Safety Gates: A Buying Guide
by Jane Snyder, Baby Editor
 Introduction
Types
of Gates
Available
Features
Safety
Tips
Introduction
When your baby starts to crawl, explore, or use a walker,
it's time to install
gates wherever potential hazards may be present around
your home. At the top of stairs, at the bottom of stairs,
and in between rooms, safety gates act as barricades that
communicate which areas are off-limits for your little
scooter. When purchasing gates for your home, there are
several things to keep in mind: types of gates, features,
and safety.
Types of Gates
- Pressure-Mounted Gates The two sliding panels
of a pressure-mounted gate adjust to the dimensions of the
doorway and a locking mechanism supplies the force to
wedge the gate in place. These gates are typically used
between rooms, but should not be used at the top or bottom
of stairs.
- Wall-Mounted Gates This type of gate is mounted
with screws directly into the wall and therefore has the
ability to withstand more than pressure-mounted styles.
Some styles have a special swing-stop mechanism to prevent
the gate from swinging out over the stairs. Wall-mounted
gates can be used at the top and bottom of stairs and at
window openings.
- Yard Gates Yard gates have expandable panels to
form a fairly large area for your child to play in and are
perfect for creating an exclusive area for your toddler
outdoors. Typically, every other panel of a yard gate
opens for easy access.
Available Features
- One-hand release allows you to open and lock a gate
with one hand. This is great for times when you are
carrying a baby (and that is sure to be often).
- Dual-direction swinging allows you to open the gate in
either direction.
- Expandable gates can fit doorways and openings of
different sizes.
- See-through gates allow you full vision of baby
through widely spaced bars or mesh for better supervision.
- Installation kits help in mounting gates on various
surfaces.
- Extension kits allow gates to expand to fit openings
larger than standard-size doorways and windows.
- Gates come in various materials that complement any
décor--wooden, plastic, plastic-coated steel, and soft
mesh.
Safety Tips
- Do not install pressure-mounted gates at the top of
stairways, as they cannot withstand as much pressure as
wall-mounted gates.
- Choose a gate with a straight top edge and rigid bars
or a mesh screen, or an accordion-style gate with small
(less than 1.5 inches) V-shaped and/or diamond-shaped
openings.
- Discontinue using gates when your child is 36 inches
tall or is 2 years old. A gate should never be less than
three quarters of your child's height, since they can
probably climb a gate that is not high enough.
- When installing gates with expanding pressure bars,
install the bar side away from baby, since pressure bars
can be used by children as toeholds to climb over a gate.
- Follow installation instructions and anchor the safety
gate firmly in the doorway or stairway.
- Always close the gate behind you when leaving the room
and never leave your child unsupervised.
- Do not use older models of gates that are not
certified for safety. They are more prone to be hazardous.
Jane Snyder has worked with children
and children's products for the better part of her adult
life. She was a child-care provider and a nursery school
teacher's aid during her college years and spent five years
as a children's book editor before becoming a toys and baby
editor at Halfvalue.com. |
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