See what MNers thought of Lindam safety gates (£250 John Lewis prize draw for feedback!) and add your tips for making your home safer and more child friendly – Full Home Lindam Safety Pack (worth up to £378)NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

This thread is for the 50 Mumsnetters who tested out Lindam's Extending White Metal Safety Gate and/or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate.

Here's what Matthew Wilson, Lindam Marketing Director EMEA and dad of two says, "Safety is absolutely paramount for any parent and in fact, latest research by Which? has found safety to be a top priority for new mothers and fathers. Research findings showed that safety gates are the most popular and useful products for new families and in the run up to Child Safety Week (23rd-29th June) we're really keen to raise awareness of just how important safety gates are, and which ones are best for each individual families' needs.

Finding the right gate can be overwhelming but there really is something for everyone. Pressure Fit or Wall fix are available to fit a range of openings. Gates also have a range of handles and closing mechanisms depending on your requirements. From a Pressure Fit option such as Easy Fit Plus Deluxe to the top of the range Wall Fix NUMI Aluminium Extending Safety Gate, safety, quality and value are key for all gates and each now comes with a lifetime guarantee.

For further information, and to see the wider Lindam range, please visit //www.lindam.com"

Non-testers: What are your top tips for ensuring that your home is baby and child friendly when it comes to safety? From covering sharp corners, to making sure any medicines are out of reach, whatever it is, we?d love to hear it.

Everyone who adds their comments will be entered into a prize draw to win a Full Home Lindam Safety Pack (worth up to £378) which includes: 4 x Safety Gates of your choice, Xtra Guard socket covers, corner cushions, 2 x door stoppers, 4x latches, toddler bed rail, and a nursery night light set.

Testers: Please answer the questions below. Feel free to add any other comments you may have too!

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?
Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?
Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?
Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?
Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Everyone who leaves their feedback on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[SweetPeaPods]

Tester

1. We tried both the extending white metal safety gate and the easy fit deluxe gate.

We put the extending gate at the top of our stairs as there is no bottom bar, and were generally impressed. Easy fit gate is at the kitchen door as it is too narrow for bottom of our stairs. I don't really fancy buying the extender for an extra 1cm!

1. Instructions could be better.
2. Yes, ds was just starting to try and climb stairs and I couldn't trust him to crawl upstairs but now i feel much safer.
3. Not sure, I don't find them very easy to open with one hand while carrying ds.
4. If it came up n conversation yes.

Thank you for selecting me to test though

[mamato3luvleys]

Non tester
All of the above advice but also cable tidies behind TV etc as my son has realised the wires are less boring when the all covered up together.
Bath mats inside the bath and mostly just never leave them alone for any length of time you just never know what they will find to harm themselves I always get on the floor with my son to see what's in his eye line especially as I have two older children in the house and they are forever playing with lego or leaving nerf bullets lying around!

[mamato3luvleys]

Non tester
All of the above advice but also cable tidies behind TV etc as my son has realised the wires are less boring when the all covered up together.
Bath mats inside the bath and mostly just never leave them alone for any length of time you just never know what they will find to harm themselves I always get on the floor with my son to see what's in his eye line especially as I have two older children in the house and they are forever playing with lego or leaving nerf bullets lying around!

[mamato3luvleys]

Sorry for duplication.

[Ditsy79]

1 - we tested both the extending gate and the easyfit deluxe gate. They are both good quality and seem sturdy. I like the opening mechanism, as it is not as fiddly as the mechanisms we have seen on other gates at friends and family's houses. Our cat is not impressed, as she can't fit between the bars (and is too lazy to jump over the top!)
2 - The easyfit gate was extremely easy to put up. The extending gate was more difficult as it involved drilling etc. We found the pictorial instructions quite confusing, and think it would have been a lot better if Lindam had included some printed verbal instructions in addition to the pictures.
3 - The gates have been effective so far; although as our daughter has only just started crawling, it's a case of'watch this space'.
4 - we will continue to use the gates.
5 - we would definitely recommend the gates to friends and family.

[moonegirl]

tester

*Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?8

I was lucky enought to try both of the gates, my overall impression was that they looked sturdy and safe.


Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?

The easyfit gate was very easy and I had this up and working in around ten minutes. The fixed gate was more complicated, but only because we habe thick solid stone walls. I hired a handyman to put this gate up and he had finished in around 15 minutes.

Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes most definately, my preference being for the fixed gate as it was really sturdy and had no movement in it whatsoever.
The easy fit gate also held sturdy and kept my child safe out of the kitchen, however the bottom bar was quite annoying.

Q4. Do you think you'll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I'll continue to use both safety gates

Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would recommend Lindam, the gates were safe and I think they'll be reliable. I googled the recommended prices and they seem very reasonable. Persoanlly I would recommend the fixed gates for stairs even though they are more complicated to fix they are very solid and it gives that extra piece of mind when the child gets a little bit older and can start climbing!

[judypoops]

Update to previous post.
Gates still working brilliantly but the bottom bar is really annoying and keeps tripping ds2 up when we let him through. He's been trying his hardest to escape however and having no luck!
All in all still very happy with them.

[Uzma01]

Non-tester

I moved breakable things out of reach before my son started crawling around. My DH taught both kids how to climb the stairs safely, then how to get down safely too as our stairs have a low bannister on the one side so couldn't fit the safety gate at the bottom of the stairs.

All plug sockets were fitted with covers.

Their toys were places on or near the floor.

Apart from that just being vigilant especially in other people's homes where they didn't have small kids around.

[TheDudess]

Tester

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?

I tested the Easy Fit Delux Gate. I was very impressed with it, it is very sturdy, easy to fit and easy to open/close. It also fitted well which I was surprised about as our stairs are a bit odd.

Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?

They were relatively easy, however I had to refer to the online video to figure it out as I couldn't work out the instruction manual. I couldn't figure out from the pictures how the bolts went in and became taught, despite trying it a few different ways. I think the fact that the manual is in so many different languages means that Lindam have tried to cram a lot of information into a small size and I would have found a couple of lines of text about this very helpful. As it was, the video made sense but it was a bit of a pain to have to go an look it up as I thought it would be straightforward. I say this as someone who is very good at putting together IKEA flatpack furniture!

Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?

Not my child specifically as they aren't toddling just yet, but they did prevent my friends toddlers from climbing the stairs/getting into the room with the cat's litter tray in. I don't know what it is about toddlers but they go for that flippin litter tray like moths to a light. With the safety gate I could put it over the door way so we didn't have to keep chasing them whilst having a brew (could always see them but didn't have to worry about that particular issue ifkwim).

Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes absolutely. They are very sturdy and do just what you want them to.

Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes. These are high quality safety gates that do just what you want them to do. The only thing I would change is the instructions could be a bit clearer.

[Wjjkl]

Tester
Q1 - we tried both the extending white metal gate and the easyfit gate. First impressions were that they were well packaged - not too much packing waste & they looked sturdy.

Q2 - like the other testers, the extending easyfit gate was very simple to put up (as it says on the tin really). The other gate was more complicated and the instructions could have been clearer (written ones?)

Q3 - yes the gates are very effective. I have to be conscious of the bottom bar on the easy fit gate so I don't trip - not a big issue, but I felt I had to be aware of it especially if holding the little one.

Q4 - yes, I'll use both

Q5 - yes, I would recommend the gates. Reasonable price & the fixed gate in particular is very sturdy. I would only suggest the instructions were made a little clearer with some words rather than just pictures.

[OsMalleytheCat]

Tester Here! First of all thank you to Lindam & MN very happy to have been chosen as a tester!

1. I was given two Easy Fit Deluxe Gates to try, overall I was pleased with the product, I was surprised at how safe they seem to be considering no drills etc were needed. They aren't overly attractive but they are functional and good at what they are required for!

1. Gates were very easy to put up, my husband did one and I did the other, took both of us approx 5 minutes and we both did it without any help, easy as pie!

1. Definitely helped to make the baby safer, now he's on the move you need to have eyes in the back of your head but it's reassuring that at lease he can't fall down the stairs! I was worried about him getting a limb or digit trapped in the mechanism but he's played with them continuously for several days now and (touch wood!) nothing so far!

1. I will continue to use the safety gates until the baby can confidently make his way up and down the stairs, it isn't worth the risk of taking the down!

1. I would recommend the safety gates on the basis that they do what they say they will and the ease of installation & use but I don't know what the RRP is and as cost is such a big factor in many peoples decision making these days it's difficult to provide a conclusive answer! If I thought they were reasonably priced I would most definitely recommend to friends/family!

[AdamantEve]

Tester.

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?

I was sent the Extending Safety Gate and had a bit of a panic as I had not realised it was a screw-fit type - as we rent we aren't permitted to fit these, but we decided to install it at my PILs house as they live literally down the road and always have our children there.

My overall impression was that it was a sturdy, well fitting and secure gate and looks as though it will stand the test of even my heavy handed DS who likes to rattle the gates...


Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?

I thought in the interest of being a tester, I should try to install the gate myself, however I found it too complicated for me to even start. My FIL took over and installed it pretty quickly but he is a trial and error type person so didn't really refer to the instructions!
When I unpacked it the plastic ties around the gate were very tight and when I cut them off the scissors scraped off some paint which was a bit annoying.


Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?

We normally use pressure fit gates which can be pulled from the wall quite easily so I do feel this type of gate is much more secure and therefore is likely to keep my children safer.


Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?

I do think so and we will probably go out and buy the easy fit gate now so we can have it in our house. I do like the fact there is no bottom bar on the extending gate especially as we've installed it in my PILs - because they are older there is a concern about trip hazards and this obviously avoids that issue.


Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend the gate based upon the sturdiness but I would probably say you need a bit of DIY knowledge to fit it, I'm not sure if I'd have eventually managed on my own or not.

[SherbertDip]

Tester

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?
I tried the easy fit deluxe gates, I found them realitively easy to fit although like others have said written instructions might be better.

Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?
The gates themselves were easy to install, I did have Lindam gates when I had my other DD 6 years ago so not too much difference

Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?
These gates will keep my children safer as there will now be limited access to the bottom of the stairs and also the kitchen, they seem a bit of a novelty at the moment and my 6 yr old is trying figure out how to open them - didn't take long

Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?
Definatly keep using them for piece of mind just knowing there is a barrier for them getting up the stairs unsupervised or into the kitchen when the oven is on etc

Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
Definatly recommend to family / friends as they are easy to fit and feel very sturdy to

[BettyOff]

Update after a week of putting the easy-fit gate through it's paces we're still really impressed. It's at the top of the stairs which I was concerned about in terms of tripping over the bar but we've miraculously managed so far. Luckily we've got a small landing under the gate before the steep proper stairs. DD has leant how to climb down safely over the bar and the only one that can't seem to master it is DDog who is terrified of it wimp.

I'm really impressed with the strength of the date. DD has been hanging of it and rocking in the hope of escape and has figured out that it involves pushing the button in and lifting but has made absolutely no progress in getting out which is very reassuring. I'd definitely recommend it to a friend and I will keep using the gate and the second one is going to the grandparents house to replace the crappy gate they use at the moment!

Thanks!

[itisntme]

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?
Easy fit

Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?
Very easy.

Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes - they kept them away from the top of the stairs. My 3 year old can open the gates, which is useful at times and not at others (like when she decides she can supervise the 1 year old going down stairs on her own!)

Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes. To stop my 1year old going down the stairs on his own.

Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
Probably, if it came up in conversation - although it doesn't tend to be the type of thing we talk about much!

[SharonBotts]

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?
I tried the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate. Overall impression is that the gate is probably a good choice for most people. It looks good; is reasonably straightforward to install and (in regular houses) would probably provide good safety/security for toddlers and babies.

Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?
I struggled to manage to instal the gates myself but my husband was able to go it relatively easily. One of the problems we have is that our house is a period property with an old, uneven staircase and walls so I expect that we would have had more difficulty installing the gates than others might who live in newer houses.

Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?
Given the problem we have with uneven alignment of the stair wall and the bannister, the stairgates were not 100% secure. As a result, I was not comfortable to rely on them to keep my children safe and have regarded them more as a visual marker of the staircase rather than expecting them to withstand a bit of rocking or banging against them which my kids are likely to do. When I slipped on a step coming down the stairs the bottom stairgate gave way very easily crashing to the floor. This did not instil confidence that the gates could withstand any bashing or knocking from my toddlers.

Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?
Undecided. We need to investigate other brands to see if it is possible to find a more secure model for our home.

Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
I would probably recommend the gates to others providing they had a standard staircase in a newer property. Unfortunately the gates just weren't suitable for us and were no use in a period property with uneven walls.

[edwardcullensotherwoman]

Sorry I'm so late with feedback - we've only has the gate up 2 days,I misjudged the width of the stairs so had to buy an extension (do we get to keep the gates??)

Anyway,so far it's great. DS(6) can open it no problem,but DD(2) can't; perfect. I love that it's not an auto close gate,as we leave it open when we go to bed for DS. This means he doesn't have to fiddle noisily with the gate when he gets up.

I'll answer the questions when I can get on the laptop, but so far I'm happy

[edwardcullensotherwoman]

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?
I tried the Easy Fit Deluxe gate. It was very easy to fit, and is nice looking (as gates go!). It appears strong and has a good safety catch.

Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?
Really easy, even when I had to add an extension. From taking it out of the box to it being fully installed took about 20 minutes, which included fitting the extension and marking and fitting the fixing cups to the wall.

Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes. It stops my DD getting up the stairs, and the locking mechanism stops her from being able to shake it open (like our previous gate).

Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes definitely, for the same reason quoted above. The other gate will be fitted to her bedroom doorway, so I know she is safe and unable to unlock the gate and get out in the middle of the night.

Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
Definitely. By shopping around they can be found at a very reasonable price, they fit a wide range of openings, and the safety catch is small-child-proof, but easy for an adult to open one-handed.

9 out of 10 for me, would have been 10 if the extensions were a bit cheaper, as I need one for each gate.

[gizmosmama]

Non-tester tips:
1: In main play areas e.g lounge, create a safe environment which means you won't be constantly saying "no" and dragging LOs away from things. This not only saves you the stress and LO the upset but also means that you can save "no" for rarer occasions and when you do need to use it, it will still mean something.
2: Remember that by taking away hazards you are also taking away the knowledge of hazards so decide what to teach and what to control and be aware when in unrestricted environments, e.g. LO won't know not to touch radiators if you cover them all up.
3: Hair straighteners are fast becoming the biggest danger to infants - invest in a heatproof case and put them away out of reach immediately after use.
4: Book a home safety check with your local fire service - they will fit and test alarms, advise on appliances and plan escape routes.

[stephgr]

Non-tester.
My tips:
1.Cover all unused electrical sockets with outlet plugs.

1. Secure furniture and electronics items, such as bookcases and TVs, so they cannot be pulled down on top of your child
2. Use protective padding to cover sharp edges and corners, such as from a coffee table or fireplace
3. Store all medicines, cleaning products, and other poisons out of childrens' reach
4. Turn down the temperature of water if set automatically
5. keep chords like those attached to blinds out of reach

[nushcar]

Tester

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?

Easy Fit Deluxe Gate - overall impression is that it looks good in the house, looks well-made and durable.

Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?

We had 2 (wooden) Lindam gates and 1 Mothercare gate in our house previously for my older child and so are familiar with the installation process - these are very easy to install by comparison. I think pressure fit is the way forward instead of having to drill holes in your walls as we have had to with other models.

Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, very safe and sturdy

Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?

We will continue to use them until the point where they pose more danger than help when my son decides to try to climb over them instead (which I have heard happening before). We have had a Lindam playpen and older model gates before and always been happy with them.

Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend these as they are safe, well built and will last a while. The previous wooden models are not so durable and easy to use. The only two bits of advice I would give is that the bar at the bottom is easy to trip over if you are a bit clumsy like myself sometimes, so maybe not the best for top of the stairs. This particular safety catch is very good, but not quite as easy to open one-handed as traditional model where you lift gate upwards, but at least you do not need to lift whole gate. A good buy overall.

[MNGreenwich]

Q1. Did you try the Extending White Metal Safety Gate or the Easy Fit Deluxe Gate (or both)? What was your overall impression?

We had both gates. The Easy Fit Deluxe is the one that we already have though and DD figured out how to open it at around 18 months!

Q2. How easy were the gates to assemble and install?

Very easy to install and assemble.

Q3. Did you find the Safety Gates effective in keeping your children safer? If so, why? If not, why not?

The extending metal safety gate did keep DD in but the easy fit didn't.

Q4. Do you think you?ll continue to use the Lindam Safety Gates? If so, why? If not, why not?

We will probably continue using the extending gate but not the easy fit.


Q5. Would you recommend the Lindam Safety Gates you tried to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I wouldn't recommend the easy fit gates as DD found it too easy to get open.

[wibblyjelly]

The only safety device we have put in for 20 month old Ds is stair gates, as he is normally too excited about everything to concentrate on what he is doing! If he goes near anything he shouldn't, we say no, and take him away from it

[MrsSpa]

Non-tester
We haven't used any safety devices except for a few corner cushions and of course we have smoke/CO2 detectors. We've always been vigilant and have taught the kids (3yrs and 10mths) to use stairs with supervision. However I wouldn't rule any safety devices out if I had a child who was more inquisitive, and it also depends on the layout of house, eg we have a door between lounge and stairs, so I know I can pop into kitchen and baby can't access the stairs. Choke-ables out of reach.

[Ruby6918]

glue a small eraser to just inside the top of drawers so if they slam they wont catch a childs finger when they r bigger they can be easily removed again, keep a bag of cotton wool in the kitchen for glass breakages as this is the quickest way to pick up broken china, plates or glass should it happen when a wee one it about, soft fabric doorstops are brill at the creeping stage so you can leave a door open between rooms so the wind doesnt blow it shut or someone else opens the door into the baby while they are moving about, and always keep a wee first aid kit handy so you can get it if needed,