Firewood or pellets should also be kept within the fenced enclosure. Any wood chips or pellets that have fallen outside the fence should be swept up immediately if young children are in the home. Both chips and pellets pose a choking hazard for children who put either into their mouths.

A pot of water should be kept on the wood stove when the stove is in use. Wood heat is a very dry heat and the water will help keep the air moist. This is especially important to help keep children's skin from drying out during the heating season. Infants are more at risk, but children and adults of any age can be affected by the drier air of a wood heated home.

The use of precautions and safety measures can make children and wood stoves a happy mix. For centuries, children were raised in homes with either a wood stove or an open fireplace. With diligence and supervision, any home can be heated with wood and still have happy, healthy children.

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