Reminders for Choosing the Best Child Safety Gates

Proper knowledge of child safety gates can help save one’s time in looking for a good one from the big pool to choose from. There are general guidelines that can be followed in choosing what’s just right.

First consider the age and physical attributes of the child. Take note of his/her height and head size. The JPMA has claimed that a child safety gate can be used for young children of ages 6 months to 2 years and that it should be higher than of the child’s height. Some studies have reported that some children for whom old models were used have been strangled when their bodies slipped through the openings. Above anything else, looking for the JPMA seal on the childproofing product is the easiest way to determine whether the quality of the child safety gate passes the standards. Other institutions whose website may be consulted are the ASTM International and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The next thing to ask is where the child safety gate is going to be installed. Potentially dangerous areas such as the top of stairs and fireplaces call for the use of “hardware mounted” child safety gates because they are permanent and stronger. “Pressure mounted” child safety gates are used in less unsafe places such as the bottom of stairs and doorways. They can be easily removed unlike the ones of the “hardware mounted” type. The dimensions and the shape of the gates are determined by the wideness and irregularities of the spaces. A child safety gate is made of wood, metal, or plastic. The appropriate one depends on the room ventilation and temperature conditions. You know what can happen if a plastic or wood gate is installed near the fireplace.

There’s no way to forget about aesthetic quality and reasonable pricing. After having bought one, there are three things to do: get to know more about the child safety gate with the manual and experience, put it to good use, and constantly check its appropriateness and utility.

It is important to mention that orientation should be given to the members of the household or the day care as to the use of a child safety gate. Some pressure mounted safety gates are precarious for a heavy load to rest on. A child who sees adults climbing over them and opening them easily learns by example. However, with or without examples to imitate, one cannot underestimate the keenness of a child to break free from safety and try adventure once in a while. In the end, it’s still maximum adult supervision which saves the day.

A well-made child safety gate should give the child a sense of security-not too tight or too loose.

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6 Questions To Answer When Shopping For Baby Gates

Will I be drilling holes in my house? The answer to that would be yes, if you were going to buy a hardware-mounted baby gate; and no, for a pressure-mounted type. There are two basic kinds of baby gates based on how they are installed. The hardware-mounted type requires you to drill holes into a door frame, walls, etc., where the baby gate is to be mounted. On the other hand, the pressure-mounted type will leave marred surfaces caused by the pressure exerted against the surface where it is mounted.

Do I plan on moving the baby gate around? If the answer to that is yes, it is not advisable to get a hardware-mounted baby gate as this would mean multiple holes all over your house. IF you do plan on moving the baby gate around, then a pressure-mounted baby gate is the more sensible choice.

Baby gates are commonly installed at the top of the stairs. For this location, the hardware-mounted type is recommended because the attachment is more secure. That’s not to say that pressure-mounted gates can’t withstand much weight. There are pressure-mounted gates that can withstand up to 220 lbs, which is much more than what your baby weighs. But just to have peace of mind, put a hardware-mounted gate at the top of the stairs. If the stair gate is a swing kind, the gate should swing away from the stairs.

This question should also invoke the thought of how you will be able to pass through the baby gate. It really would depend on where you mount the baby gate. For instance, a sliding gate or a swing gate that locks on the top bar would mean that you would have to use your hands to unlock the gate. But imagine you are doing your laundry and you have to pass by the baby gate. There are also those that open through a foot pedal. What material do I want? Baby gates come in different materials. Some may be made of wood, others metal, and still others, plastic. The material you choose also has a correlation with the safety level you wish to achieve. Like for the top of the stairs, a baby gate made of wood might be more durable than one made of plastic.

Baby gates are of different designs. There most common are vertical bars, mesh, and accordion. The accordion is the least safe. The older models of accordion gates have led to strangulation’s and other injuries. And to ensure your child’s safety, the design you choose must not have a foothold from which he or she could climb. Safety, though, doesn’t stop with design. Make sure that there are no nearby objects that the child can push towards the gate which he or she can use to step on in an attempt to climb over.

If it’s your first time to buy baby gates, it is recommended that you go to the store and see the gates for yourself. You’ll want to see if the gate you’re buying meets all your expectations and requirements. But if you’ve seen the design from a friend’s house, for example, and you don’t have time to go to the store, you can buy online. However you go about it, just keep mind that safety comes before convenience.

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