Baby Gates Buying Guide -(Baby Gate Reviews)
THE BABY GATE REVIEWS
Welcome to my site. I love writing guides. This site will be about baby gates in particular. Your welcome to browse around and check out other pages. This will guide you to what you are looking for. I’m here to help.
The rundown on Baby gates
IF YOUR LOOKING TO HEAD STRAIGHT TO SOME BABY GATE REVIEWS. CLICK ON ONE OF THESE LINKS BELOW. I’VE LISTED THE TOP BABY GATES OF 2017 BELOW.
The Best Baby Gates for Stairs
The Best Baby Gate With Pet Door
The Best Travel and Portable Baby Gate
Best Freestanding Baby Gate (No Wall Areas)
The Best Hands Free Baby Gate (Foot Pedal Baby Gate)
The Best Retractable Baby Gates
Once babies get mobile, they can make their way into all sorts of places as they build their motor skills. Once they get to the point of walking or even crawling, they may go places they shouldn’t and things can get dangerous. This is where baby gates or as some call (safety gates) come in, a physical barrier that keeps your child within a safe zone in your home and away from potentially harmful areas like staircases or away from big pets. Speaking of pets. These gates can be used to keep pets out of certain areas as well and there are even some gates that have mini doors built in to allow your smaller pets to roam.
There are two options: a hardware-mounted gate that you attach to surrounding walls or door frames with screws. Then there is a pressure-mounted gate that relies on pressure to stay in place.
Hardware-mounted models usually take a little longer to set up than pressure-mounted gates. They tend to cost a bit more as well, but like anything mounted with a strong frame with screws they’re a little sturdier than others. Pressure-mounted gates are great for doorways or areas where walls aren’t too far apart. I’ll cover more of this further down.
What features to look for when purchasing
You want a gate that easily Opens. Most hardware-mounted gates swing open, but some pressure-mounted gates don’t. You may think that stepping over the gate isn’t such a hassle, but some gates can get really high. Trust me wait until your hands are full or you’re in a hurry. Parents don’t need another obstacle to trip over.
Now you want to make sure the baby gate fits. Most gates will block an “average” doorway. If you have a larger area to protect, make sure you get a gate that stretches farther or has interlocking sections to encircle a bigger hazard. I cover the top rated baby gates for Narrow Spaces here and for wide spaces here. Be sure to check those out.
Finding the right baby gate for your home can be tedious and exhausting because there are so many factors to consider. Every home is different so I’m going to break it down for you. Below will direct you to what you are looking for. I’ll cover each type of space and what baby gate is recommended. The best pressure mounted baby gate and best hardware mounted. I have done the research to make it simple.
Standard Spaces
Wide Spaces
Narrow Spaces
There are Two types of gates: Pressure Mounted and Hardware Mounted
Lets first cover Pressure Mounted baby gates:
pressure mounted baby gate
These gates are the most commonly used baby gates. They hold in place by pressure. Similar to your shower curtains. They are very easy to install and can be moved from one location to another. If your looking for the best pressure mounted baby gate you’ll have to keep reading below.
Advantages:
⦁ They are easy to set up and take down. No screwing in walls and so.
⦁ Generally they are cheaper than hardware mounted baby gates
⦁ There are many different styles.
Disadvantages:
⦁ Not the best for stairs
⦁ Can slip and fall under a baby’s weight if not installed correctly.
⦁ Can’t take on a charging dog
⦁ Difficult to mount between walls that sit at angles
⦁ Can leave marks on your walls.
hardware mounted baby gates
Hardware mounted baby gates screw directly into your wall, door frame or banister/balustrade.
Will it leave holes in your wall? Yes it will. However this is a small inconvenience compared to the many pros that this style of baby gate provides:
No matter how hulk strong your baby is. Even the most determined of toddlers or even hyper dogs will find it near impossible to knock down a hardware mounted baby gate.
These gates should be installed in dangerous areas where a baby gate falling would result in serious injury like around a fireplace.
Make sure to read first and understand how to install a hardware mounted baby gate. You can potentially damage your walls without the correct instruction.
Advantages:
⦁ Can support your toddler’s weight
⦁ Difficult to knock over by larger dogs
⦁ The only safe gate option for the top of your stairs
⦁ This can be mounted between angled walls
⦁ This can be mounted above your trim molding or baseboard
Disadvantages:
⦁ Cannot be taken down in a rush
⦁ A little more complicated to install than pressure mounted gates
⦁ Leaves ugly holes in walls and wood when removed (Wouldn’t recommend if renting)
As you can see. Baby Gate safety depends on solid build, reliable hardware, and the absence of anything hazard. Here are some more features to consider when looking for the right baby gate.
HEIGHT
To really discourage an adventurous baby from climbing over a gate, the one you buy should be at least 3/4 of your babies height. A baby gate should be at least 22 inches high. If your baby is tall for his or her age, go with a Taller gate (Check out these). Some are as high as 39 inches and even taller with extensions, when a child is taller than 36 inches or heavier than 25 pounds (usually around 2 years of age), Taller Gates with extensions will need to be purchased. You may also need to look into stronger more sturdy gates. I recommend Hardware mounted gates in this instance. Cardinal Gates “Auto-Lock” Baby Gate being a good one.
SLAT SPACING
Baby gate slats should be vertical bars less than 3 inches apart to prevent head entrapment. Still if you have a very adventurous baby. He or she may attempt to climb over the gate or go for a ride on the swing out door. This could lead to injury so make sure to do the required research to find the right gate you desire.
LATCHES AND HARDWARE
Many gates, have dual-action latches, meaning that you have to push down on it to release it. This can be done with one hand. A gate with a squeezing mechanism opens by compressing parts of the gate.
Another option is a pressure-release handle, which can be lifted with one hand to open the gate. Some models, like the Babies R Us Step N Release Walk Thru Gate, have a foot pedal to release the latch. Hands-free which is great. You can check out my full review of that gate here.
INSTALLATION FLEXIBILITY
Many gates can be mounted to odd areas, such as stair balusters, angled banisters, and drywall where there is no wood framing behind it. You might have to purchase an installation kit for these areas. Here are a few, for example, Summer Infant Banister to Banister Universal Gate Mounting Kit, KidCO Stairway Gate installation kit, and Regalo Top Of Stairs Expandable Metal Gate With Mounting Kit.
Kidco Stairways gate kit allows you to clamp a gate onto newel posts without drilling. Some gates also adjust to fit irregularly shaped areas or very wide ones. You can slide some hardware-mounted gates out of their wall mountings, which works perfectly when you may have guests over and don’t want the gate in the way.
STURDY CONSTRUCTION
Look for baby gates with sturdy construction and a good finish. I have given a break down on this site of baby gates that meet these standards. Wooden surfaces should be smooth, splinter-free, rounded off instead of squared edges. Metal is usually more durable than wood. Some gates have a support bar that crosses the ground below the gate, which could cause stumbling when the gate is open. That safety gate in the picture to the left is one of my favorites. One of the best pressure mounted baby gates. You can check it out here.
Important Safety Information
Don’t use older, “accordion” style gates that open to form large diamond-shaped gaps. A child can get his or her head stuck in these spaces, creating a potentially deadly situation. The earlier designs were recalled and then pulled off the market in the late 1980s, but they sometimes turn up in secondhand stores and garage sales. The more recent models have smaller gaps no more than 1 1/2 inches across. These meet the current safety standards.
What it Will Cost You
Prices for safety gates can vary depending on Design, quality, Brand and size. They usually start from about $40 and go up to several hundred dollars. Click on any of the links on this page. I sort everything out for you. Each link will take you to dedicated pages for different gate designs, brands and reviews. I’m here to make it easy for you.
Before we spend money on a product we always want to get a breakdown on the best route to go doing so. Before spending your hard earned money you look for guides on the best budget-friendly products. That was my frame of mind writing this. I want to guide people in the right direction, I’m here to help you find the most efficient baby gate for your toddler.
Types of Baby Gates (Top rated baby gates)
Baby gate reviews
The first thing you want to do before buying a gate is to measure the area you are going to be sectioning off. Take out your measuring tape and try to be as accurate as possible. You wouldn’t want to buy the wrong size and have to go through the hassle of returning it. We are trying to make this a simple and safe process for you and your baby.
The next thing you need to do is to measure your baby. Yes, measure your kid. Get down his or her height so you know how tall of a gate you will need to get. Trust me, there are gates built to secure the most adventurous (Indiana Jones) babies.
So this was just a little break down of what you need to know before you buy. Listed here are all the Top rated gates. Click on any of the highlighted links or pictures to take you to the right area.
Top rated baby gates with Baby gate review:
Baby Gate with pet door (Click here or click the picture)
How To BabyProof Your Home
BABYPROOF YOUR HOME: WHAT YOU MUST KNOW AND DO
If you are a parent, you already know how to babyproof your home, but if you are going to become a parent, you don’t know. In any case, you will have to protect your baby from potential injuries and things that may hurt him. Keep in mind that babyproofing a home is mandatory and every single parent should pay attention to this.
The Furniture
Babies and kids like climbing on the chairs and other pieced of furniture. This also means that you must use brackets and wall restrictions in order to secure all the furniture in your home. Yes, this is the first and the most important step.
Secure the gadgets
Nowadays, we have flat TVs and a lot of gadgets in a home. Your goal is to secure all of them. A TV must be secured as soon as possible, just in a case, your baby cannot flip it. The situation is the same with cables for your phones and tablets. Always place them high, in order to eliminate the possibility of your baby reaching them.
Use outlet covers
Yes, this is the best-known babyproofing tip, but it is also the most important one. You will have to use the latest outlet covers in order to restrict your baby to reaching the outlets. The new gadgets are simple to use and they allow you a quick access to a power outlet. However, they will make impossible for your baby to reach an outlet! Thanks to other features they offer, they can be used for a long time and there is no point of removing them.
Secure the stairs
This is another, the most important step in babyproofing your home. If you have stairs and chances are high you have them, always do anything you can in order to secure them. There are a lot of ways to secure them and all of them are equally good.
Secure sharp edges
Simply because there are a lot of items and gadgets in your home, you will have to secure them and eliminate the possibility that a baby can hurt himself. Pay attention to the sharp edges, like tables, and some items may have. Loose items should be sorted as well and everything should be moved away from your baby’s reach. Although, it may be impossible to babyproof your home 100%, in this case, the more is better.
Remove stuffed animals from a crib
It probably sounds contradictory, but removing pillows and stuffed animals from a crib is important. According to a survey and proven by the experts, all of this can suffocate a baby! It is crucial to remove these things from a crib and place them far away. Maybe your crib won’t look great, but it will be safer than ever. In addition, do not use small items of this type. They are more dangerous than larger items and they are more dangerous as well.
All of these were some of the most important tips, on your how to babyproof your home, but always pay attention to additional issues!
Introducing Your Baby To Your Pet
Introduce Your Baby To Your Pet: What You Must Know
Being pregnant and having a baby is amazing and one of the best things that can happen to you. Although this is simply great, if you are a pet owner as well, you should know a few more thing about keeping both your pet and child safe. Simply said, if you have a pet and you have a baby, you will have to introduce them and try to make them the best friends. This is a time-consuming process and mistakes are not allowed, so here are the most important things you will have to know.
Your pet will have the first ‘’word’’
Maybe it sounds strange, but your pet should have the first word when it comes to meeting him to a new baby. Always do this outside, in order to eliminate the need of a pet to protect his territory. Babies are small, obviously, so make sure you watch them closely during the first couple of weeks and how these two will react. Slowly introduce your pet to a new baby. For example, it is a wise decision to use a stroller while walking your dog, even before you get a baby. This is important because it can help you get to use your pet to a new baby that will arrive soon.
Take the things slow
Forcing these two to become friends as soon as possible isn’t an option. Always take the things slowly and make sure you pay attention to the small and irrelevant actions. Most babies will like your pet and they will be thrilled with them, but make sure that they don’t know how to treat a pet.
Place them closely to each other and watch for them. Your goal is to monitor their behavior. If a baby tried to ‘’hurt’’ your pet, don’t allow it. Some pets won’t like this, so they may try to defend themselves. On the other side, some babies don’t like pets, so they will cry as soon as you leave them with a pet. However, after some long introduction, the things should become better and simpler.
Use toys
Place both of them on the floor or on the bed and give them toys. Pets and babies have one thing in common. Both of them like toys and they like playing. Try to find the most interesting toys for both of them, so they two can start playing. During the play time, they will get used to each other and that can help them become the best friends. As the result, the friendship will slowly start to advance.
Keep in mind that you cannot rush these things. You must take it slowly and allow to both of them to find their limits and their rules. In general, your baby will get used to your pet in a few weeks, but the specific time cannot be specified. Once they become friends, they will stay like this for a long time and your baby will love your pet. It sounds impressive, and it is.