Baby Gate for Top of Stairs???

Hi there,

We just installed 2 gates this past weekend. One at the top of the stairs and one at the bottom. We have 2 small dogs and I always have my hands full. We used the Safety first gates, they fit both locations and have a sliding door to allow access for larger spaces. They swing open and can lock shut.

Hope that helps....good luck

We use a screw-mounted one from Kid Co and are very pleased with it! For the safety of your son, please get a screw-mounted gate for the top of the stairs (and not RELY on teaching him about the stairs or on pressure-mounted gates for the top of stairs).

K.,

I have a son also about 9 mo of age. I also live in a split level house. I was talking to my husband about wanting to get a gate because I knew that our son would soon be crawling. Well, we never did get a gate and he did start to crawl when we were out of town at grandma's house. When we got home, I didn't think anything about the stairs. Well that was of course when he went over to them and down he went. Only 4 steps down since the stairs do have a 45 degree angle in them. He was scared and crying of course, but he was fine. I still don't have a gate and he hasn't gone to the stait since then. When he gets better at crawling I plan to make a game out of crawling up and down the stairs. That way he is capable of doing it and I don't have to worry about him falling again. And I don't have to try to find a gate that will work for the top of the stairs. Good luck!

A.

We've had lots of luck with the Kidco gates. The one at the top of our stairs is their "swingway." It has options to expand the gate and models that work for angle openings. You set which way the gate opens. I've had good luck opening this gate with one hand, too.

As an engineer, I was pleased with how well the gate was designed, too. One thing - it's screw-mounted, not pressure-mounted.

We bought ours from the manufacturer. Their website is: www.kidco.com

We have 2 of the Safety 1st-Smartlight Stair Gates and we really like them. One is at the top of the stairs and the other is at the bottem. We actually don't even use the light...I just liked the design of it. Opening and closing it is very easy. I'm not sure how wide it goes and it does not have a dog door. Our two dogs just got used to asking to go through. Personally I would not want something my child could possibly try to go through! The gates were purchased at Babies R Us for about $60. They have held up well, and have been up for almost a year now.

We bought a swing open gate made by evenflo that we loved. It had a remote that you hung on the wall above the gate however high you needed it and you just pushed the button and it would swing either way. The only down side is that it took 4 D batteries and they didn't last too long - maybe 3 weeks.

I think we have the same gate as Jennifer R. Evenflo gate designed for the top of the stairs - it easily fits even a large opening, is easy to open (but not too easy!) and very secure. We have a cat so we installed the gate just high enough for her to slip underneath (we tested to make sure there was no way a child could slip underneath or get stuck).

We also spent time working with our kids on how to safely go up and down stairs - always a good idea even with a gate!

The Evenflo Secure Step gate did the trick for us. We had a wooden one with a simple latch that my son was able to open and fall down the stairs. It was very traumatic, but he is luckily uninjured (other than a black eye and other bruises). The new gate takes an adult sized hand to open, and doesn't swing over the stairs even an inch. He understands how it works but still can't open it (he's 14 months now). Our dog has adjusted to the gate even though she obviously can't open it. She lets us know when she wants to go through. I also would recommend letting your son get lots of practice on the stairs so he doesn't hurt himself when he one day decides they are the funnest thing on the planet.

Edited Comment: Please get a gate and don't rely on your son staying away from the stairs! I saw someone else is doing without one, but this is a serious safety concern.

I like the baby gates with swing open doors. I have one that I got at walmart for extended openings and I love it a lot. I also have the other kind where you have to step over. Not so much likeing that one right now. Its hard for me to step over it carring my 14 month old son and being pregnant. We also have a little dog that I have to lift over to get up the stairs, but i would think that one with a swing open door would be the best bet casue the dog can follow and then there is no steping over anything.

I have a Retract-a-gate (http://www.retract-a-gate.com/) that I absolutely love. We have it at the top of our stairs as well and it fits our 50" opening. It works really easy with one hand and I use it with my 19 month old and a dog. It's been the greatest thing and everyone who sees it always asks us where we got it.

Good luck!
A.

We have one of the wooden ones that hooks onto the wall and then latches with a swinging door that also extends. I love it. You can also easily slide it off of the brackets when you aren't using it so it's out of the way. That's great for when you are inbetween babies :o).

J.

I have a swing style gate purchased at Walmart. We've had it up for over 10 years with no problems. It is screw mounted so you have to make sure you have a place to attach it. I had to add a wood block on the top hinge due to wood moulding on the bottom of our wall, but it has held fine after all these years.

It easily opens with one hand and is still VERY sturdy! I babysit my niece from time to time and she shakes it and it doesn't budge or open.

Good Luck!