Safety Gates

slgroves · Jan 19, 2007

I might be a bit off topic here, but I thought you folks might have advice on where to find info or what you think are the best safety gates. I will need one for a hallway and one for the stairs. My husband is against hardware mounting, but I'm kind of pushing for it for the stairs. I want ones we can walk through that doesn't break the bank for 2. Wouldn't necessarily need 2 of the same ones.

Thanks!

mominabigtruck · Jan 19, 2007

I have a wooden gerry one that I love, it is hardware mounted but I think its alot easier then those ones that you squeeze the handle on. I got mine at a garage sale so I don't know how much they run retail.

Jewels · Jan 19, 2007

I think for on the stairs you are supposed to use a mounted gate for safety reasons. I too wanted a gate you could walk through and received a wooden gate as a gift for the top of my stairs. I got it as a gift. The one that I wanted was the evenflo wooden gate that I think was about $40 at Walmart, they also have them at Toys R Us. I did use a pressure mounted one for a little bit somewhere else and I found that it peeled my paint off. I would recommend a mounted gate.

I ended up not using my gate for too long because I had taught my ds how to climb off things like a bed or the couch very early and then he insisted on doing the stairs. He started doing stairs at about 9 months (not without the gate yet but did start).
HTH
Have fun gate shopping

Dillipop · Jan 19, 2007

We have an evenflo wooden gate at the top of my parents staircase (we lived with them until ds1 was 18 months old). It is hardware mounted and easily opens to walk through. It also is very easy to lift it up and out of the hardware when you don't want the gate there anymore. I think it was around $35 at BRU.

southpawboston · Jan 19, 2007

at the top of the stairs going into our apartment, we have the "first years" 4-point gate with built in latch (not LATCH, lol). it's worked great for the two years we've had it installed. plus it's ultra-easy to open and shut... just push the knob in and turn. it shuts like a regular door... it just latches by itself. it's one of the more expensive gates, i think we paid somewhere around $65.

drjanetm · Jan 19, 2007

For the hallway, depending on how easy you'd like the gate to be to open and close, I would recommend the First Years Hands-Free gate. They are a pedal gate that open both ways, and are pressure-mounted. I love mine - great to use when you're carrying a baby, laundry basket, two plates of food.....!!! We actually had one at the top of our stairs (split level, only 6 steps) from our kitchen in our old place, and it didn't budge in the 2.5 years we were there.

tjham · Jan 19, 2007

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2371695

I have several of these and even installed them myself. Tthe first one was tricky but the rest were a cinch! (Hint - pay attention to the template they give you!

)

I think they are great!

Patriot201 · Jan 19, 2007

I like KidCo gates. Their Safeway gate is great! I also like their "Gateway to Go." The GWTG, however, is a pressure-mounted gate, so it is only for doorways, NOT stairs.

CAEKWILSON · Jan 20, 2007

I use the clear gates by the first years , they are hardware mounted but they are sturdy and climb proof...we have 5 of them and we like them, they come off if need to move something or if it is in the road....they look ok also, my dd likes them cause she can see me through them....she is nosey!

hth....

Dillipop · Jan 20, 2007

tjham said:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2371695

I have several of these and even installed them myself. Tthe first one was tricky but the rest were a cinch! (Hint - pay attention to the template they give you! )

I think they are great!

This is the one I was talking about. We have it and love it!

UlrikeDG · Jan 20, 2007

Patriot20171 said:
I like KidCo gates.

I have a gate like that that I got at Ikea (in Germany). I like it a lot--especially for high traffic areas! We used ours to gate off the bathroom where the litter box was. (And now, I wonder where it is, because I haven't seen it since the move...)

I also have an extra tall gate that I got from PetSmart IIRC, because my dog could knock over the cheap plastic (Safety 1st) one we had. We used it to keep him in the bedroom when we weren't home. He chewed the top of it, but it still works great.

I've read that you should be extra careful about putting gates at the top of stairs. If your toddler tries to climb over, he/she can end up injured much worse than a simple tumble down the stairs. Also, an adult stepping over the gate could get a foot caught and end up falling all the way to the bottom.

southpawboston · Jan 20, 2007

UlrikeDG said:
I've read that you should be extra careful about putting gates at the top of stairs. If your toddler tries to climb over, he/she can end up injured much worse than a simple tumble down the stairs. Also, an adult stepping over the gate could get a foot caught and end up falling all the way to the bottom.

good point. our first years gate is pretty impossible to be climbed over by any child under 4-5 years of age. the rungs run vertically so there is no type of scaffolding for them to climb.

UlrikeDG · Jan 20, 2007

southpawboston said:
good point. our first years gate is pretty impossible to be climbed over by any child under 4-5 years of age.

HA! I know kids who can & will climb gates like that starting at quite a young age. Most will use toys, boxes, etc. as steps, but I've even known a few who can and will go right over the top of one all by themselves. It really comes down to personality and motivation. My 3 year old would do it just to prove she could.

tjham · Jan 20, 2007

Just a comment about the hardware mounted problem: I installed one for a friend in an apartment. When she moved, it was very easy to fill in the holes with putty and touch up so you would never know the holes were there. Maybe that would make your husband feel better about it. Hardware mounted it is the only way to go at the top of stairs.

lovinwaves · Jan 20, 2007

We have this gate Safety 1st Perfect Fit Gate. We LOVE IT! You can either use it as a pressure mount, or hardware mount. I like how modern it looks and doesn't look like a standard wooden gate. Very easy to use.

slgroves · Jan 25, 2007

THanks for all of the info! Now I've just got to get on the ball & order a couple!

snowflake12 · Jan 26, 2007

I have a question on the evenflo gate posted. Hmmm...this may be kinda hard to explain. I know it's adjustable as far as width, but once you adjust it, is that premanent, or is it a sliding type thing.

We currently have the Kidco stairway gate, which I love. It works great for our basement stairs. You adjust the width though, and screw it tight to the width you want. So there is no adjusting the width unless you unscrew it and put the screw in a new slot. Confused yet?

For the top of our second floor stairs, the way the hallway is and the position of the handrail, I need something that #1 is definately hardware mounted, but #2 can be slid to a smaller width, and then reslid to the correct width. With DS #1, we had that accordian evenflo one from walmart...
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=888179

I hated this one, but it was the only one I could find that you didn't have to unscrew to adjust the length. It was no problem to make it bigger or smaller.

So if this makes sense to anyone, Does the evenflo top of stairs gate move easily? Or is there any other recommendations?

Thanks.

Jewels · Jan 26, 2007

snowflake12 said:
I have a question on the evenflo gate posted. Hmmm...this may be kinda hard to explain. I know it's adjustable as far as width, but once you adjust it, is that premanent, or is it a sliding type thing.

We currently have the Kidco stairway gate, which I love. It works great for our basement stairs. You adjust the width though, and screw it tight to the width you want. So there is no adjusting the width unless you unscrew it and put the screw in a new slot. Confused yet?

For the top of our second floor stairs, the way the hallway is and the position of the handrail, I need something that #1 is definately hardware mounted, but #2 can be slid to a smaller width, and then reslid to the correct width. With DS #1, we had that accordian evenflo one from walmart...
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=888179

I hated this one, but it was the only one I could find that you didn't have to unscrew to adjust the length. It was no problem to make it bigger or smaller.

So if this makes sense to anyone, Does the evenflo top of stairs gate move easily? Or is there any other recommendations?

Thanks.

I have a friend who has this evenflo wooden gate(I wanted this one but got a different one as a gift from my inlaws) and it is nice. You can adjust the width just by sliding it. Super easy to use and sturdy. It won't go as compact as the one in your link, but you don't have to keep it at any particular width at all.

Dillipop: It also is very easy to lift it up and out of the hardware when you don't want the gate there anymore.

HTH

LuvBug · Jan 26, 2007

we have some of these, they are pressure mounted http://www.toysrus.com/product/inde...957.2273443.2255984.2256222&parentPage=family
really love them because they are handsfree

snowflake12 · Jan 26, 2007

Jewels said:
I have a friend who has this evenflo wooden gate(I wanted this one but got a different one as a gift from my inlaws) and it is nice. You can adjust the width just by sliding it. Super easy to use and sturdy. It won't go as compact as the one in your link, but you don't have to keep it at any particular width at all.

HTH

That's perfect. Thanks. I don't need it to so super compact. I just need it to slid in enough to go over the hand rail and then slide back out enough to connect with the wall.

Thanks again.

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