Metal safety gate and Wooden safety gate - which do you prefer?

[biglips]

and why? (As im looking for some atm)

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I agree they must open the whole way (with no silly bar at the bottem to trip over)

same as cat64 - I prefer not to install tripping hazards in my home.

Wood looks better to IMHO.

Have you thought about the roller blind style ones? Look v nice but they are a bit difficult to open one handed.

too

(before the grammar curmudgeons come and get me)

We have a wooden one which was here when we moved in and it's much nicer than the metal one (with trip hazard) we jad in our old house.

oops! yes Stair gates!!

i have one of those kiddygaurd roller style ones its absolutely fab, tucks away neatly when not in use, a bit pricey though if buying new

ive never heard of a roller blind style ones - are they suitable for a very strong tall baby?

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we have a fantastic wooden one from John Lewis. Like cat says, it doesn't have that annoying bar at the bottom. We went to buy another one the other week to use as a dog gate but they don't stock them anymore.

biglips have a look on ebay for the kiddygaurd ones, new i think they retail at £54

Try kiddicare for the rollerblind style ones

I am having the same thoughts. Although I have decided on wood but not sure about the bar at the bottom and the lack of space to walk through. Trouble is I don't want to fix them into the woodwork.

Darn

We have wood ones from john Lewis which do not have bars at the bottom. They can be opened in both directions and the whole thing opens so lots of room to get through. First bought when in a flat and you cam in through our door and straight up the stairs so the gate had to be suitable for coming through with baby shopping etc.

Alison, do they require fixing into the walls and woodwork?

my kiddicare roller style gate has by far and away been the most difficult gate for my little houdinis to get past. they have been able to either climb or open the both my metal and wooden gates much earlier. now they have obviously worked out if they put a kitchen chair up to it they can get out but other than that they still cant get through it. It rolls out of the way when not in use. great when you have your hands full and the kids are not around. only thing I would change is that when you use it one handed it makes a clicking noise. you can make it silent if you use two hands though.

just a note about the ones that dont require fixing to the woodwork. usually the fixings loosen after a while, so you have to keep checking them. or if you have smart kids they get keep at ( either turning the bolts by hand or just rattling them)until they get loose and the gate then falls at the most inconvenient time. have had two different types of pressure mounted ones and this has happened to both of them at some time or another. obviously the instruction do tell you to check the fixings regularly but in sleep and or exhaustion phases it is really easy to forget.

Ruth yes they are fixed to the woodwork.
I would be very wary of using ones that don't fix as my mum had one to block her hall to stop the children getting to the stairs and my DS as a toddler stood and rattled and climbed until it fell down. It was very tightly on to start with. If that had happened at the top of the stairs it could have been nasty.