Infant Stairway Gates

Posted on December 16, 2009, 12:04 am, by , under child safety gate.

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Stair gates are designed to assist parents and prevent access to the potentially dangerous areas of the home, particularly the stairs. In my opinion, infant stairway gates are at the top of the list for ensuring your child’s safety. As an absolute minimum, parents should install a stair gate at the top and bottom of each flight of stairs.

As young children start to learn to crawl, they are top heavy; the centre of balance is in the top half of their body which means a child particularly prone to falling backwards as they attempt to stand up straight. At floor level, if a child is left unsupervised to climb unprotected stairs the idea of them falling backwards does not bear thinking about.

The second point to consider is that the kitchen is the single most dangerous room in the house for a young infant. Until your child is old enough to be taught and understand the important rules needed to stay safe in the kitchen, use baby gates to prevent access to the kitchen.

The simple reformation to install infant stair gates is that it is best to have everything installed before you need it, than frantically rush around trying to find the right safety products when your child is on the move. A typical age for infant stairway gates is approximately six months. The amount of time you will need stair gates again depends on your child. As your child becomes fully confident in their walking ability which depends on individual child, it is time to remove the gates.

Pressure fitted stair gates are the most popular type of stair gate. With a pressure fitted gate there is no need to drill holes into your walls or banister posts. Many pressure fit gates have an auto-close/auto-shut function which negates the possibility of a gate being left open due to forgetfulness. Other pressure fitted gates come with an indicator built into the gate which visually displays when a gate is installed correctly and alerts you to a gate being nudged out of alignment.

The advantage of a screw fitted gate is that it will be installed without a trip bar. The gate will sit on screw fittings and open much like a barn door without the need for the horizontal bar to stay in place. Regardless of a screw fitted gate being knocked against or leaned on, once the fittings have been screwed into the wall, the gate should not move a millimeter and not need readjusting. Many screw fitted gates now come with quick release fittings. This enables to remove the gate when not in use, leaving only the small wall fittings in place. It is truly an investment for safety. So parents should start installing the infant stairway gates earlier than when it’s needed.

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