Safety Gates

We live in a four story place and we never used them. We have carpeted stairs and I was always nearby, or an older child or dad; and I'd taught my babies to go down off of our low bed "toesies first," by turning them around and saying those words every time they headed for the edge. The same thing worked for stairs. They learned quickly to go down and up safely. We moved here with a two year old, plus four older children, had two more babies since, and one on the way, and rarely have we had a mishap. We're also fortunate to have landings halfway up each staircase (every seven steps).

One Step Ahead has a lot of good options on baby gates. We bought one that is pressure mounted but can be used at the top of the stairs. It is very secure and we didn't have to put any holes in our walls!

Another One-Step-Ahead fan here.

I especially love this gate:
http://tinyurl.com/37yud8

We bought a retractable gate from www.retract-a-gate.com. It mounts into the wall and has a banister adapter if you will be attaching it to a stair railing at the top of the staircase. It is made of a sturdy vinyl mesh that rolls up when not in use. When it is stretched across the opening, you can lock it so that it stays tight. There are no toeholds for little ones to use to climb over.

We use the ones that bolt into the wall. They're very sturdy and won't accidentally slide off the wall like the others do. You still have to watch your little sweetpea, though, as the gates are just for extra protection. Happy babyproofing! :)

There is a child safty place on Ventura blvd. between laurel canyon and whitsit. They hooked us up with the perfect gates. ANd they were the same price as target. They just give you these extra wood pieces and ties.

H.,
Look into the "Summer Infant" company. I bought 2 different ones. One was found at Babies R us, the other I bought online. The online one accually has a battery operated alarm if its opened. If you live close to Winnemucca, Nv I would sell you mine, we don't use it any more. But it worked great. Hope this helps.
J.

We have a safety first gate, white, and it works great! We have it on the hinges so that it swings open and closed, you don't have to take it off every time you use it. We have had them up, top and bottom of stairs for over 2 years now and we have never had a problem with them. They are inexpensive and work great!

We have the First Years all clear gate and love it. They can't step onto anything to climb over, and you can see them if they are on the other side. We have two and love them. Plus they seem to be wider than other gates.

Which city are you in? My uncle built one into the staircase for us that matches the wood perfectly. He charges around $300. Makes a huge difference because it looks good and has a lock. Thanks, C.

Dear H.,

Sorry - no recommendation - just a couple caveats. I remember when my husband came home with a gate - I thought he was nuts! (We live in a single story house, and the only rooms I was concerned about keeping our son out of were the bathrooms - and all you need to do is close the door . . . ) I was working part time graveyard, and after I worked, I slept when my son did. When he was old/big enough to climb out of the crib, he came to get me when he woke up. No problems. Then one day, he didn't come get me. He was loose in the house with no supervision - ugh! Luckily the worst that happened was he found some lifesavers, and when I got up, I found lifesaver crumbs all over my house - apparently he was chewing them with his mouth open - what a sticky mess! So I started using the gate on his door when I put him down - then he had to yell for me when he got up - no more unsupervised roaming. The problems we ran into were: 1. there were cut-outs in the gate - I'm assuming like ventilation holes. My son figured out how to hook his toes on these (they are such little monkeys!) and climb over it. So my husband covered it with some paneling we had out in the garage. 2. Then there was the groove at the bottom - after we covered the gate, Liam hooked his toes on this groove and swung his leg over and got out again! so we had to raise the gate off the floor some. But 3. then he could squeeze underneath and get out. So we had to put it in just the right place for it to be effective. It was an exacting process. It worked, but with much trial and error to get it just right. And we weren't even trying to keep anyone from falling down the stairs! Just keep these things in mind as you look at gates or as you use the one you pick.

Good luck!
B.

One more thing: my mother-in-law was mother of seven(!), grandmother to 20(!!), and lived in a two story house for many years. She always taught the kids to slide down the stairs on their bellies, feet first, using their hands to propel themselves down - it worked wonderfully! - And you don't worry as much about them falling as they're trying to walk down, holding onto the rail with one hand and whatever toy they want to play with in the other!

Hi H.,
We had a problem finding a sturdy gate for the top of our stairs - also one that would be easy for us to utilize when we used the stairs. I discovered a perfect one at the pet store. You might want to check them out (PetCo, PetsMart, etc.). Good Luck. F/P

Actually, I don't think it is recommended to put gates at the top of stairs, especially if children will eventually climb over. As a former licensed caregiver, creating a solid wood door about 3 feet high or same height as surrounding railings, with hinges and a locking mechanism on the outside (toward the stairs - about middle height of the door and unreachable by your child) would work great. This kind of door does not allow baby to slip their toes into any kind of opening allowing them to find a way to climb over. You could even put a handle for the easy access of opening and closing of the door. However, if you are looking for something, they sell them at Walmart for a decent price. Check out the internet for suggestions before buying a safety gate and check recommendations for placing something on top stairs. You know your child best and what he/she is capable of. I hope my suggestions helped. Happy hunting.
J.

My favorite resource for baby gates is One Step Ahead. You can find them online or they send out catalogs. There are several fantastic options for gates, many of which are sturdy and safe for the top of the staircase. Hope you find what will work for you!

Take a look at onestepahead.com. they have tons of baby gates and i'm sure you'll find one that fits the top of your stairs. We have a very wide staircase and we found our gate there! They even have ones that require no drilling.

DO NOT PURCHASE THE WOODEN KIND they break very easiy. I have the Safety 1st Lift & Lock Security Gate it's the greatest. U can buy it at kmart for $20.

Aloha H.,
I have found the company 'One Step Ahead' to be reliable. They carry a variety of unusual door/stair gate solutions*.
P. P

www.onestepahead.com*

Hi get one that has to be mounted or your kid can push on it and fall down the stairs. I got one at babies r us that is mounted to the wall and the banister. It has a gate that opens for easy movement walking and not stepping over it and latch so little hands can't open the gate. My 3 yr old has even stood on it trying to get it to open and it didn't move.