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Choosing And Buying A Baby Safety Gate
Baby gates, also known as safety gates, can provide safety for your child, your pets, and your home. Selecting the right safety gate for your home will take some research and understanding about the various types of safety gates available on the market today. Nothing can replace your watchful eye, however a baby gate can provide a nice level of safety from such common household mishaps as falling down stairs, getting burned by a stove, or breaking valuable items.
Safety gates are generally about thirty inches high and can range anywhere from about twenty five inches to over twenty feet in width. Baby gates come in a variety of child (and pet) safe materials such as plastic, wood and fabrics. Some gates are semi-permanent where you can release a latch and walk through them. Others are held up by tension rods and need to be removed if you wish to pass by them. (A note of warning: Stepping over baby safety gates is never a good idea because you can catch your foot and fall. Or, worse yet, your child will watch you and think it is okay to climb over the gate!)
The first thing you need to decide is the size of a gate that your unique situation requires. You also should evaluate all of your options and locations for putting gates up. Keep in mind that all baby safety gates attach to two solid pieces of wood such as door jams, wall studs, or stair railings. You will want to keep this in mind when looking for an optimal location for the safety gate you purchase.
Once you have decided where to put the baby safety gate it is necessary to measure the area between the two wood surfaces. With this measurement in hand it’s time to start searching in stores and online for the perfect gate for your needs. Baby safety gates come in two basic types. These two types are pressure-mounted (or tension/spring) gates and hardware-mounted gates. Both the hardware and pressure gates also come as either solid or with a swing gate (like a door) to allow you to walk through them.
The easiest to install, and the most portable option, are pressure-mounted gates. These use a tension rod, similar to a curtain tension rod, to hold the gate in place between the two surfaces. Pressure gates are nice when they have the walk-through swing gate. Without the swing gate it can be a hassle keeping them in place and trying to access the rooms behind them. Pressure-mounted gates can be ideal for renters and for more portable needs. Pressure-mounted gates are not a good choice for a long-term barrier solution or in dangerous areas such as a fight of stairs.
Harder to install, but much safer, are hardware-mounted baby safety gates. These gates also come with an option of a walk-through swing gate and are much more permanent and secure. Hardware-mounted gates require more work initially to install but are a much safer option for danger zones like stairs.
When purchasing a baby safety gate it is important to select one that meets your needs and provides the situations requires. All baby safety gates are regulated and you should always check the gates you purchase meet the regulatory standards. If you stick with well known brands such as Gateway or Evenflo they have years of experience and have proven they manufacture safe products. While buying items second-hand is usually a great idea, you should only purchase new baby gates. (And only purchase new car seats!) For the safety of your child you will want to insure any gate you purchase meets current safety regulations and hasn’t been recalled by its manufacturer.
Once you have purchased and installed your new baby safety gates it is necessary to check them to make sure they are installed correctly and securely. After proper installation all baby safety gates should be checked regularly to make sure they are still working properly, have no loose parts, and are still 100% safe for your child. |
