Need a Reliable Baby Gate for Stairs

The one that we like is the one you mount to the sides of the stairs, and you actually have to lift up on to unlatch it. It is very sturdy, and my 3 year old can't even get it open, so it's great for quite some time. I know there are a ton of different brands that make them.

I know someone else already recommended the same one, so I second the onestepahead (website) retractable baby gate. It's made of mesh and rolls up like a shade when not in use. It's very strong; it mounts securly to the wall and when you don't need to use it, it retracts and is out of way and out of sight. It's a little more expensive than some of the other ones, but I think it's definitely worth it!

I would suggest a solid one, or a mesh one - one that he will NOT be able to get a foot hold in to climb over. And make sure that things don't get placed near the gate so that he can get up to climb over. What we did was put one at the top and one at the bottom, but I never left my kids alone upstairs when they were little. They were either with me in my bedroom or with me downstairs. In addition to that we made it clear the steps were OFF LIMITS until they were older -around four or more. Then we had lots of lessons on the way to go up and down. It was still scary. You just have to keep an eye on them and not let him play on the steps.

My kids are grown and I don't know what gates are out there nowadays. I agree that you need a gate at the top and the bottom of the stairs.
However, teach him how to safely slide feet first on his tummy down the stairs.
I remember a very wise co-worker and mother of five drilling this concept into me - the necessity of teaching my crawling babies how to do this and how bizarre I thought she was. The kids learn it fast, it's fun, and it's a lifesaving skill.
Good luck!

We have an Evenflo gate that is made specifically for the top of the stairs. We live in a split foyer with wood stairs that lead to stone flooring, and then tile on the next level, so a gate was a must! All the "top of the stairs" gates (that's how they'll be described in searches for the product on Websites and in stores) are the type that actually mount to your stairs (ours is drilled in and "permanently" affixed until we take out the screws when both kids are fine with stairs. Yes, it means some holes to patch in your walls, but nothing was more important to me than my babies' safety (especially not silly, cosmetic repairs to my house)! We've loved our gate and it's still going strong after 3+ years! We have two kids and have had it up since our oldest (now 3 1/2) was 6+ months old! Good luck!

L.,
I have Dream Baby gates - they are pressure mount, walk through gates - I LOVE them. They hold up to the rough and tumble pushing and pulling of a 2 year old boy, the are really easy to install and uninstall and move around. If you are going to a house with baseboards, the are great because the top and the bottom are independent of each other for mounting - so you get a secure fit. They also have expansion packs so that you can fit openings that are a little wider. I THINK I got mine through sears.com - but I am sure you can google them and find a retailer. There were on the expensive side - but I feel they are worth every dime.

I will also say though - start teaching your child to manipulate the stairs safely as soon as you move in. If he is even crawling, it is time. Teach him to slide down on his tummy, feet first - that way if he is somewhere else or you forget to close the gate fully he knows what to do. My sons all started on stairs as soon as they were crawling it was very scary at first, but I worried less when we were in houses that didn't have gates.

Good Luck,
T.

Hi L.,

In addition to having a gate (sorry, I don't know the best kind anymore), it is good to teach him as he is learning to walk how to go up and down steps. It is a skill he needs to manage with your help, and it is amazing how well they do as they grow. The other mom mentioned one way of going down the stairs, which is great. Another way is to go up and down on hands, knees and feet, like they're crawling. That's what my kids did when they were around 14 to 15 months. They actually never fell doing that.

However, right now is a good time for a gate. Just don't prevent him from learning a safe technique later on so that when he is in someone else's house or place of business and you turn your head for one second, that he doesn't know how to keep from falling.

Hope this helps.
D.

NOT a wood EVENFLO gate. My son snapped the (very flexible) wood bars on it....twice. Either buy a metal gate or another brand wood one. EVENFLO wood gates are the worst.

We moved into a 2 story when my oldest was 2 1/2 and my baby was a glimmer yet. At first we just installed a kid rail that goes under the regular handrail and taught my oldest how to safely go up anf down, although until he was 4 he wasn't allowed on the stairs unless someone was watching. When we had my 10 mth old and he started being mobile we had to get gates. At the bottom we put a retractable gate, I believe its a 1st Years. It rated for the bottom but not for the top of stairs. The kiddy Guard brand retractable is rated for the top so we have that one at the top of the stairs. I actually like the Kiddy Guard better but it is more expensive. We have the 1st Years gate elsewhere in the house too. I like the retractable gates because you don't have big bulky baby gates hanging out everywhere we you don't need to use them. I plan on leaving them installed and just retracted even after the baby doesn't need them anymore.

I really like the gate we have at the top of the stairs. It's "The Curve", I think by Safety 1st? Anyway, it's the only curved gate I've seen and it gives you a little landing at the top of the stairs--makes it easier to open the gate with baby, laundry, and bottle in hand! We did attach the hardware to a piece of wood (which we then attached to the banister) to keep from damaging the banister post. So far, our 14 month old has shaken and pushed it with no movement at all of the gate. Just make sure whatever gate you put at the top of the stairs is hardware-mounted rather than pressure-mounted. It's much safer that way. Congrats on the baby and new house!

I went through the same thing when my twins were babies. I never did find a gate they couldn't either knock down or climb over. We finally just taught them a safe way to use the stairs (always on their bottoms) and they did fine.

I highly recommend the mesh retractable gate at onestepahead.com. We have wooden newel posts at the top and bottom of the stairs. These gates are fixed on both sides (posts and walls). Up-side they are VERY secure. My active year old has been unable to get by them despite many attempts. Down-side they cannot be opened with only one hand and can be tricky until you get the hang of them (mechanism is a push-down and push-in mechanism). Overall highly recommended and pros far outweigh any cons.

I'd recommend one that is screwed into the wall so there is no chance of it being pushed over. Also, look for one that you can operate with one hand (great if you have baby or other things in your hands.)

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

Expensive, but also BEAUTIFUL (I have these and LOVE them! They were hard to find even when searching on the website):
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2371697

Good luck!!!

Hi. We are out of the gate/baby proof stage but I used the Kiddy Guard retractable gate from OneStepAhead.com
I put it at the top of our stairs. I have 4 boys and you wouldn't believe how many times my older three boys leaned on it or got pushed into it and it never gave away. Also, because of the type of material that it's made out of a child can't climb over it.
Yes-teach him how to maneuver stairs. I taught mine to sit and slide down on their bottom. They loved bouncing down each step on their bottom!

I live in a split level so basically there are stairs everwhere! I like the Safety 1st Lift And Lock Security Gate. You can mount it to one side of the wall, and there is no bars or anything to step/trip over.

Safety FIrst (found at Walmart/target/etc) makes a gate that is mounted to the wall or door frame with screws and swings open (so you don't have to climb over it.) I have 2 in my house and love them.