Baby Safety Gates discussion (merged)

jopsey

Also try your local Sure Start ,I know our local sells safety equipment much cheaper.

youngbutwise

thanks, I didn't know that either.

hardpressed

Having baby sat for someone who had the type where the middle bit opens leaving a lip you have to step over, I would say avoid that type. They had them at the top and bottom of the stairs, I found having to step over the lip when carrying a child up or down the stair very dangerous.

sooty&sweep

Hi

You're right about not putting the pressure fit ones at the top of the stairs.
The concern is you or child falls against it and dislodges it.
We have got a gate at the top of our stairs as it means that my children can wander around upstairs.
However I still wouldn't leave them unattended up there as given enough time and / or something to stand on they could climb over it and tumble.

I also agree with hardpressed about the ones with lips as I think they're a trip hazard.

glitterstar

I have a pressure one fitted at the top of my stairs.
Did have a screw in one which opened up full (not the ones with a door in the middle) but everytime it was opened and closed it started to sort of lever the wall plugs and screws out of the wall which left the plaster a right mess as the plaster was quite thick.
Also have a travel stairgate up at my sons bedroom door which i find quite good, but you cant open it so you either have to step over it or take it down to get through the doorway.

youngbutwise

thank you all for all the useful advice. I'm going to go through all the different options with my husband over the weekend. I don't want to buy something and then regret my choice.
We do have a travel gate (that a friend gave us) but we find it tricky to use and are going to freecycle it.

dangers

When we had a stair gate at the top of our stairs, we were lucky that we could step over the lip and still be on the landing.
I prefer the look of the wooden ones. I prefer the ones that you can fix to the wall as there is no lip to step over and they open quite wide. Argos now do the Lindam ones that you can also remove fairly easily although they are screwed to the wall.

freda

I think the Which? guide recommended screw fit ones, as you don't have the bit at the bottom to fall over, like you do with the pressure fit ones.

youngbutwise

thanks to both.

Me and OH have decided we want wooden ones and screw fit after all.

Thanks very much again to everyone who replied.

youngbutwise

wow, I've just realised my thread was merged with a previous one on the same topic. I read some of it but can't be bothered to read it all.

Anyway, I've just ordered 2 wooden screw fit ones from Boots.com as they have a "buy one get second one half price". So that comes in handy. We'll get a pressure fit one to separate kitchen and living room at a later date. The stairs seem more urgent to deal with right now...