Child Safety Gates

What are safety gates?

Babies do grow quick. And once they master how to use their feet – then it’s time for action. And troubles of course. An important and very helpful baby safety product that will help you to childproof your house is baby safety gates. Not all areas of your house or apartment are safe for your little one, and you risk loosing your peace of mind as your child starts to explore surroundings. Baby safety gates come in two kinds, differentiated by how they are mounted. Pressure gates rely on pressure to stay in place, while the heavier version can be mounted to furniture or walls.

While pressure gates are easier to install and as a general rule are less expensive, they sometimes are just not enough. To ensure that your safety gates are not knocked out of place with a light punch, you might want to install a sturdier hardware-mounted version. This will require you half an hour of time and sinking a few screws, but when it comes to baby safety, it’s always worth it.
Please remember that no safety gates will give you 100% confidence that your baby stays out of harm. Never forget that only constant adult supervision is the best way to keep your little one safe.

Buying safety gates

When looking at baby safety gates take note of the following important points:

Safety certification. Just as most other baby products, it is highly desired that baby safety gates have an ASTM/JPMA label or sealing on package. Even when looking on products that carry recognized brand names, always check twice that certification is in place. Keep in mind that it is possible for manufacturer to certify one product, but not all of its line.

Right size. Take measurements of the place where you are planning to install the gates. Do not rely on seemingly sufficient height of the gates, keep in mind, that after your child will grow just a little bit  taller, it will be easy to reach for things over the gates. So maybe it’s better to choose a somewhat taller model from the start.

Spacing of bars. With models that are made of some bars or slats, look closely on spacing between them. Generally recommended distance must not be larger than 2.5 inches (about 6 cm). In other words, it must be impossible for a baby to put head between the slates, larger spacing can easily lead to strangulation.

Ease of opening. While most hardware-mounted models are already made this way, pressure-mounted gates can be impossible or hard to swing open. Do not rely on hopping over the gates - this can be uncomfortable or even impossible to do sometimes. Having a feature like this can add to the gates’ price, but you can be surprised about the number of times you will have to go through the gated area!

Beware of the secondhand gates. Especially the ones made before and during early eighties. The gates then primarily were made in a form of expandable accordion-style screen, and this is a vary dangerous construction that can trap baby’s head.

Baby Gates Pricing

Good safety gates can be purchased well over $100. As it was said pressure-based models are cheaper, about $20-$40 in price. Sturdier hardware-mounted models range from $25 to $75 depending on brand and features.