What You Need To Know Before You Buy A Baby Gate

What You Need To Know Before You Buy A Baby Gate

by

Crissy Gholar

A

baby gate or stair gate

is a barrier that can be placed in various spots in the house. Most often, child safety gates are used to keep children from going up and down the stairs without supervision. Gates can also be used to confine a child in a particular room so that the child can be easily supervised. In this way, baby safety gates can help to keep young children safe by preventing falls or injuries. Sometimes, pet owners use gates to keep their pets confined during the potty training process.

There are many different types of gates ranging in price from inexpensive to very expensive. A wooden baby gate is usually the most inexpensive type of gate while a retractable stair gate can be on the other end of the spectrum.

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Before you purchase a gate, you will need to determine why you need the gate. If you want a gate to section off the kitchen from the living room, or if you want a gate to keep your child from accessing the cellar stairs, you will need two different types of gates.

A

sliding gate

can be simply positioned between two walls using the suction cups on either side of the gate. Then, a bar is pressed down to keep the sides of the gate securely against the wall. This gate can be adjusted according to the space between the walls. However, if a child or animal pushes against the gate with enough force, the gate can fall down. These gates also tend to have a plastic mesh weave spanning the width of the gate. This mesh can be damaged by children and pets after it has been used for a while. Because of this, it would not be a good gate to use to prevent your child from falling down cellar stairs. Another downside of using this kind of gate can also put scuff marks on walls when it is used.

A

retractable stair gate

is mounted to a wall or other secure surface using screws located on the sides of the gate. The gate can be swung open or retracted when needed. This gate is good to use as a barrier to prevent children from accessing stairs as it is more secure than the sliding gate. In addition, the gate will not scuff the walls.

There are some drawbacks about using a retractable gate. One of the biggest drawbacks is that the wall will need some repair after you are finished with the gate. For example, you will need to fill in the screw holes. This gate can also not be moved easily from spot to spot as it is mounted to the wall.

As you can see, each type of gate has good and bad points. This is why it is so important to carefully choose the right gate for your particular situation and for your budget. Of course, no safety gate should ever serve as a substitute for proper supervision of a child. A safety gate can be an effective tool to use in order to keep your child or your pet safe from common household hazards until he or she is old enough to avoid those hazards.

baby safety gates

baby safety gate

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