Safety gates

JSweetieXO · November 2012

Are gates really necessary? We would like to get them, but

They are so much $$ for ones that stay pressurized onto the wall without having to deal with all that constant opening and then shutting it, plus the cheap ones seem like baby would push them over.
We have a cat who needs access to the areas we were planning on using them. I guess if I was able to give my cat to a good home we wouldn't need the gates so much so baby wouldn't get into his food or litter. (also I am allergic)
We live in an apt. We planned on using one for the openings of the kitchen (there are 2) and then one to the hallway that leads to the bedrooms and bath. I think that seems excessive since it's such a tiny apt.

JSweetieXO · November 2012

Yea I just told my husband I think it may not be necessary and he agrees so I think we aren't going with any. I may think of getting a different cat box...our bathroom is just so small though that we can only have an opened one.

mars724 · November 2012

i mean, you can just see how it goes too. if you feel like you need it, you can get one later. also, i don't know if there are mom to mom sales near you, but those are a good place to find stuff like that too.

SteelCity44 · November 2012

I've also been thinking about gates recently (and how expensive it's going to get). We have 4 levels to our house. We'll need a gate at the top of the basement steps (the door doesn't shut right), bottom of the hallways steps to the second floor, top of the steps on the second floor, and a set for each (2) doorway in the living room. Only the living room ones will need to be the temporary ones, and we'll buy the ones that screw into the wall for the rest. I'm thinking that Micah might get gates for Christmas.

KatFCo · November 2012

You might be able to get away without them in an apartment; we did with DD, but there were times I wished we had one as she got older.

As for the cost, check out second-hand children's stores, like Once Upon a Child. Craigslist might also be useful. It's the kind of thing you can inspect so you know it's good quality.

Torani · November 2012

The pressurized $10 are actually not too bad, as long as your walls are level (we found out the hard way that one was not!). I could never put it up right, so DH had to do it. The cat should be able to jump it, or you could always put it high enough that the cat can squeeze underneath, but LO can't. You can avoid the one to the kitchen as long as you baby proof your cabinets (you will have to do it eventually anyway). I would get one for the hall, so that your LO does not disappear on you (they move fast once they start crawling!

We have a 2-story, so we have a screw in one on the hall way that leads to the stairs/front door/garage/bathroom area and one for the kitchen that I can move between the two doorways depending on where I want to keep him. And of course, another on the top of the stairs. The ones downstairs I did not use for more than a few months with DS1. Eventually he wanted to be wherever we were, so we did not have to worry about him wandering off, and just blocked the stairway.

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