Baby Gates For Stairs - Important Facts You Should Know

Keeping your children safe and protected in your home is arguably the most important part of parenthood, and if you have stairs in your home then you'll definitely want to have baby gates for stairs. But which type of gate should you get? What do you look for in a baby gate? Here are some important facts to consider before purchasing any gate.

It's easy to think that just buying any old style of baby safety gate is fine, but this can be a critical mistake. Did you know one of the most common causes of serious injury, and even death, for babies and toddlers in the home is falls down the steps?

Children are inquisitive by nature, and nothing seems to attract their attention faster than seeing a set of stairs. They are like a magnet of sorts. This is why a stairway baby gate is an absolute necessity. They can be used at either the top or the bottom of the stairs and prevent your child from going up or coming down the steps.

The key point to consider with safety gates for stairs is the type of gate you purchase. You only want to use a hardware mounted gate that is permanently attached to the studs in the wall. A simple pressure mounted baby gate is fine for any other room or area in your home, but not for the stairs.

The reason why you do not want to trust a pressure gate for your steps is because they can easily be toppled over. Try it for yourself if you have any doubts. Begin shaking it like a toddler will and you'll soon see how easy it is to dislodge it and watch it topple down the steps. Imagine if your child was doing this?

A hardware mounted baby gate is designed to provide the necessary strength and durability for use on stairways. They come with all the hardware you need to easily screw it into the wall for a permanent mount.

These safety gates come in all sizes, and are made of either wood or steel. You can find them in painted in various colors and have options with how they open and much more. (You can see this in our various reviews on hardware mounted gates)

One of the things to look for in a baby gate for stairs is that you get one with vertical slats or bars running from top to bottom. A mesh style can work as long as the mesh does not have enough room for your baby or toddler to get a foot hold for climbing up it. For this reason I prefer vertical bars, but many of the newer styles of mesh are designed with smaller openings.

If you feel that having a permanent mount baby gate is an eyesore, you'll find many gates available that allow you to simply remove the gate from the mounting plate. This will give you free access up and down the steps when you don't need to use the gate.

Finding the right kind of baby gates for stairs is only a matter of taking a look at the reviews in our section on hardware mounted gates. There, you'll find information, prices and actual user comments on all of the most popular makes and models of gates to help you in making your best decision.