4 Best Child-Safe Heaters

Some space heaters are made specifically for families with children. However, most of these “child-safe space heaters” are actually regular space heaters that are designed to look child-safe.

But inherently, there’s nothing that makes them safer than space heaters for adults.

I really dislike the marketing scheme here. Just designing a dangerous device to look safe doesn’t make it safe. Especially not for children.

In this article, we’ll have a look at space heaters that are very safe for children, regardless of whether they are designed to look like baby / child products, or not.

Quick Recommendation: The best child-safe heaters are Dyson Hot+Cool heaters, and, for babies, the Vornadobaby Tempa, with its lockable power switch.

Read on to find out why.

What makes a Space Heater Child-Safe?

Space heaters marketed to be child-safe usually look like products for children, but inherently, they are still the same, dangerous space heaters.

Let’s completely eradicate the notion of child products having to look like child products in your head and focus on what matters instead.

Here’s what makes a space heater child-safe for real:

• No sharp corners / edges: Rounded edges protect your child from dangerous injury. Of course, kids can bump into space heaters with rounded corners and still hurt themselves. But there’s not going to be any cuts or scars.
• Hidden heating element: Children experiment. A hidden heating element ensures that they can’t start a fire by putting poking into the space heater with toys / sticks / and similar
• Hidden fan blades: Child-safe space heaters should not have exposed fan blades that can cut your child’s fingers off. Ideally, the built-in fan is completely inaccessible from outside.
• Tip-over / Overheat protection: As soon as the space heater is tilted or gets too hot, it shuts off.
• Thick power cord: Any space heater should come with a power cord that can handle the electric load. Cheap power cords cause burnt wall outlets and, potentially, fire.
• No off-gassing (formaldehyde and other dangerous gases): Cheap heaters emit unhealthy gases when they heat up. Heaters with quality materials don’t.

Any space heater that fulfills these criteria is child-safe.

Best Child-Safe Heaters

1. Dyson Hot+Cool

Surprise! The number #1 child-safe space heater is a Dyson Hot+Cool Heater and Air Purifier. It is not a space heater that was originally designed for children. However, it fulfills all of the criteria we just checked and even surpasses them.

Let’s have a look.

Dyson Hot+Cool heaters are luxury items. Compared to other space heaters, they are on the more expensive side.

However, by coincidence, they are the perfect child-safe heaters. Even though Dyson did not design them with children in mind.

Dyson heaters have a round, modern design. So, they don’t have any sharp corners or edges. Just like the built-in heating element, the fan is embedded deep inside the heater’s base, completely inaccessible for children.

So, children can’t hurt themselves on a Dyson heater at all.

Of course, it is made of quality materials, doesn’t off-gas and the power cord is of good quality.

So, by all of our child-safe metrics, a Dyson Hot+Cool is an ideal heater for children.

Additional Advantages of getting a Dyson Hot+Cool for your Child’s Room

And, you get a few more additional advantages:

• It’s not a children’s product: Any product you buy specifically for children, your child is effectively outgrowing it at some point. But with a Dyson Hot+Cool, when your child doesn’t need it anymore, you can just use it yourself! The money you spend on it is not “wasted” on your child. It’s a heater you can use for many years and perfectly suitable for adult’s bedrooms and living rooms.
• Fan mode: The Dyson Hot+Cool is not only a heater, it’s also a fan. So, aside from keeping you and your child warm in winter, it can keep you cold in summer.
• Air purification: The Dyson Hot+Cool has a built-in HEPA filter that removes over 99.97% of allergens / bacteria / and other particles from the air. It keeps the air in your children’s room / nursery safe and clean.

2. Vornadobaby Tempa

My second recommendation is the Vornadobaby Tempa. And here it gets interesting!

The Vornadobaby Tempa is a really good space heater specifically designed for small children and toddlers.

Not only does it look like a child’s heater, but it also has one very important additional feature that makes it invaluable:

The Vornadobaby Tempa has a lockable shutoff switch, so children can’t turn the heater on by themselves.

This makes the Vornadobaby Tempa extra child-safe.

Aside from that, it of course provides all the safety features you need, including tip-over protection and an automatic shutoff to prevent overheating.

The Vornadobaby Tempa outputs 900 Watts of heat. That’s less than a regular space heater, which outputs 1,500 Watts. So, it’s not ideal for being the sole heat source of a child’s room.

But as a supply heater, it works great.

All in all it’s a great heater. However, once your child doesn’t need this heater anymore, you likely won’t find much use for it either.

It’s a small(ish) heater, so it won’t suffice for larger rooms such as living rooms.

It’s a great heater for babies and small children. But you won’t find much use for it outside of the child’s room / nursery.

3. Dr Infrared HeatStyle

The Dr Infrared HeatStyle is a very interesting infrared heater. And this one is actually the type of heater I referred to in the introduction.

In principle, the Dr Infrared HeatStyle is very similar to any other Dr Infrared Heater. The only difference is that the corners are rounded and the whole thing is made of plastic instead of solid wood (which is not necessarily better). Now don’t get me wrong. Dr Infrared Heaters are, in my opinion, among the best infrared heaters you can get.

However, they are not ideal as heaters for children.

Here’s why:

The Dr Infrared HeatStyle is a full-blown 1,500 Watt infrared heater, just like an adult space heater. It just looks like a child’s heater, because of it’s rounded corners.

The main problem about that is that infrared heaters produce very high temperatures (>750°F) and, by design, the heating element of an infrared heater always has to be partially exposed (to let the radiant heat escape).

Even though there is a protective grid, children can put their toys or sticks through the holes and touch the heating elements, which can end badly.

So, the Dr Infrared HeatStyle is, overall, a child-safe heater, but I would not recommend it for children under 6 years.

One more advantage of the Dr Infrared HeatStyle is that you can wall-mount it. So, if you can mount it high up the wall, close to the ceiling, so that it is completely inaccessible to your child, it is practically 100% child-safe.

4. DeLonghi Dragon Oil-filled Radiator

My last recommendation for a child’s room / nursery is an oil-filled radiator. These are incredibly safe. My recommendation is the DeLonghi Dragon oil-filled radiator.

Oil-filled radiators are very safe by design. Their heating element is embedded deep inside the large oil-filled metal body. The oil then carries the heat from the heating element to the large metal surface, which practically turns the entire body of the heater into one large heating element. And because the heat is not focused in one point, but spread over a large surface area, oil-filled radiators do not get overly to the touch and you can’t burn yourself on them, while still delivering the same heat (1,500 Watts) as any other space heater.

Oil-filled heaters are, just like the Dyson Hot+Cool models, child-safe by accident. Even though they are not marketed as child’s products, they are child-safe.

Oil-filled radiators have a few more advantages when compared to regular space heaters:

• Spill-safe: There is no risk of electric shock when you spill something on them. All the “dangerous” parts are embedded in the oil-filled metal body.
• No moving parts: Oil-filled radiators don’t have buit-in fans and work completely without any moving parts. This makes them extra safe for children.
• Last a lifetime: Because oil-filled radiators don’t have any moving parts, and the oil is fully sealed inside the metal case, so it can’t escape, oil-filled radiators don’t wear down. They easily last decades if not a lifetime.

Since the DeLonghi Dragon radiator was not designed for children, it does not have a child-safe power button, so your child will be able to turn it on. Also, of all the heaters in this list, it is the heaviest one, which might be a disadvantage if your child likes to tip stuff over.

And, you can’t mount an oil-filled radiator to the wall. So, it always takes up some floor space.

Technically, oil-filled radiator are incredibly clever. But even though oil-filled radiators are the safest space heaters for adults, they are still large, bulky devices, which would make them unsafe for your child.

I recommend oil-filled radiators for sane children and children over the age of 6.

Which Heater Should You Pick for Your Child?

Choosing the right heater for your child’s room is a critical decision that hinges on safety, efficiency, and suitability to your child’s specific needs. Based on our comprehensive analysis of various child-safe heaters, here are some tailored recommendations to help you make the best choice:

1. Child age and activity level: For very young children or toddlers, the Vornadobaby Tempa is an excellent choice. Its child-lock feature and the tailored design for young children make it a standout option.
   On the other hand, for older children, especially those over six, the DeLonghi Dragon Oil-filled Radiator offers a safe, efficient heating solution without the worry of them interacting with the controls in a potentially harmful way.
2. Long-Term Usage and Versatility: If you’re looking for a heater that transcends the label of a ‘child’s product’, the Dyson Hot+Cool is a savvy investment. It blends seamlessly into any room’s decor and can be repurposed for other areas of the home once it’s no longer needed in your child’s room. This makes it a financially sound choice in the long run.
3. Accessibility to Children: The Dr Infrared HeatStyle, with its ability to be mounted high on a wall, is a suitable choice for larger spaces, keeping it out of reach of younger children.

Conclusion

In conclusion, your choice should balance safety, functionality, room size, and the specific needs of your child.

Each of these heaters brings something unique to the table, and the best choice will depend on your individual circumstances and priorities.

Remember, investing in a high-quality child-safe heater is investing in your child’s comfort and safety.