Safety gate for the top of the stairs HELP!

[DaniJade1990]

Hi all, I purchased a wall mounted safety gate for the top of the stairs as I was told they are safer. The problem is I live in a cottage flat and the skirting boards make it impossible to put one of these gates up because it's not level. Also they wont open properly because there is a big wooden handrail that comes up to the top of the stairs! We have done fine with a pressure mounted one so far but I am worried that it isn't safe enough now, although when we put a pressure mounted one up it rests against the wood that holds the hand rail up so it seems very sturdy and we've never had any problems with my daughter jumping on it/pulling on it etc. is it ok to use these at the top of the stairs? Or can anyone recommend a wall mounted stair gate that doesn't need to be completely level?

i have a roller blind type gate at the top of my stairs, we attached a little bit of wood at the top because of the skirting issue, its very thin so the banister shouldnt be a problem, it isnt for us anyway.

i got it from kiddycare, its very good as there is nothing to trip over and it rolls away so doesnt get in the way at all. have a look online at them it may do the job? :)

I can't quite picture your situation, but would one of these work?

x post

they have kiddicare but expensive! we got ours for half the rpice and ours is white and not black as theres is. but it is basically the same thing, have a google. tried to do a link but its not letting me for some reason!

the one on kiddicare is by lascal.

We had a roller blind one at the top of the stairs too and it worked really well. We used it at night just in case DS1 sleep walked.

It had a loud clicking alarm on it in case a child tampered with it and tried to get it open.

Go back to the company you bought the stair gate from. They may have some extensions which will help you get round this. One extension you may not have thought of is a "Y-spindle", which goes around the newel post or spindle, meaning you can position the gate further down/up the stairs and still use it pressure-fitted (not have to drill into anything).

the one bike linked to is the one we have but again we didnt pay that much! we paid about £40? but maybe they have put the price up?!!

5 mad things is that a pressure mounted one or wall mounted?

Does anyone use pressure mounted at the top of the stairs?

its wall mounted, you have to screw it in on one side and then on the other you screw in some bits that it clips into when it closes. it was easy to fit and has withstood my 5! its def had a battering but has stayed in place fine.

it does as morebeta says make a clicky noise if a child tries to open it, as an adult there is a sort of button you press forwards and down to make it release properly but none of my children have been able to do it until over say 8yrs of age?

i really like the fact that when not in use it just rolls away into the bit on the wall, no open gate to get in they way and is works like a roller blind it doesnt have to swing back or forwards to open so the handrail etc wont get in the way at all.

i am horrified at the price of them now tho! but tbf we have had our one for about 8yrs? and its still as good as new, i just wipe it down with a wet wipe when it gets grubby fingers marks on it!

we did for a brief period of time but they can move if a child leans on them and you have the bar which is a trip hazard, hence why we got the roller blind one!

we had to use a pressure mounted one in a rented house and i never found them to be as good as the screw in ones and the bar at the bottom that you can trip over was really bloody annoying. tho maybe you can get ones without the bar at the bottom now?

We have a wooden one from Ikea which was adjustable top and bottom to deal with the skirting issue - it works fine. It also doesn't have a bar at the bottom which most of the pressure-mounted ones do which worried me at the top of the stairs as a trip hazard.