Baby gates - questions

SigmundsGirl · January 2011

We bought a KidCo baby gate for the botton of the stairs and it is pretty good - except that Evan still has access to the bottom step. He now likes to step up, grab on the bars of the gate and shake them like a monkey at the zoo. He has a great time, but he is just learning to walk and isn't very sure in his feet. I would prefer a gate that doesn't provide access to the first step, and this is almost impossible.

The only thing I can think of is to buy a configurable gate and install it going around the first step (making an L shape from one wall to the other). So here is what I want to know:

What did you use for the bottom of the stairs and does you LO have access to the bottom step?
What gate would you recommend for the top of the stairs?
How long did you use a baby gate?

CareBear01 · January 2011

We had a typical baby gate at the bottom - the last 2 stairs were still open.

We couldn't find something that would fit the top of our stairs. We would probably have to zip tie one to the banisters since we don't have a wall. The closest wall we have to the top of the stairs was too wide for a typical gate, and we never got around to finding a wider one.

Can't remember when we stopped using it - Maybe when he was around 18 months? Probably at least a few months ago. We were pretty much around him so knew where he was, so stopped putting the gate up, unless we knew we were going into another room for awhile. Now, we trust him on the stairs, and he goes up and down at his leisure. I will admit, I do still get nervous, so when I hear him on the stairs, I am careful to listen to make sure he doesn't tumble down, but he hasn't, yet. (He has tumbled down into my arms a few times when he was like 18 months and I was spotting from behind at that time).

ETA: I was never really concerned with the first few steps. I figured if he fell back, he didn't have far to go, and maybe would teach him not to hang out there. However, we have carpet with thick padding - I would probaby feel differently if we had hardwood or tile there.

KNJepp · January 2011

We couldn't find anything that would work at the bottom of our stairs. In fact, the only thing we could make work was a gate that is about 6 steps up. It really hasn't been an issue, though. We worked with Cameron early on crawling up and sliding down the stairs, so he's quite good with them. We've had zero problems with him having the bottom 6 steps to "play" with.

SigmundsGirl · January 2011

KNJepp:
We couldn't find anything that would work at the bottom of our stairs. In fact, the only thing we could make work was a gate that is about 6 steps up. It really hasn't been an issue, though. We worked with Cameron early on crawling up and sliding down the stairs, so he's quite good with them. We've had zero problems with him having the bottom 6 steps to "play" with.

Oh, that is good to know. We have a larger landing 3 steps up and the banister there is more suited for a pressure mount gate than the smaller spindles. Maybe we should give him those 2 steps and the landing to "play" on. I'd feel better with him standing there than perched on part of the first step. I'll move the gate and give it a try tonight.

jen5-03 · January 2011

Samuel does the monkey at the zoo thing too. It's only one step but it's a laminate floor. He's fallen a few times, but never whacked his head (never whacked it falling off a step, he's hit his head many times and many ways on other objects)

At the top of the stairs we got a self closing gate. I love it. It bangs shut and locks itself. It's easy enough that E can open it, but I don't know if an under 3yo could do it.

nvp05 · January 2011

We had the bottom 2 stairs open since it was also hard for us to find a wide enough gate for the bottom. Rena always had fun crawling and playing on those two steps. She did slip off a couple times but we have a big rug at the bottom so she didn't get hurt.

We used a pressure mount swing gate for the top of the stairs. We didn't want to drill into the wood banister so that was the best option for us.

We removed the bottom gate when she was around 2 years old. We still have the top gate and just keep it shut at night so she is contained upstairs if she gets up.

nvp05 · January 2011

I forgot to mention, my neighbor had a big L-shaped gate like you're describing. It worked well for her but they're pricey and we didn't want to pay that much for a gate.

Mrs.T2006 · January 2011

nvp05:

We used a pressure mount swing gate for the top of the stairs. We didn't want to drill into the wood banister so that was the best option for us.

We have the same gate as PP for the top of the stairs.

At the bottom, we have something similar to this.

SigmundsGirl · January 2011

nvp05:
I forgot to mention, my neighbor had a big L-shaped gate like you're describing. It worked well for her but they're pricey and we didn't want to pay that much for a gate.

Yeah, that is what we were noticing. It would be more than what we would pay for two gates. I just ordered pressure mount swing gates for the top and bottom of the stairs. We will keep watching him and hope that he learns how to safely navigate the few steps he gets access to. We never leave him alone by the stairs anyway, and I don't want to spend $180 on a gate.

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