Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate review UK 2024

RRP: £35 | Buy now from Argos

Overall rating: 4/5

What we like

Affordable price
Can be expanded to fit wider doorways
No bar to pose a trip hazard
Opens both ways
Easy one-handed closing
Double locking system
Shows up dirt and grime less than white stair gates

What we don’t like

Installation can be a little bit tricky
Opening mechanism can take a bit of getting used to
Screw-fit only

Key specs

Type: Screw-fit | Width: 63.5cm to 106cm

Buy now from Argos

Our verdict

Installation: 3/5

Safety: 5/5

Ease of use: 4.5/5

Ease of cleaning: 5/5

Value for money: 4/5

A good stair gate doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, neither does it have to look a clinical white, showing up every single little fingerprint and smear. The Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate is an affordable stair gate that is easy to use and has a double locking system to offer parental peace of mind. The gate can be expanded to fit wider doorways, without the need to fork out for pricey expansion packs. The only downside is we found this particular baby gate difficult to install, but once in situ, it does the job well.

How we tested the Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate

This particular gate has been in our house for a few years now and has seen both our children (now aged four and six) through toddlerhood. The gate is still in situ at the top of our stairs (more on that later) but remains as sturdy now as it was five years ago. Even when being vigorously attacked by a four-year-old in the name of research.

Is the Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate easy to install?

We found the stair gate tricky to install, in comparison to our pressure-fit gate that previously sat at the bottom of the stairs. Originally the holes were drilled into the wrong place, so we have a couple of extra sets of ugly holes in the wall and banister, which explains why the gate remains in situ. Once installed, it felt sturdy and even after several years of use, it hasn’t loosened or shifted.

It is an extendable gate, so it would work well in wider doorways up to 106cm, without needing to fork out for any costly extensions.

How safe is the Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate and is it easy to use?

The Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate is a good choice for the top of the stairs as there is no bar along the bottom to act as a trip hazard. It can be opened one-handed, but it did feel a little stiff at first and took a bit of getting used to. The gate opens both ways, which makes life considerably easier.

The gate makes an audible clicking noise, offering reassurance that it has closed properly. However the click is quite loud, so this is something to bear in mind if you are creeping around trying not to wake a baby or toddler. The gate doesn’t swing closed on its own, so you have to manually ensure that it has closed and has been secured by the double locking mechanism.

The Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate served us well through two children, without incident. To check the gate was still up to the job, my four-year-old agreed to help me test its strength. She proceeded to grab the bars of the stair gate with both hands and gave them a sustained, violent shaking, like an angry caged gorilla. I would not recommend trying this with your own stair gate, but it was pleasing to note that the screw-fit Cuggl held firm in the face of this abuse.

How easy is it to clean the Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate?

The Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate is easy to clean. The absence of a bar across the bottom of the gate means that it’s easy to run the vacuum cleaner around. There aren’t any fiddly nooks or crannies for crumbs or baby food to get stuck in. Any spills can be wiped off the gate with a damp cloth. Because of the colour of the Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate, dirt and mucky fingerprints don’t show up as much as they do on white-coloured stair gates like the Munchkin Lindam Sure Shut Axis Safety Gate and BabyDan Guard Me Auto Retractable Safety Guard. However, it is worth noting that Mumsnet’s tester Katja found both of these gates easy to clean.

Does the Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate offer value for money?

Yes, I feel that the Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate does offer good value for money. Retailing at £35 from Argos at the time of writing (March 25th, 2024), it is less than half the price of Mumsnet’s best overall stair gate, the BabyDan Guard Me Extra Wide Auto Retractable Stair Gate (£80 on Amazon at the time of writing). If you want to save a few pennies, you may be interested in checking out the Cuggl Wall Fix Safety Gate for £20 at Argos. There is no trip bar, so it can be safely used at the top of stairs, but it can only fit openings from 76 to 81cm, so for a little bit extra, the Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate would be a better buy if you have particularly wide doorways.

About the author

Laura Cooke is a Content Editor at Mumsnet, with a special focus on toddler play, child play and outdoor play. She is a mum of two and lives in Sussex.

Laura is a freelance journalist and has written for a range of publications including The Daily Mirror, the i, Metro, Stylist and Happiful.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.