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Parenting

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Original poster

Come and talk to me about stairgates, please!

9 replies

soundsystem · 23/10/2015 21:41

I've read all the reviews and loads of inflicting advice but I'm struggling to get my head round it all.

I'm not sure about having them at the top of a straight flight of stairs, as it seems like a determind toddler could still fall down.

If I put them across a bedroom door then I can't close the door which is a risk in a fire...

And now I've read some of them are a trip hazard, so I'll probably fall down the stairs!

Our bedroom and DD(1)'s are on the middle floor with a hall in between, and a flight of stairs at each end of the hall. I'm keen to arrange it in such a way that she can get out of her bed and come through and climb in with us, without falling down any stairs. She's confident going up and down stairs, has been doing so for several months. Since she figured it out, she's never once lost her footing or fallen. But I'm obviously not keen to risk letting her try whithout me hovering behind her, just in case.

I have no idea why this is stressing my so much: I'm usually quite decisive and not such a worrier.

Please someone hand me a grip and tell me what stairgates you have and how you use them!

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Original poster

soundsystem · 23/10/2015 21:41

*conflicting advice, not inflicting!

OP posts:

skankingpiglet · 24/10/2015 20:18

At 12mo we had a gate at the top and bottom of the stairs. Like your DD, ours is good on the stairs but I just wouldn't trust her on her own. If you get the ones which screw into the wall, rather than the push fit, you can get one without a bar across the bottom which will eliminate the trip hazard. You can also get extra high gates which would stop even the most determined toddler.
It is also possible to fit a gate across the bedroom door and still be able to close the door. We now have a gate at the top of the stairs (a precaution against 16mo DD taking a freak tumble on the landing and rolling down) and one on her room to pen her in as she's in a toddler bed. If you fit it onto the opposite side of the door frame to which the door shuts into, you will still be able to close the door too.

Littlef00t · 24/10/2015 20:19

I think if your toddler isn't a crazy climbing fiend, not having a gate at the top of stairs is more of a danger than having one. The safest would be the ones that you screw into the wall and bannister post, if you can stomach the holes as there's no bar to trip over.

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blackkat1978 · 26/10/2015 02:14

My daughter was very confident in stair climbing but wasn't too fussed about doing it so we never bothered with stair gates in our town house. My son them learnt to climb up & down them a few months ago & love's going up & down, we considered getting them but again have just opted to show him how to do it carefully.

Original poster

soundsystem · 27/10/2015 12:43

Thanks all! I think I have to accept drilling holes to attach them: does seem a better option.

OP posts:

PisforPeter · 27/10/2015 12:51

DD is 3 & we have never had any stairgates.

Original poster

soundsystem · 27/10/2015 13:06

PisforPeter, did that work ok overnight? Did your DD stay in her room, or come out and just avoid stair/use them safely?

I'm ok with not having stairgates in the day time, my worry is overnight that I'd be woken up by her falling downstairs, as I wouldn't necesarily have any warning if she decided to go on an adventure! (We have a monitor, but by the time I heard her get up and got up myself she could easily hae flung herself down the stairs!) I think it's more if she's sleepy and wasn't paying attention I'm concerned about...

OP posts:

PisforPeter · 27/10/2015 13:07

Yes, she was still in a cot at that age anyway

Cantstopsmiling37 · 27/10/2015 18:52

We have a gate at the top of stairs for night time. DD moved to bed just before she turned 2 (so we didn't have to buy another cot for DS) and although she was fine on stairs and we had taught her to be safe we didn't think we'd risk her having a sleepy wander in the dark!
Now crazy DS is 18months we still have it and it is closed when he is upstarirs as can't trust him at all! DD can open it herself if she needs to.
We have a bar across the bottom though and although none of us have ever tripped yet it is a pain so I think I'd get a screw to wall one if I was you! In fact I'm off to look for one now!

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