not cheap!


I have girls and maybe they just aren't as rough and tumble or maybe I should knock on wood that we've been lucky? Is the concern that they'd run and trip/fall face first into it?

Yes, that was my concern, and it has saved us quite a few times...my boys are pretty rough and tumble though. :)

[boogiemomz]

Thanks for all the replies! DD is only 13 months, so she's not doing too much running and stumbling yet, but she is a relatively new walker and isn't entirely stable on her feet; she plops down a lot, and in all directions. She can move pretty fast, and anytime she is even playing around the hearth I can just see her just tipping forward a bit and the corner catching her square in the head. The brick is so unforgiving, she wouldn't even need to hit it that hard to split her head open. I think I will probably go ahead and try to rig up something from around the house. I just remembered that I had a friend that used a yoga mat and duct tape. Thanks for all the ideas!

[twowhat?]

We threw a very thick quilt over ours. Obviously this will only work if you're not using the fireplace. They can still hit their heads, and it'll probably still hurt, but you won't get the nasty brick cuts.