What is the Safest Heater for Children?
When it comes to trying to find the best heater for your home, you have to take your little ones into consideration. Your best option is to have a child safe space heater. A space heater is a great asset to any home because it can be portable or wall mounted.
In addition, the best space heater will help you save you money and energy when it comes to your electricity bill because it only uses enough energy to heat the room you are using.
What qualifies as a safe space heater for children?
When considering which is the best space heater to buy, you will have to weigh the pros and cons of each option.
Having a safe space heater for babies can be difficult because you need to not only keep them warm, but you also have to keep them protected.
What to LOOK FOR:
- Make sure your heater is cool to the touch! Having a cool surface temperature, even when at the hottest setting, will be the most safe overall. Sometimes, having a ceramic heating element will help solve this problem!
- Your heater should have a safety switch! The safety switch will be used to turn the heater off completely in case it were to fall or if it were knocked over.
- You should also make sure your heater has a switch to turn the heater OFF if the temperature ever exceeds a certain limit, which you will be able to see/set with a thermostat.
- A safe choice for a space heater would be a fan to help circulate the air! Be careful: make sure that the heater has small opening (louvers) where a finger could not get caught.
- The child safe space heater should be wall mounted, or high enough so that it is out of reach for both children and pets.
- Make sure to keep your heater 3 feet away from close by objects because they can be harmful if they get stuck or overheat. Try to keep the portable heater away from bedding, curtains, blankets, etc.
What to AVOID:
- Never use an electric heater that isn’t “Underwriter’s Laboratory” certified (UL Listed/Certified)!
- Do NOT use a portable fuel-burning heater indoors unless it is completely necessary. These types of heaters may cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Never drape things, such as clothes or blankets, over a heater to dry them or warm them up. This could cause the heater to overheat and could even cause it to set on fire.
- NEVER let your electronic heater get wet!
- If using a plug in, do not hide the chord under a carpet! This will cause the wire to wear down and could harm your heater in the long run; keep it visible!
- Do NOT overload electric outlets because it could cause a fire. Try to plug heaters in individually so it won’t overwork the heater.
Child-friendly heater requirements (should have 3-5 of the following):
Disclaimer, these aren’t actual safety regulations as heaters are not designed with babies specifically in mind, nor are they “baby” specific products. These are simply safety suggestions most of the mommy-bloggers and baby websites recommend:
- Tip over switch in case unit falls over (fire safety) – only necessary in standalone or space heaters that aren’t built in
- Overheat protection or thermostat regulation of some kind if unit gets too hot or above certain temp.
- Cool-touch housing
- Tamper-resistant switches or safety locks
- Closed slats/louvres so fingers don’t get pinched
- Timer/auto off timer
- Low-heat options
Recommended Reading
Space heaters provide additional heat to a single room, which saves you money on energy bills. When deciding what type of heater works best for your space, consider the pros and cons of each type of heater.
Heaters come in a variety of options and sizes, so how do you find the right one for your space? Read our guide to learn the differences between each type of eater and the proper applications for each.
The most energy-efficient heater depends on the specific space you wish to heat. Types of heater systems include electric, kerosene, propane, oil-filled and hydronic, pellet, and natural gas.
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