Fix Noisy Baby Gate

It's hard but I think she's going to have to get use to it.
It might be a good idea to have a white noise in the background - like a radio making static or one of those sound machines where you hear rain while you sleep - it's very relaxing.
When a kid is tired - they'll sleep through explosions.
It's just not worth trying to provide absolute silence for baby to sleep - because then they HAVE to have it and a lot of the time it's just not possible.

Welcome to mamapedia, W..

Personally? I NEVER wanted my kids to be light sleepers so I didn't change ANYTHING while they were sleeping/napping.

Use WD-40 on it or take it down when she's sleeping.

Seriously though - you changing your habits and allowing her to be a light sleeper isn't going to help her in life. My brother and his wife did this to their kids - the house was SILENT when the kids were sleeping. No TV. NO phone. Notes on the door about DO NOT DISTURB - the kids get to college and can't sleep because they have too much noise. Hell - even airplanes woke them up.

Just let her deal with it. This is life. The world is not going to be silent for her.

Could you just leave it open (perhaps I'm not following). If she's not using it, why does it need to be closed while she's sleeping?

Ours weren't noisy, but we had those wooden ones. They were attached to wood that was attached to the wall or staircase. They just had a simple latch. They weren't near the bedrooms. I think though we just left them open if the kiddos weren't in the rooms.

That WD40 might work though ... that's what we use on our doors when they squeak. Other types of lubricant - I'm sure you could ask at Home Depot.

I agree with the others - if you can get her used to noise - that will help you long run. I'm thinking ahead. Some things are best to just to let go if you can and have her adapt. (speaking from experience).

As others have said - if you are awake and nearby, watching her on a monitor etc, just remove the gate! What is the gate protecting, if you are awake and monitoring her? The baby gate can just be up when you are all asleep.

But also - you should not pander to your baby being such a light sleeper, to the point of worrying about an occasional baby gate squeak. That will do yourself and your baby a disservice in the long run. Babies exist in noisy places too (like here in NYC)...learning to sleep through normal noises is important.

Can't you just leave it open since she's asleep? Or step over it instead of opening it?

you are doing your child a huge disservice by not making noise while she sleeps. Life happens. EVERY DAY. Let her get used to the noise and put herself back to sleep.

If you are adamant about no noise? take the gate down while she is sleeping. or find a better gate.

We all sleep with white noise (a fan). It is amazing how that can block out other noises around the house. That being said, it does make it a challenge to sleep without the fan. We bring a fan with us when we travel, and if we forget, we do have trouble sleeping.

Do you really need the baby gate? Can you just shut the door to her bedroom?

I would go the opposite way and get your child used to a particular sound at night to mask whatever else is going on in the house instead of silencing the gate. A white noise maker in her room - air purifier, fan, etc. Or even instrumental music. We got our kids listening to a particular instrumental CD at bedtime as they fall asleep, and it's been a Godsend. I have it on my phone, and when we travel - hotels, grandma's house, where ever, I can put my kids into any bed, turn on that music and they are out like a light.

ETA: Gidget: did you know you can get a free fan app for your phone, for just this reason? It will play a fan sound so you can sleep at night. The app is called "White Noise"

Gates shouldn't be noisy. If yours is a walk-though, perhaps it needs to be lubricated? If that doesn't work, it might be damaged and you'd need to replace the gate. (Of course, I'm assuming that you're talking about unusual noise like screeching hinges and not normal-use sounds like latch clicks.)

Is it low enough for you to step over? We have a 32" basic pressure mount gate that we use in the hall to keep the cat out of the bedrooms. I'm 5'2" and can step over it.

oil can.
khairete
S.

I do have to agree that you do not total silence while baby sleeps or every noise that happens will wake her later. I am assuming your gate is attached or mounted so you cannot just remove it. If the issue is the hinges, a little oil goes a long way. If it is the latches or metal, you can glue a thin piece of felt to one of the sides. It won't be so loud. I have done this with my kitchen cabinets since the kids tend to close the doors hard. A friend had a gate for her dogs and it was metal. She did this and no more hard banging or super slow gate closing.