The Best Safety Gates

Once a baby starts to move about on his or her own, it's time to child-proof the home---removing or safely securing anything that could pose a danger to an infant or young child. Safety gates are essential to this effort.

Background

The best safety gates provide consistent and secure barriers for babies and toddlers while permitting adults to operate them with ease. Gates are made of smooth wood, metal or hard plastic. While there are many styles and brands available, there are just two basic designs, and recommendations on which to purchase depend upon their intended use.

Hardware-Mounted (Permanent)

These gates are the most secure, attaching with hardware to a door frame, a wood banister post, or the wood studs behind a drywall or plaster surface. They feature a dual-action latch for easy, one-handed operation. Once installed, their frames remain permanently in place until removed with the proper tools.

Safety experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Consumer Reports, state that only these gates should be used at the top of any staircase---and any other location where there's a risk of falling---as they are securely mounted; additionally, they open in one direction only, adding to their safety for staircase use. These gates are perfectly suitable for hallways and doorways, too, and can extend for extra-wide openings.

Pressure-Mounted

These gates use pressure, not hardware, to hold them in place. There are two basic types: a portable pressure gate and a pressure-mounted swing gate. A portable pressure gate, in which the user pushes a pressure bar down to "lock" the gate into place, requires two-handed operation. A pressure-mounted swing gate, in which the frame pressure mounts to a door frame or wall while the gate door can swing open and close, utilizes dual-action latches for single-handed use, or foot pedals for hands-free use.

Portable pressure-mounted gates are ideal for low-trafficked areas or homes that don't usually require gates. Convenient and inexpensive, they do have drawbacks: most only extend to 42 inches wide, so they can't be used to block off areas with wider openings. Additionally, adults must either climb over them or remove and remount them each time they need to get to the other side. Pressure-mounted swing gates are easier to traverse and many brands offer extra-wide extensions---up to 62 inches---permitting their use in wider doorways and entrances.

Guidelines for Purchasing

Consumer Reports advises that gates should be jointly certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association and the American Society for Testing and Materials. Only models that carry this certification are guaranteed to comply with voluntary safety standards; all of the best gates, regardless of their manufacturer, have this certification.

Warning

In addition to warning that only hardware-mounted gates be used at the top of staircases, Consumer Reports and the AAP recommend that safety gates---whether hardware- or pressure-mounted---not be used for children over the age of 24 months because of the risks of older children attempting to climb over them, or learning how to open them.

References

• Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5; The American Academy of Pediatrics; 2004
• Consumer Reports: Safety Gates
• Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association: Certified Gate Manufacturers