Baby Safety Gates
I thought I'd share some feedback with the Moms and Moms-to-be about some of the safety gates that DH and recently invested in. I say 'invested' b/c we spent close to $500 to acquire all of the necessary gates and related hardware for our home.
We have a two-story home, so it was mandatory to buy gates for both the top and bottom of the stairs. Top of the stairs gates MUST be fastened with hardware - not just tension mounted - in order to be compliant with safety standards. In doing my research, I learned that you should look for two labels on the gates you purchased - U.S. federal safety standards, and the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) as administered by the Juvenile Products Manufacturer's Association (JPMA).
Look for this label:
Here's the gate that will go at the BOTTOM of the stairs: it's by Kidco, The Gateway Model G11 (it's new for 2003). It's tension mounted, but we had to buy an additional part in order to attach it to the one of the spindles on the railing.
For the top of the stairs, we decided on this gate: it's also by Kidco, The Wood Safeway Model G31. We chose a wood finish, but there are other options. This too, comes with additional hardware to attach the gate to the newel post of the railing. We are hesitant to drill holes into the new oak wood railings that we just had installed, so Kidco gives you the option to fasten an extra wood piece to the post using heavy duty plastic tie fasteners. We plan to try the installation this way first, and test the strength and security of the gate as time goes on.
For Paul's bedroom doorway, we chose a tension mounted gate by The First Years - it's a Hands-Free gate and it's good up until 2 years of age. No stepping over - it opens up like a door. But, you do have to watch your step b/c there is a piece that remains on the floor (for stabilization), and you can trip if you're not careful.
For our den, which Paul uses as a playroom, we needed a gate that could expand to 11 feet wide, across the entire room. We have multiple doorways, and this was just the easiest way to make a separation. We chose the Elongate Model G60. We had to buy an additional 4 extensions, in order to make the gate 11 feet wide. It took awhile for DH to install it b/c since it is so wide, it must be hardware mounted to the walls. But, it seems to be working well and you only need one hand to open the 'door' part. The only downside is that it can sometimes require two hands just to properly close the gate.
Babyproofing is exhausting and expensive! But, it is necessary to keep your baby safe. I hope that my reviews help someone else, when they are shopping around for these supplies.![]()
We have a two-story home, so it was mandatory to buy gates for both the top and bottom of the stairs. Top of the stairs gates MUST be fastened with hardware - not just tension mounted - in order to be compliant with safety standards. In doing my research, I learned that you should look for two labels on the gates you purchased - U.S. federal safety standards, and the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) as administered by the Juvenile Products Manufacturer's Association (JPMA).
Look for this label:
Here's the gate that will go at the BOTTOM of the stairs: it's by Kidco, The Gateway Model G11 (it's new for 2003). It's tension mounted, but we had to buy an additional part in order to attach it to the one of the spindles on the railing.
For the top of the stairs, we decided on this gate: it's also by Kidco, The Wood Safeway Model G31. We chose a wood finish, but there are other options. This too, comes with additional hardware to attach the gate to the newel post of the railing. We are hesitant to drill holes into the new oak wood railings that we just had installed, so Kidco gives you the option to fasten an extra wood piece to the post using heavy duty plastic tie fasteners. We plan to try the installation this way first, and test the strength and security of the gate as time goes on.
For Paul's bedroom doorway, we chose a tension mounted gate by The First Years - it's a Hands-Free gate and it's good up until 2 years of age. No stepping over - it opens up like a door. But, you do have to watch your step b/c there is a piece that remains on the floor (for stabilization), and you can trip if you're not careful.
For our den, which Paul uses as a playroom, we needed a gate that could expand to 11 feet wide, across the entire room. We have multiple doorways, and this was just the easiest way to make a separation. We chose the Elongate Model G60. We had to buy an additional 4 extensions, in order to make the gate 11 feet wide. It took awhile for DH to install it b/c since it is so wide, it must be hardware mounted to the walls. But, it seems to be working well and you only need one hand to open the 'door' part. The only downside is that it can sometimes require two hands just to properly close the gate.
Babyproofing is exhausting and expensive! But, it is necessary to keep your baby safe. I hope that my reviews help someone else, when they are shopping around for these supplies.
