Best Gates for Stairs

One Step Ahead has gates that fit almost any staircase, with adjustments so that they can attach to rails.

Summer Infant makes a gate that extends up to 6 feet (and it's extra tall).

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2574105

And, Kidco makes different types of installation kits for the different kinds of stairs.
http://www.kidco.com/main.taf?erube_fh=kidco&kidco.su...

We bought a gate from One Step Ahead that rolled up like a window shade. The way our stairs were built, there was no way that a swinging gate would work. We loved this one because as much as he pushed against it, it would NOT budge and there was no way he could climb it.

Hi C.,
We have staircases in all our family's homes. We taught the tiny ones how to properly climb up and down the stairs quite young. Going up was in the crawling position. Going down was taught by the sit and scoot down one step while holding the barristers and we worked on that with them daily until they were experts at it. We closed all room doors upstairs such that they could not hurt themselves by going where they could not be seen. The first couple of days once the skill was accomplished, they wanted to climb up and down. Once they found no entertainment at the top, they stopped climbing the stairs unless we were upstairs with them and they could explore the other rooms. Worked beautifully in our family.
If you are not ready for that, there are baby gates that are quite wide that can be purchased at Walmart. You can use bungee cords to secure them if you don't want a permanent mount.
Good luck, Bev S.

We had the same problem but came up with a suitable solution. There is a babygate at BabiesRUs that is metal (vs. most that are plastic)and designed to be permanently installed (vs. moved as needed). We were able to use a board (painted to match the decor) and secure it to the rails then secured the gate to it. We had two gates up for 3 years (top and bottom) and they were as secure when we took them down as when the handyman put them up. Good luck!

We've tried a lot (returned a bunch) and the best one is the Dreambaby Hallway gate - extra tall. It fits well at the bottom of our stairs (which is a wider area) with no hardware required. The height is great when you are coming down the stairs and don't want to lean down a ton to open it.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Produc...

The weblink is what we use for our staircase. It blends in with the stairs. We have one at the top and one at the bottom. The bottom of our stairs does not have walls on either side as well. We had to purchase a 2" thick piece of wood, paint it like the banister and install it on both sides of the stair case. It fits between the base of the stairs and the hand rail. With it painted, you wouldn't recognize what we did. Then we attached this furniture gate to it. The gate is easy to remove when we are done with the gate, the wood pieces that we inserted will not blemish the staircase.
Hope that helps.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

C.,

There are lots of options, as you can tell by the responses you have received. Please keep in mind that KidCo gates are the only gates that meet both the US and Europeon safety standards. They offer options in color and size that can be attached to rails. My suggestion would be to call InfantHouse.com at 866-infant5 and discuss with them what you want and they will tell you your options. They are a professional babyproofing company located in the DFW area and are wonderful to work with. Their website is www.infanthouse.com. Good luck and enjoy your little one!

We have a KIDCO gate on our wide stairs that has rails on both sides. So we had to use the installation aids. However you can buy the aids and use them on other gates...we bought ours from One Step Ahead b/c they have so many coupons such as 15% off our free shipping. Here are the installation aids http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId... - if you need more help just send me a message!

Check out the gates at www.rightstart.com (The Right Start has a store down by the Stonebriar Mall). They offer a wide variety. I suggest you get the kind that has a swinging doorway . . . it makes it easier for you. I also suggest an online subscription to ConsumerReports.org, because then you can check out their ratings. I have a 13-month old, so I know how you feel! We have gatees at the bottom and top of our stairs. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend either one! The one at the bottom of the stairs is a pressure gate, and the one at the top required mounting with screws.