We use a tension gate at the bottom of the stairs (in combination with a watchful eye!!) and put an installed gate at the top of the stairs. All of the tension gates have warnings not to use them at the top of the stairs, and really they are NOT reliable enough to put there. A strong toddler or a careless big brother or sister or a family pet can all knock the gate loose enough for the baby to push over and get onto the stairs. Be sure you put a gate at both the top and the bottom, too. May your little one always stay safe!
Being that it is for stairs, I would recommend an installed gate. Kids are sometimes stronger than we think and I know I would feel safer if it was bolted to the wall.
After some research on this about a year ago, my wife and I decided to go with an installed gate, which means that instead of the gate relying on its own pressure to stay put, you actually screw the gate brackets into the doorway. Our little ones can be quite tenacious and stronger than we think, so the more secure the better.
We chose a gate from Evenflo (which I reference below), that I believe we bought from Babies `R’ Us.
There may be a better choice out there as of right now, but the main thing I stress is to forget about the holes you will be putting in the wall or doorway, and think about what will protect your little one the best.
Good Luck!
We have installed gates on the top and bottom of our stairs. These are screwed in permanently but the gate itself snaps off and can be removed. After our children are older we will just fill in the holes. We bought them at Babies R Us, they were about $60 each, 4 years ago.
I would recommend having one that swings open but stays attached to the wall because you will probably have something in your hands, either baby or laundry.
We installed a wooden Evenflo at the top of our stairs. I believe I ordered it online at Target. We tried several others before settling w/ this one. Gates are difficult! This one was expensive, I think it was $89.00. But, it does match our staircase and we’ve gotten many months of use out of it…and it’s still in great shape.
We use a tension gate at the bottom of the stairs (in combination with a watchful eye!!) and put an installed gate at the top of the stairs. All of the tension gates have warnings not to use them at the top of the stairs, and really they are NOT reliable enough to put there. A strong toddler or a careless big brother or sister or a family pet can all knock the gate loose enough for the baby to push over and get onto the stairs. Be sure you put a gate at both the top and the bottom, too. May your little one always stay safe!
Being that it is for stairs, I would recommend an installed gate. Kids are sometimes stronger than we think and I know I would feel safer if it was bolted to the wall.
After some research on this about a year ago, my wife and I decided to go with an installed gate, which means that instead of the gate relying on its own pressure to stay put, you actually screw the gate brackets into the doorway. Our little ones can be quite tenacious and stronger than we think, so the more secure the better.
We chose a gate from Evenflo (which I reference below), that I believe we bought from Babies `R’ Us.
There may be a better choice out there as of right now, but the main thing I stress is to forget about the holes you will be putting in the wall or doorway, and think about what will protect your little one the best.
Good Luck!
We have installed gates on the top and bottom of our stairs. These are screwed in permanently but the gate itself snaps off and can be removed. After our children are older we will just fill in the holes. We bought them at Babies R Us, they were about $60 each, 4 years ago.
I would recommend having one that swings open but stays attached to the wall because you will probably have something in your hands, either baby or laundry.
We installed a wooden Evenflo at the top of our stairs. I believe I ordered it online at Target. We tried several others before settling w/ this one. Gates are difficult! This one was expensive, I think it was $89.00. But, it does match our staircase and we’ve gotten many months of use out of it…and it’s still in great shape.