HI. We moved into a new house and the stairs are not against a wall where I could normally fasten a gate to. All we have to fasten it to is the banister on both sides. Just wondering if anyone has had this issue and what they did? I need to do something at the bottom and the top.
In a new house and with children that young, I would have gates built to match your banisters at the top and the bottom. I would also have them permanently installed. Ask hubby if he is handy or hire someone. If the house is a newly constructed home, the builders probably have some of the same materials left over to use.
Hope this helps.
We have the same situation in where there are only bannisters at the top of the stairs to attach a safety gate. We use an Evenflo mdel 1050. It's a wooden gate that swings on hinges and locks at the top and bottom. DD is almost 5 but we still use it at night in case she wakes up early so she can't wander downstairs unsupervised. The nice thing about these is that they can be lifted from their hinges if you need to remove them for something. If you have open bannisters in the hallway, don't forget the mesh netting that will prevent items from being dropped as well as hinder (not prevent) little heads from going through.
Look into the Retract-a-gate. I have mine at the bottom of the stairs. They can't climb it, they can't fall through it...it is by far the best gate I've ever had (and I've had quite a few over the past 6 years). I highly recommend them! One of the best things is that you can order extra hinges and the gate pops off the hinge and easily reattaches to them...so you can have one gate and move it all over the house.