My next few posts are going to cover some baby gear items I think you shouldn’t cheap out on for reasons of safety or durability. I have come to these conclusions out of my own experience, and the experience of other mums in my circle of friends and family. I by no means think that everything you buy for your children has to be super expensive and flashy. The bottom line for me comes down to how long I expect to use the product for, practicality, user friendliness, and of course safety.
I am going to start with baby gates this week as a friend of the family had her little one take a 12 step tumble after the gate failed. I did, however, learn that the gate was a pressure mounted gate placed at the top of the stairs. This, many of you will know, is a huge no no! Never place a pressure mounted gate at the top of a staircase, use only  hardware mounted gates! The gate that this family was using was a Safety 1st Gate (I think the model was the Perfect Fit) that retails for about $50. I don’t see a problem with using a gate like this at the bottom of the stairs to stop your little explorer from venturing into restricted territory. Just make sure that you are monitoring your child though as if a baby can push the gate out then I imagine some of those tough little lunkers can also pull it out.
With my first son I got all crazy and purchased the Lascal KiddyGuard Avant Baby Gates for all around the house. I loved how these rolled up into themselves so that there wasn’t always an ugly and annoying gate blocking halls and stairs. With the easy roll up feature I could leave areas open and easy for the rest of the household to access when not it use. The drawback was, however, the price. At $200 a gate I can’t say it was worth it looking back. Also, I had one at the bottom of the stairs that my son was able to get under and climb up the stairs! This was 8 years ago mind you and they have been modified a bit since then. Also, when it comes to attractive retractable gates, these are one of the few models approved for the top of the stairs.
Another rolling gate I found this time around at less than half the price is the Bily Retractable Safety Gate which retails for about $70. This gate is not as durable as the Lascal but it would be a good gate to put in an area like a hallway, or the bottom of the stairs as long as you can ensure there is no room for baby to stretch gate up and get under it. I mounted mine in front of the stairs with the gate covering the whole bottom step to make it impossible for little bodies to squeeze through. These gates are not approved for the top of the stairs.
My new favourite gate is the Munchkin Loft Safety Gate. This gate retails for about $150. We placed ours at the top of the stairs leading down to the basement and laundry room. It is so easy for me to open and close with one hand full of either laundry or baby. It also is pretty okay to look at and I really don’t mind that it faces the living room and can be seen all day everyday. If they weren’t so expensive I would have bought all three of my gates in this model.
Another style of gate I wanted to cover was the wooden expandable gates. These make me nervous, although, I have to admit I have never owned and tested one. I would love to hear people’s experiences with them. They are very cost effective, although, super ugly. The concern I would have is with larger babies with some “back” to them. They are so lightweight they seem to almost be made of balsam wood. These types of gates would be suitable to block off areas such as hallways, not at the top of stairs though (even though some are hardware mounted, they are too flimsy in my opinion). An ideal location would be to block off the kitchen so you can cook dinner without worrying about a hot accident. This way you are always around the gate while it is in use to make sure baby is safe and gate doesn’t break or collapse.
Since i think baby gates are something you shouldn’t cheap out on, if you can afford to save money on other things I would spend the extra cash here. Your baby’s safety comes first so get something that will support the weight of a large child (since you never know if your baby will have a growth spurt) pushing and pulling on the gate. Keep in mind too that babies can wreak havoc when giving a gate their full force. They may be small but popping out a gate that’s not properly secured or one that is not durable enough is possible. After looking around at everything available I would expect to spend between $70 and $150. There is no need to buy a $200 baby gate but I would also spend the extra $20 to get a gate a bit more durable than the ones available in the $50 price range. But that’s just my opinion 🙂
Also, if you have doubts about what gate to put where buy your gate in a baby store where a staff person can help explain how each gate works. Don’t forget to never put a pressure mounted gate at the top of a staircase!! Hardware mounted only.
canadianmum 