Safety gate

The world can be an unsafe place when you have a young child roaming around.  Items which posed no threat to you, an adult, suddenly seem like death in inanimate form when you have a child.  Corners suddenly have the potential to take out an eye.  Preparing dinner suddenly seems like hot, molten oils flying about, ready to fry anything that comes in its path.  A nice decoration has the ability to fall on top of and injure a toddler.  Nothing seems to be safe as it was before you had a child in your midst.

At least, that’s what it feels like, which can cause nothing but worry to a parent.  Which is why safety gates are so important to those with young children.  It keeps them away from all the dangers that comes with everyday life.  Then you can focus on chasing them around the room rather than trying to keep them from causing some form of injury to themselves from a once innocent object. 

There are different types of child safety gates on the market – long ones, doorway ones, tall ones, mounted ones, and so on.  They can be made from various types of material, but generally you should see some in the form of wood or plastic.  Generally, there are two types of gates people look for when looking for safety gates – hardware mounted gates and pressure mounted gates.

Pressure mounted gates are usually made of plastic, but some are made out of wood, or a combination of the two.  This works with a piece in the middle of the gate that when the gate is fitted and the peice pushed down, it pushes both sides of the gate, creating pressure to stay in place.  There are also pressure gates that can screw into place to create the appropriate pressure.  Now, these gates are a tad on the cheap side and can be knocked down given the right amount of force put against it, but they can be used in a pickle and for less important areas you are trying to keep your child from getting into.  You should never put a pressure mounted gate on the top of a stairwell, since the possibility of knocking it over and falling from a height is pretty big.

There are also hardware mounted gates, that are often more expensive and a pain to install, but sturdier and worth the price. Hardware mounted gates need to be screwed in to install. These are the types you would see atop the staircase. There are also gates that have little doors that can open up for a parent to knows how to release the latch, and you should make sure that when installing the gate at the top of a stairwell that the door not swing over the stairs. If improperly fastens, or the child manage to get it open, then the child could fall down the stairs.

When installing gates like these, be sure to measure twice, buy once. If you have to take it back because it did not fit properly, it will cost you more money to drive to the store, and possibly leave you without protection for your child.

If gates are not the only thing on your mind, you can also look into buying playpens. A cousin of the safety gate, these playpens can be wrapped around a certain area, keep your child in a particular spot in the house, perhaps in the room you are working in, while keeping him away from anything he can hurt himself on or possibly destroy. This is a nice solution for most parents, as it’s advised to monitor your child during play.

Be sure to invest in a child safety gate that is going to last you. Children can learn to climb over gates. Look for the certification seal to ensure that the gate you are buying is approved by today’s safety standards. And above all, enjoy a little time without the stress of your child wandering into some unforeseen home danger once you’ve purchased your child gate!