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Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate review
Looking for a stair gate that can be used at the top and bottom of the stairs? We put the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Stair Gate to the test with parent and Mumsnet editor, Laura. Here’s her verdict.
By Laura Westerman | Last updated Mar 6, 2024
Price: RRP £45
Can be installed at the top and bottom of the stairs
One-handed opening
Visual colour indicator shows correct locking
Opens in either direction
Extra lock at the base
You can vacuum over the flat step
Extenders need to be bought separately
The opening mechanism can take a bit of getting used to
Dirt can get stuck underneath the flat step
Easy to line stair gate up incorrectly during installation
Type: Pressure-fit | Width: 73 to 80cm, with additional extensions available to fit up to 101cm
Installation: 4/5
Safety: 5/5
Ease of use: 4.5/5
Ease of cleaning: 4/5
Value for money: 4.5/5
If you’re in need of a stair gates for the top and bottom of your stairs, the Safety 1st Flat Step stair gate is the ideal choice.
Unlike other pressure-fit stair gates, the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step has been designed with a flat bar across the base to prevent tripping, so it can be used safely at the top of your stairs.
The benefit of a pressure-fit stair gate is that you don’t have to drill into your walls as the frame holds itself in place through pressure, however it’s easy to misalign this stair gate during installation.
That said, once installed and once you understand how the locking mechanism works, the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step stair gate is one of the easiest to use and it’s been a game-changer in my household.
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How we tested the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate
I’ve used this stair gate since my now 22-month-old was 11 months old, and installed it as soon as she started crawling.
As I live in a three-storey semi-detached house, I use three of the Safety 1st Flat Step stair gates - one in between my kitchen and living room, and one at the top of both sets of stairs.
For the purpose of this review and to illustrate how this stair gate performs day to day, I scored it on five different criteria: installation, safety, ease of use, ease of cleaning and value for money.
Is the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate easy to install?
Generally speaking, yes. However, due to the width of my doors, I first had to buy a 7cm extender for two of the three stair gates to ensure the correct fit as these aren’t included in the box. There are also 14cm extenders available should you have a wider doorway.
The box contains 26 different parts, including the stair gate itself, which initially was quite overwhelming, however the instruction manual is simple to follow. Installation took around 30 minutes in total for the first stair gate, but became quicker for each subsequent gate.
To install, you remove the safety tag from the stair gate bars, stick a sticky pad onto one of the pressure-fit mechanisms to start with, put the bolt and screw in place at the base of the gate, then position the stair gate against the doorframe or bannister so that the pad secures itself. You then do the same for the other side, followed by the top. For the top mechanisms, there are two screw caps provided instead of bolts.
Once all four pads are stuck onto the wall, you click the stair gate into place then tighten the bottom bolts with the provided screwdriver. You then twist the screw caps to securely tighten the top mechanisms.
While straightforward enough, you need to make sure you line the stair gate up correctly so that the flat step lays flat against the floor. It’s easy to misjudge it, so I fell foul of this when installing the first stair gate.
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How safe is the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate and is it easy to use?
After almost a year of use, I’ve found the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step stair gate to be extremely sturdy. As such, I’ve never once had to adjust it.
In the early days of crawling and lifting herself up to stand, my toddler would regularly use the stair gate as a pull-up bar, and it never wobbled or moved out of place.
The lock is simple to use once you get the hang of it, and I can easily open and close it one-handed, even when holding my wriggly toddler or a heavy laundry basket. It operates using a sliding mechanism - you pull the lock back and then up to open and push down to close.
Reassuringly, there is a green and red colour indicator that confirms whether the stair gate is unlocked or locked: green means unlocked and red means locked. You’ll also find two locks at the base of the stair gate, which also operate independently if you want the gate to open one way but not the other.
The main thing that attracted me to this stair gate to begin with is the flat step at the base, which has allowed me to install two of the three stair gates at the top of each flight of stairs in my home. This usually isn’t possible with either pressure-fit or screw-fit stair gates as the step poses a trip hazard. This is one of the only stair gates on the market that allows this.
How easy is it to clean the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate?
The Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate is easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth and you can easily vacuum over the flat step.
The only downside to the flat step is that crumbs and dirt can get stuck underneath. This has especially been the case for the stair gate installed in the doorway between my kitchen and living room.
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Does the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate offer value for money?
With an RRP of £45, the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate is averagely priced compared to other stair gates on the market, however you can usually find it online for closer to the £40 mark.
The only real downside is that you have to buy extenders separately, should you need them like I did, and these usually cost between £10 and £15 each.
Despite this, the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step stair gate has been a reassuringly safe buy and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to other parents.
About the author
Laura Westerman is an editor, writer and Deputy Head of Editorial Content at Mumsnet. Mum to a one-year-old, she’s always keen to make playtime safe and fun for her daughter, so is fully invested in discovering the best and most affordable baby products on the market, and sharing her knowledge and findings with other parents.
With over seven years' experience as a full-time editor, five of which have been spent writing, commissioning and editing product reviews and round-ups, Laura has a keen eye for what parents love and likes nothing more than putting together honest reviews to make parents' lives that little bit easier.
In addition to her work as a writer and editor, she has also appeared in a number of baby product videos for Mumsnet's YouTube channel.