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.
3. DreamBaby Chelsea Extra Tall and Wide Auto-Close Gate. Usually about $90. The DreamBaby gate is very similar to the Summer Infant option above. It is a tension baby gate with a 2" threshold along the bottom edge, very sturdy construction, a child-proof locking mechanism, one-handed opening, swings both directions, and automatically swings shut. The opening is about 18" wide, which is a little better than the above options. This gate, if bought from Amazon, includes extensions for people with doorways larger than the typical 31", which is why it's the "extra tall and wide" version. In our tests, we could get it to fit a doorway as small as 38" wide, and as wide as about 70" (which is more like an opening between rooms than a doorway!). If your doorway is smaller (normal, like 28-32" wide), you can get the same gate but not as wide for about $50 at Amazon. Disadvantages? It doesn't have a hold-open feature to keep it open at 90-degrees, unlike the North States option. Also, in one of our test units, the locking mechanism failed after a few months of use. The other one is still going strong without issues, so not sure what happened in the quality assurance department. As with any gate, be careful of small parts (screws, nuts) that can fall off if not tightened properly, so be sure to occassionally check the gate for loose parts.
4. Munchkin Easy Close Metal Gate. Usually about $50. The Munchkin Easy Close baby gate is well-reviewed, but not quite as well as the North States or DreamBaby models. It is also a tension gate with a 2" threshold along the bottom edge. The locking mechanism is well-reviewed as highly child-proof. The gate does not have an auto-close feature, and some parents report that it can be annoyingly difficult to push closed sometimes, particularly when you only have one hand available. Even if you swing is closed forcefully, it requires you to open the latch mechanism to get it to latch shut. We also found that this particular tension-fit gate requires quite a bit of outward pressure for mounting, so it is very restricted to solid doorway frames on the sides. Fits doorways as narrow as 29.5" wide, and up to 35" wide when using the one included extension. If you're trying to fit a wider opening, you'll need to purchase some more extensions, which you can find here.
5. Regalo Easy Step Walk-thru Gate. Usually about $35. The Regalo Easy Step baby gate is a great option, and one of the best-selling baby gates on the market. Because it is not for use near stairs, it uses a pressure-mounting system that pushes out against two walls. It fits openings from about 29-39" wide, and in our testing we needed to add an extension to get it to fit one of our larger openings of about 42". Or you can just purchase the wider version that includes extensions for up to 50" applications. The gate uses a unique lever-locking mechanism, which we found logical to use, but some of our reviewers said they needed to use two hands to open it (to pull back and lift up simultaneously), which was a pain. Personally, my husband and I could do it with one hand after getting the hang of it. We also found the opening pretty narrow, especially for wider thighs and hips, or if you're carrying something. Note that the gate only swings one way, it cannot be reversed. Also, when you close it, you need to latch it yourself using the same (difficult for some) locking mechanism. Overall, we thought the build quality was quite good, and when mounted correctly it felt very secure and not possible for little fingers to figure out (with older kids about 5+ able to figure out with both hands). Note that while this gate suggests it can be used at the top of stairs, we do not suggest this type of application: it has a step-over rail at the bottom of the gate, which is a tripping hazard for that type of application.
More info
now about more
Comments
Post a Comment