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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to have stair gates with 7yo and 5yo?

38 replies

aristocat · 17/08/2009 11:12

AIBU to still have stair gates with 7yo and 5yo?
We have got one downstairs but this is only used to stop the cat coming upstairs at 4 -5am instead of 7am.

The gate upstairs is purely to stop DCs falling downstairs at night/while in bed - it is always open in the daytime!
I wondered how long other MNers keep them for?

Will i still have it when they're 16?

OP posts:
WorzselMummage · 17/08/2009 11:15

I have one up at the moment to stop my Dog going on the beds when we're out.

I stopped having stairgates for DD when she was 2.

Yanbu though, your house, your children - your rules !

Tommy · 17/08/2009 11:15

we still have one across the top of the stairs to stop DS2 (age nearly 6) falling down when he goes for his nightly wanders. I also don't want them to go downstairs in the night/too early in the morning.

They can open it but it's one of those blind-type ones that make aa racket when you open it so we would hear if they did.

You just have to do what works best for you as a family - it does for us

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 17/08/2009 11:17

Whatever works for you, I have never used a stairgate at all, some people think I'm bonkers.

MrsBadger · 17/08/2009 11:27

sorry but rofl at 'to stop them falling downstairs while they're in bed'

MamaLazarou · 17/08/2009 11:28

How does a stair gate stop a cat? Surely the cat can walk through the bars or jump over the top?

GoldenSnitch · 17/08/2009 11:30

We have one on DS's (age 2.6) bedroom door to stop him getting out 50 times when we put him to bed and to keep him in his room early in the morning before it's time to get up. I suppose you could say it also helps stop him falling down the stairs during night time wanderings

Took them off the bottom of the stairs at about 2

Firawla · 17/08/2009 11:32

yanbu if you want to have it its not harming anyone

PrincessToadstool · 17/08/2009 11:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AMumInScotland · 17/08/2009 11:33

I would think at 5 and 7 they are no more likely to fall down the stairs during the night than an adult would be, so I think it's unnecessary.

And I do wnder too about the cat - it it so fat it can't get through or round it?

We moved to a bungalow when DS was 3, then to a house with stairs when he was 5 - it never even occurred to us to think about a stairgate for the new house at 5.

Notsochilledanymore · 17/08/2009 11:34

MamaLazarou - our otherwise intelligent cats have never figured out how to circumvent the stairgate at the top of the stairs. I think they can jump over it to get onto the landing, but because they then can't jump back out again (without throwing themselves down the full flight of stairs) they won't risk getting trapped, IFKWIM.

So I think I'll keep my stairgate until I no longer have cats because it means I no longer get woken up by two small furry ones scratching on my bedroom door in the morning.

GooseyLoosey · 17/08/2009 11:35

Took mine away before youngest dc was 3.

Goblinchild · 17/08/2009 11:36

My sister has one of those roller-type stairgates, like a screen. her cat won't jump it because she can't see where she's landing, and the step up or down disorientates her.
Her children are 5 and 8 too.

poopscoop · 17/08/2009 11:36

poss a bit old, but you obviousoly have your reasons to keep them. I wanted mine out of the way asap because they are a pin in the arse when trying to open them whilst carrying laundry and stuff up and down the stairs.

PinkTulips · 17/08/2009 11:36

I was wondering that too mama... none of our cats would be stopped by a stairgate!

Personally i remove stairgates when they learn to climb stairs by themselves, so around 2, they don't go downstairs in the mornings as they know it's not allowed and neither of them has ever fallen down the stairs.

Purely for anecdotal purposes my frind has a 4.5 ds and still has gates up and despite being generally less clumsy than my pair he has fallen down stairs on several occasions.

I think stairs are just one of those things they have to learn to respect without us being overly protective, that's just my opinion though.

chichichien · 17/08/2009 11:37

Can't the cat jump over it or get under it?

What sort of cat have you got?

chichichien · 17/08/2009 11:38

ah, mama was there two hours befor eme.

PinkTulips · 17/08/2009 11:41

NotSo.... you have lazy cats Mine regularily jump from the landing through the bannisters down half the flight of stairs.

I feel your pain on the morning wakings though, one of mine does that and it drives me mad!

Original poster
aristocat · 17/08/2009 11:55

sorry, cat does jump it but if its closed he wont come upstairs and meow as early as if gate was open IYSWIM.
this bottom gate is on the 2nd step so is approx 4ft high and takes a good jump from my cat whos 12.
the bars are too close together for him too squeeze through.

DCs get up for the toilet in the night and this is when i think they might fall downstairs, without the gate closed.

OP posts:
belgo · 17/08/2009 11:57

Seems a bit odd to me. It's far safer to teach your children how not to fall down the stairs then to use stair gates for years on end.

MmeLindt · 17/08/2009 11:58

My DC are the same age as yours and we took our stairgate off a couple of years ago. I left the one upstairs a bit longer as I too was worried about DS falling downstairs at night.

Saying that, it is your house, your rules.

Are the DC bothered? Mine would not like stairgates, I think.

chichichien · 17/08/2009 11:58

I think yabu

Original poster
aristocat · 17/08/2009 12:07

they're not bothered about them.
do want to get rid as they're a PITA, bottom one is definitely going, have just left it there but its me who doesn't like it !

OP posts:
MmeLindt · 17/08/2009 12:18

In both the present house and the previous one, the DC had to go past the top of the stairs to get to the loo and we never had a problem.

cheesesarnie · 17/08/2009 12:24

in our old house we used them till dd was 7ish because she was a sleepwalker.

in this house our family support worker has just told us to put one on ds1 bedroom door(hes 8) to stop ds2(3) going in!i just got rid of the stairgates in the move and think i should be able to find other ways of keeping ds2 out!

Original poster
aristocat · 17/08/2009 13:06

thanks girls, great to get other opinions from you.

going to remove bottom one today - (have been thinking about it for a while). fingers crosed cat will behave

then remove top one too

OP posts: