Child Proof Tips

You’ve decided to buy a pet gate for the house. That pet you just bought needs to be kept out of certain areas. They seem to get into everything and a gate should do just nicely. You’re mostly concerned about keeping them off the stairs but just not sure about what you need. It’s it good thing you took a step back and asked the question.

Purchasing a pet gate for most areas of the house takes some thought about a lot of different aspects each particular gate has to offer. With over a dozen styles of gates it isn’t necessarily as clear cut as you would like it to be.

If you just want to block off a room from a pet there are at least 5 particular styles that can accomplish what you need to do. Extension gates, pressure mounted gates, free standing, walk-thru and extra wide gates will all serve a particular need that you may have.

But, what about that staircase? What’s so special about that area that I need to consider it differently than the other locations in the house? The #1 consideration is the safety of you and your pet.

Staircases pose a special set of circumstances for the following reasons.

1)      A gate designed for a staircase needs a very firm mounting area. Because of the usage it will get it should be mounted with screws into a door frame or a stud. A pressure mounted gate for example could easily be nudged out of position since there is no mounted hardware. Around a staircase this won’t work.

2)      Having any type of “obstruction” including a gate around the stairs could increase the risk of a fall or trip hazard. Gates in any area, since they are low to the ground need to be watched. How about at night. You need to be able to keep it out of the way so you don’t fall over it. Here’s where you need to consider another feature besides it being a stairway gate. A tall stair gate might be the way to go. No matter what the case here though, proper lighting and the utmost safety concerns for keeping a gate out of harms ways at night should be your first priority.

3)      You don’t want to use 2 hands to open a gate. You should always be able to grab the handrail. Make sure the gate you buy offer a one hand operation for the locking mechanism.

4)      Very few staircase Posts (Newell Post) are flat offering a good mounting surface for hardware. The system you purchase should be able to accommodate the type of post on your handrail. There are several so select the proper one for you.

5)      Most Posts are set back and not straight across from a doorway so they need to be mounted at an angle which requires the proper mounting hardware. This situation would require a “angle mount hardware kit”. They are readily available so make sure you get a gate that would have one as part of the system or that you can buy.

6)      Gates for stairways need to have a method to firmly “lock” them in place. You don’t want the gate to loosely sit there. Again it could be a trip hazard without the proper locking mount.

7)      They should have a childproof latch. This criteria speaks for itself when children are or can be present.

8)      The gate hinge should have the ability to swing in, out or both ways so you can set it up to work properly at your stairs. This is accomplished with a “swing control hinge”. You need these options to make sure that you can match the gate operation to the location of stairs in your house.

9)      Gates cannot swing out over the stairs. This could cause someone to fall down the flight of stairs. If it did this can cause you to fall. As you open the gate and it swung forward you wouldn’t be able to control yourself from falling. It should only swing open over the landing.

10)  When not being used, the gate should easily be removed for storage.

Because they are designed for these areas they are much safer to use in any type of situation where stairs are involved. They take all these items and more into consideration so that no one’s safety is compromised. So if you need a gate for a stairway, get one specifically made for that purpose. You’ll be glad you did.

 

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