Can we talk Gates?

Not Bill.

Lilly's officially crawling. She made it from her room to the bathtub last night! The bathroom is right next to her room, and ours is right across the hall. Of course, there's a full wooden staircase right in between. So, one wrong turn and baby tumbles down and slams into the front door. Or if the front door is open, right down another 8 steps! Whee!!

So, we need a gate for the top of the steps. What do you have/recommend? Do I want something that mounts and swings out of the way, or one of those pressure-mounted jobbies that you can take in and out when you want?

And how many other gates do you have in your place? I've got a big Superyard that's probably going to go in my LR sometimes (like when I am trying to get laundry done in the basement and they can't come with me, etc.) But I'm trying to figure out if I want to gate off any other areas on the first floor. I always thought you just watched your kid but with two it's hard to keep them both in check, KWIM (I know you do!)?

 

Not Bill.

Lilly's officially crawling. She made it from her room to the bathtub last night! The bathroom is right next to her room, and ours is right across the hall. Of course, there's a full wooden staircase right in between. So, one wrong turn and baby tumbles down and slams into the front door. Or if the front door is open, right down another 8 steps! Whee!!

So, we need a gate for the top of the steps. What do you have/recommend? Do I want something that mounts and swings out of the way, or one of those pressure-mounted jobbies that you can take in and out when you want?

And how many other gates do you have in your place? I've got a big Superyard that's probably going to go in my LR sometimes (like when I am trying to get laundry done in the basement and they can't come with me, etc.) But I'm trying to figure out if I want to gate off any other areas on the first floor. I always thought you just watched your kid but with two it's hard to keep them both in check, KWIM (I know you do!)?

 

Hi Betsy,
I posted a similar ?, about a week ago. This is one for the top of stairs that was recommended to me.

 

We have this one from Walmart: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4698035

It is great! It has a true one-handed operation. We went through 3 other gates before this one - they all claimed to be able to use with one hand but really it took two hands (which I never have). This gate truly can be opened and closed with one hand. You can swing it shut and it will lock on it's own. It has a red and green indicator so that you know it's truly locked. And it has a motion-detector nightlight which is great for night. This gate is wonderful!

We have two gates - one at the top of the stairs on the second floor and one at the top of the basement stairs. We also have a pressure mounted gate that we can move around the house as needed.

 

Wow, that one looks even better! Thanks!

 

My girls are just about to start crawling so this is a topic that we have thought about as well. Right now we have a gate that seperates our kitchen from our LR b/c we have 5 dogs and they are not allowed in the LR at all times. It is a very heavy duty, 3 ft tall gate but it is pressure mounted and it really tears up the walls. We plan on getting a screw in type at the top of the stairs, a gate in the girls doorway and also a gate to seperate the LR from our middle room. I dont want the girls in the middle room b/c that is where the computer is, etc, too many things to get in trouble with

 

Wow, that Walmart gate looks like a top contender! I wonder if they have it around here.

 

We are in the market for one as well... Does anyone have one that you push the button you mount on wall and it opens? This is good for full arms and those who have older kids allowed to go up/down.

I have seen it mentioned here before..

 

I ordered the gate from Walmart online - I couldn't find it in the stores. It took about a week to get and the shipping was reasonable, only about $7 or something like that.

And it is pretty much a push button operation - you push down on a button, then pull up. Easily done with one hand! My 3.5 year old nephew could use it when we trained him how.

 

GET THE GATES NOW EVERYONE!!

My poor Ainsley fell down our ENTIRE flight of steps yesterday!! She only recently started crawling a bit.

I can't even type that without my heart racing again. It was so scary. She is/was fine, they are sure tough, but gosh what a scare.

Thank goodness our house is carpeted and she is wearing a helmet to correct her plagiocephaly! My poor little munchkin.

I went to BRU this morning to get pressure mounted gates. Top of stairs should have only this kind, so that if the baby lays against it, it would budge.

 

OMG! Mama, you must have flipped out completely. I am so glad Ainsley is OK and I hope you are, too. I ordered that Walmart gate last night, so hopefully it'll be here in a few days. In the meantime I just keep the bedroom doors closed if they are on the floor up here.

Just to be clear, I've been told (and read) that you shouldn't use pressure-mounted gates (the kind you can easily remove) at the top of the stairs because they can be pushed out of place. Everything I've read/heard says to use the kind that "permanently" mount to the wall.

 

I am a dork...I meant to say hardware mounted. Thanks! I went to BRU yesterday and got two. They didn't have the prices, and when I checked out, they were $60 a piece! But, I would have paid much more for Ainsley not to have fallen.

I know, the crazy door was open!! If our son is loose on the floor, we totally close it, but with Ainsley we just got so used to her being a little non-moving pile on the floor.

 

Oh good! I had a feeling you just mistyped, but wanted to be sure. And I know just what you mean about the non-moving pile, hehe! I feel like my girls were non-mobile for so long I never actually believed they would start moving around!

 

Bree, OMG I'm so sorry that happened to you baby.

As far as gates I have this one and LOVE it. I got real lucky and got it 50% off.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=b...ZY&frombrowse=1

 

I was wondering if I could hijack a bit... does anyone have a good gate for a wider opening? I need one to cover 44 inches. I would prefer to have one with a gate built in instead of the whole thing swinging open KWIM? I think that the whole thing swinging open would get in the way of other furniture.