3yo proof baby gate for stairs

baza52

Granddaughter who is 3 1/2 often wakes up during the night and will take herself downstairs to raid the fridge or cupboards for snacks.
She learned to open baby gates from a young age and i wanted to know if anyone had a solution.
Her bedroom is on the top floor of a townhouse so she has a bathroom she can use and mum and dad are also on the same floor.
Something is needed to block access to the stairs but would need to be safe to stop her climbing over it if she wanted to.
I thought about fitting an internal door but wondered if anyone had any bright ideas or can point in me in the direction of a product that could work.
Thanks in advance Baza

Savvy_Sue

I'm not sure how a door could work: presumably she'd be able to open that! Can the kitchen door be closed in such a way that she can't open it - and would that be safe (not blocking escape routes in the event of a fire)?

Maglocks are fantastic for cupboards. this only shows the locks, not the magnet which releases them, that would have to be kept safe or she'd find it. 

Is she actually hungry? 

Spendless

Mine at that age could leg it over the stair gate. I had a crawling baby at the same time so I remember it well!
I too would go for a different angle. The door she enters downstairs, can that have a lock fitted? My youngest could never open closed doors because she wasn't tall enough to use the handle. Put a fridge lock on? Is the food cupboard at ground level or is she also clambering on work surfaces to get there?  

baza52

Spendless said:

Mine at that age could leg it over the stair gate. I had a crawling baby at the same time so I remember it well!
I too would go for a different angle. The door she enters downstairs, can that have a lock fitted? My youngest could never open closed doors because she wasn't tall enough to use the handle. Put a fridge lock on? Is the food cupboard at ground level or is she also clambering on work surfaces to get there?  

she can certainly open a door but as the kitchen is on the ground floor parents are more worried what she will get up to in the night rather than getting herself food or drink.
Keeping her door closed is not an option as she wakes up to go to the toilet then gets back into bed.
I cant see any other option than fitting a temporary door at the top of the stairs with a high handle but think it wont take her long to work that out either
To complicate things further Mum is also deaf so cannot hear her get up.
Thanks for the suggestion

baza52

Savvy_Sue said:

I'm not sure how a door could work: presumably she'd be able to open that! Can the kitchen door be closed in such a way that she can't open it - and would that be safe (not blocking escape routes in the event of a fire)?

Maglocks are fantastic for cupboards. this only shows the locks, not the magnet which releases them, that would have to be kept safe or she'd find it. 

Is she actually hungry? 

usually not hungry but will wander when she is half asleep. Not every night but often enough.

strawb_shortcake

My eldest was a climber and could open the gate, we ended up buying a dog gate which was 3ft high so he couldn't reach to open the gate

Rosedalton

I don't think there is any other better option then locking the door

Bakingcupcake

You shouldn't be locking children behind doors due to fire safety absolutely terrible advice!!! Unfortunately stair gates are only meant to be used until a child is circa 12 months i think a 3yo will obviously be able to climb over thus making one dangerous. We taught our little one to use stairs etc safely so never needed stair gates, their only option would be to potentially put locks on cupboards/fridge downstairs...but if she is hunting for food is she hungry..maybe they need to give her something before bed such as milk/small bowl of porridge 

Savvy_Sue

baza52 said:

To complicate things further Mum is also deaf so cannot hear her get up.

Just had a thought, I'd be surprised if it wasn't possible to get some kind of vibrating alarm to alert Mum to various situations - door being opened (perhaps more than a certain amount), someone on the stairs etc. 

First port of call might be local Social Services to request an assessment for useful aids - it might be passed on to an occupational therapist, but they can be fantastically helpful. Or just have a look at Action on Hearing Loss and Connevans