Here are the best baby gates of 2017, NOT for top or bottom of stairs!
Here are the best baby gates of 2017, NOT for top or bottom of stairs!
1. North States Supergate Easy Close Metal Gate (in Bronze or White). Usually
about $50. The North States Supergate is one of the best reviewed baby
gates on the market, and is fairly priced. It is a tension gate, meaning
that there is no assembly required, it basically squeezes itself into
your doorway. They provide wall cups that hold the tension arms in place
to prevent slipping forward/back when baby pushes or pulls on the gate.
The wall cups do screw into the wall, or you can use the double-sided
mounting tape like we did. The tape comes in the box. It has a 2" tall
threshold on the bottom, so it is NOT recommended for use at the top of
stairs. We found that the gate is very sturdy and uses a clever locking
mechanism that has two settings - one that requires only lifting the
gate to open it, and another that involves twisting the lock for extra
security. In both cases, we found that it only takes a couple minutes of
practice to perfect one-hand opening. The gate also swings both
directions for convenience, and swings closed very easily (but not
automatically). You can lock it into the open position as well, as
needed. The gate includes extensions that come with it, and in our
testing we found that it can fit doorways from about 31" to 38" wide. It
measures 29" high when installed, making it easy for taller adults to
step over it rather than opening it (we do this a lot!). It is also
available in white or bronze.
2. Summer Infant Multi-Use Deco Extra Tall Walk-Thru Gate.Usually
about $65. The Summer Infant baby gate is basically tied with the #1
North States gate, so deciding whether to make it #1 or #2 was
difficult. The gates differ in two primary ways. First, the Summer
Infant gate is 34" tall (36" tall at the peak) while the North States
gate is only 29" tall. It is difficult to know whether this is a pro or
con. On the plus side, parents don't need to reach down so far to open
the gate, and they don't need to worry about climbing as much. On the
negative side, in our testing we realized that a lot of men and taller
women like to simply step over the gate sometimes, especially when their
hands are full or they're in a hurry. You will be hard pressed to step
over the Summer Infant gate, so that's a definite down-side of its
tallness. Second, the Summer Infant gate swings shut and locks
automatically, which is super helpful - no more turning around and
pushing it shut. However, this also means that it uses a stop bracket
(which is reversible to change swing direction), which sometimes snags
your pants leg as you pass through. Couple that with the narrow opening
(about 17" wide opening), and it can be a pain sometimes. The North
States gate swings both ways for convenience, but doesn't auto-close
like this one. Also, the Summer Infant gate is tension-mounted (even
with the hardware kit, it's still tension-mounted) and very sensitive to
the amount of tension you set during installation; if you over-tension,
it will squeeze the opening too narrow and the gate won't shut; this
isn't specific to this gate, however, so if you find your gate isn't
closing properly always check tension first. So there are some pros and
cons for each, and you'll need to make an informed decision for your
particular situation. Overall, however, you're getting one of the best
gates currenty on the baby market, regardless of whether you choose the
Summer Infant or North States Supergate. Note that the Summer Infant
gate markets itself (on Amazon
and on its own website) as good for use in doorways or at the top of
bottom of stairs. They do this by allowing you to choose whether you're
using a tension-fit (doorways) or mounted (stairs) option, while making
sure you change gate swing direction so it doesn't open over the stairs.
In our opinion, however, because the gate has a bar across the bottom
that may pose a tripping hazard, we do not recommend installing it at the top of stairs.
In fact, a parent emailed us and let us know that the instruction
manual for the Deco actually says "to prevent falls, never use at top of
stairs." In our testing, the widest doorway we could fit the gate into
was 48" using the included extensions. now about more
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