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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think this stairgate manufacturer is taking the piss?!

47 replies

thepobblewhohasnotoes · 09/11/2013 22:31

Today we bought this stairgate from Mothercare.

I - naively it now appears - assumed that because it's called the "BabyDan Super Flexi Fit Metal Extending Safety Gate", because the guy in the shop said it would fit and because the effing picture on the box shows the kind of stairs that we have (OK, less posh, but same principle!) that we would have stairgates on tonight.

But no. This stairgate is not designed for the kind of stairs shown in the picture - with a wall with skirting. It's designed for a flat wall with no skirting. If you look closely at the picture you'll see a grey post-type thing against the wall, that the stairgate is attached to. This is a custom made thing. It does not come with the product, and if we want to use it, we'll have to bodge make something similar or it won't work.

Grrr.

Why use that picture FFS? It's meant for a flat wall. Why sucker people like me into buying it? I've just got to take them back tomorrow, and I won't trust them again.

Anyone got any recommendations for stairgate which would actually fit the stairs / wall in that picture, I'd be ever so grateful!

TIA :)

OP posts:
pianodoodle · 09/11/2013 22:39

I see what you mean - the picture's a bit misleading then isn't it?!

Mothercare sucks anyway. What a bollocks!

We had stairs like that the only ones that worked were the pressure fit type. Even then it was a bit tricky trying to line it up with the bannister and the skirting board etc...

Glad we live in a bungalow now Grin

Original poster
thepobblewhohasnotoes · 09/11/2013 22:39

We bought three of the fuckers! Angry

OP posts:
ohshitimlate · 09/11/2013 22:40

We have a bodgeit post dad added to the stairs for exactly this reason.

Original poster
thepobblewhohasnotoes · 09/11/2013 22:42

I'm just not sure about pressure fit on stairs as we have a nearly-5 year old too, and he's bound to climb over them. The pressure-fit ones we had when he was little were rubbish, it was easy to knock them over. Were they just crap ones? Would decent pressure-fit ones be able to withstand a 5 year-old clambering over them?

OP posts:
Original poster
thepobblewhohasnotoes · 09/11/2013 22:43

Hee hee, I thought "bodgeit post dad" was some kind of product name for a second! I was trying to work out what it was! Grin

OP posts:
2tired2bewitty · 09/11/2013 22:44

We have skirting up our stairs, although we don't use the stairgate anymore i'm pretty sure it was a lindan one, probably from argos.

VikingLady · 09/11/2013 22:44

this one

I have this one. It's also at Wilkinsons and on Amazon. You can set the top and bottom to different lengths, but are your stairs as wide as the pic? If so then you need the Lindam extender too!

2tired2bewitty · 09/11/2013 22:45

Though i never had the opportunity to test it against an enthusiastic 5 year old!

FryOneFatManic · 09/11/2013 22:46

We gave up with a stairgate on DS's bedroom door when we realised that, aged 3, he had discovered he could use his toy garage in his room to stand on and climb over the gate. Took the garage out to then discover he was able to grip the bars between his toes like a monkey and climb over that way Hmm

OP, can't recall which gate we used, it's long gone, but yes it does look misleading and I hope you get it exchanged for a better one.

ChippingInLovesAutumn · 09/11/2013 22:47

No - don't use pressure fit ones. None of them are 'good enough' to withstand a 5 year old clambering over them.

I would just get some wood and fix that to the wall, to fix the stairgate to - it's really not a huge hassle and it's much safer.

littlemisswine · 09/11/2013 22:47

can you have it higher so it misses the skirting board?

with our one (mothercare fixed one) the bit with hinges is screwed to the post by the banister instead which means the wall only has 2 small plastic squares about 5cm each screwed to it n misses the skirting

Original poster
thepobblewhohasnotoes · 09/11/2013 22:48

Vikinglady thanks for the suggestion, much appreciated - but it has to go a couple of stairs up, and I want one that opens fully, with no external frame - otherwise I feel we're introducing a trip hazard on the stairs. I'm trying to make DD safe without making it more dangerous for DS!

Or am I over thinking that, is it OK to have an extra frame on the stairs?

OP posts:
FryOneFatManic · 09/11/2013 22:48

Actually, Lindam rings a bell, thing ours was one of theirs, and not a pressure gate, tried that and found it rubbish. We had one that had a central smaller gate that allowed us in and out the room without having to remove the gate.

pianodoodle · 09/11/2013 22:50

I'm not sure ours would have stood up to a bigger child throwing their whole weight on/over them!

TreTops · 09/11/2013 22:50

We have this on our stairs www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_124871_10001

The bits screw out so you could have them at slightly different widths iykwim.

We used to have a pressure fit gate but it was to much of a trip hazard because of where it had to sit on the step because of the banister.

pianodoodle · 09/11/2013 22:51

Ours was lindham and it had the frame underneath. It was a trip hazard for us I hated coming downstairs with the washing basket :(

Spaulding · 09/11/2013 22:52

We have a pressure fit stairgate (Lindam one) and you can literally lean your body weight on it and it doesn't budge. Just make sure the screw rubber bits are super tight and they're no problem.

Original poster
thepobblewhohasnotoes · 09/11/2013 22:53

littlemisswine, I like your thinking :) but there's a safety rail on that side which means no possibility of going higher. I could get rid of the safety rail I suppose but it seems a bit silly to have to remove one safety feature to put another in!

OP posts:
Original poster
thepobblewhohasnotoes · 09/11/2013 22:55

2tired2bewitty was yours a pressure one or fitted?

OP posts:
TheSkiingGardener · 09/11/2013 22:55

The trip frame on the stairs is a bloody nightmare, or it has been in the situations I have seen it. We have a similar Babydan gate to the one you have bought and have needed to attach wood to the wall or post in 3 of the 4 locations we have them. To be honest, screwing a wooden plank to the wall is easy as pie and means the gate fits very well and is easy for DS1 (3) to operate while keeping DS2 (8 months) safe.

Original poster
thepobblewhohasnotoes · 09/11/2013 22:55

pianodoodle thanks that's really useful to know.

OP posts:
MrsMangoBiscuit · 09/11/2013 22:55

We used the Lindam fixed gated, and the presure one, and actually found the presure one better. We have a very big for her age almost-4-yo, who managed to break the fixed one. The pressure one has even had a washing machine hauled over it (don't ask!) and it's still as firm as ever.

LadyKatherine · 09/11/2013 22:56

How about teaching your DS how to open and close it properly? If he will climb over it anyway, at least this way he wouldn't get hurt. I presume the gate is to protect younger DC in which case as long as DS knows not to let younger ones through, it shouldn't be a problem.

Sarahplane · 09/11/2013 22:57

We have two lindams which should work. If you put the size of gap into the kiddy care website it should tell you which combination of lindam and extension you need. They're fairly sturdy too. The sure shut one is harder to open though and I fell right over it and ripped it off the wall when I tried to walk through it without opening it properly so if you get a sure shut one be careful. The ones that don't shut automatically are easier to open.

Kickarsequeen · 09/11/2013 22:59

Hiya, I think you are overthinking this! Put a strip of wood

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