If you have a home that has a staircase (or two) then you’ll need to install stair gates at the top and bottom to ensure that your child is safe. This will need to be done before your child starts crawling, as any baby or toddler that’s on the move could potentially fall down the stairs with serious consequences.
Aside from the top and bottom of your stairs, stair gates are also a good idea installed at the entrances to dangerous parts of your home – like the kitchen, or to prevent your child from escaping through open doors to your garden.
The good news is that stair gates no longer look like they belong in a prison. There are stylish options in a wide range of wood grain finishes, as well as black, white, colors and metallic finishes. Aside from looks, there’s also cost, and while you should be willing to spend a little more on safety, there are some very good economy models that are available.
Next there’s the fixing method. Pressure stair gates, as the name suggests, fit into openings by means of pressure, and require no drilling (or any other sort of DIY skill.) Screw in gates, on the other hand, are fitted into the wall itself, using screws provided. They’re more permanent, and a little more stable, and while you’ll need to repair the wall when you remove them, they do offer the advantage of not having a bottom horizontal bar, which means there’s nothing to trip over!
Some stair gates come with automatic closers, and some can be used when you travel. There are plenty of other features too, but the main criteria should be that they’re safety tested and approved, and that they fit your openings and budget.
