Curious creatures of the nature, babies like to explore and climb onto any furniture or object they can reach. Fearless, they will climb the highest shelves, hide in the darkest spots of the house and taste the most funny looking or smelling object. This is why it is important to keep baby away from the many dangers of the house. And one of the biggest danger, if you leave in a multilevel house, is obviously the stairs. To keep babies and young children from going down (or up the stairs), you can simply install safety gates for your stairs.
Safety gates for stairs should be easy to use, easy enough for an adult to open, but complex enough so a child won’t be able to figure out how to open or bypass the mechanism. There are many types of baby gates, but only one type is suitable and designed to be installed at the top of the stairs.
» Types of gates «
Hardware mounted safety gates
If you need to install a safety gate at the top of the stairs, the only fully safe gates are those that are hardware mounted, which means with screws and holes drilled in the door frame or the staircase. Hardware mounted gates are sturdier and safer than pressure mounted gates (see below).
Pressure mounted safety gates
The advantage of pressure mounted gates is that they, unlike hardware mounted ones, don’t create permanent damages to your house as they do not require you to drill holes in the wall/staircase/door frame. These gates use a pressure mechanism that are great to keep baby and young children away from unsafe parts of the house. However, because they are not as sturdy as the hardware mounted ones, pressure mounted gates are not safe enough to be used at the top of the stairs. They can be safely used at the bottom of the stairs and to keep children away or in a room.
» What to look for «
What is important to look for when choosing a safety gate for the stairs.
Height
First, look for a gate tall enough to stop your young kid from climbing it. If you have a crawling baby, this is not a problem. But if baby can walk, it is important to keep in mind that that the gate should be at least 3 quarters the height of the child in order to discourage your little one from trying to climb up the gate.
Width of the gate
Second, the width of the gate is an important factor to consider when choosing your safety gates for stairs. While older houses tend to have smaller or more regular entrances and staircases, newer houses often have more irregular and wider staircases and openings. Therefore, do your homework and make some measurements before purchasing your gate.
Latches
One other thing to consider on a safety gate for stairs are the latches. Safe latches should be easy to open with one hand by an adult, but be too complex to figure out by young kids. Some gates conveniently have a foot pedal that requires the strong pressure of an adult foot to release. Also look for gates that will automatically lock up after the door of the gate closes.
Ready to shop of a baby gate for stairs? Check out these 10 great safety gates for stairs.
» Top 10 safety gates for stairs «.
For use at the top of the stairs – hardware mounted
1. Evenflo Home Décor Wood Gate
2. Dreambaby Extra Tall Swing Close Gate
4. Evenflo Top of Stair Plus Gate
5. GMI Keepsafe Expansion Gate
6. KidCo Angle-Mount Safeway Gate
7. KidCo Angle Mount Wood Safeway Gate
Other option for use at the top of the stairs – no drilling
1. Stairway Gate Installation Kit (K12) by KidCo
For use at the bottom of the stairs – pressure mounted
1. The First Years Hands Free Gate
2. KidCo G15 White Center Gateway with Walk Through Pressure Gate
For more information about baby safety, please visit Consumer Top 10 now.
