Fixing safety gates to stair rails

[Didilala]

Dear mums,

With baby "suddenly" turning into a proficiency walking toddler, it is time to sort out safety around the stairs...

The problem is, there isn´t anywhere to fix the gate on our stair other than the wall on one side, and the stair wooden rails on the other. We live in a flat on converted victorian house and the stair rails and banister are original and my husband doesn´t want to drill on them.

We could use Bettacare pressure-fit gate at the bottom of the stairs, but we can´t use a pressure-fit one at the top (at least it is not recommended). I´ve been looking around on the internet and there seems to be no solution (at least not on the UK) to the problem. It is either drilling on the wooden rails or waiting for an accident to happen.

However this case must be commonplace in the UK as we all have wooden banisters.

Has anybody found a solution or suitable gate? Have you drilled on the wooden rails to fit a gate? Is it really damaging?.

Thanks mums!

is there space in the hall that you could put a pressure gate? We can't fit one to the bottom of our stairs, so have had to put one halfway down the hall.

No, we can't. The stairs take half the corridor, they are not inside the corridor. At the top, it is the same. The door is just in front of the stair rails.

We have the roller-blind type gates at the top of the stairs, and yes they are drilled into the rails. I don't think I'd feel happy about the pressure fitting gates at the top anyway. So you end up with a couple of drilled holes - easy enough to fill with a wood compound or dowels at a later date.

bumping for you as we have the same problem!

shame. We do have the roller-gate at the top of our stairs as we can either secure it across DS's door, or across the top stair. We drilled into the door, I'm sure we'll be able to fill it (I have some random memory about PVA glue and sawdust being a good woodfiller for such things??)

I think if you would be unhappy or worried about your child being able to access the top of the stairs (I know a few people don't bother and train their dcs not to go near the stairs - wouldn't have worked with my own ds!) then your dh has to choose a hole in the bannister vs ds safety. not much of a contest ...

fwiw I also have original edwardian bannisters / handrail and I have drilled into them. original features are great, but practicalities of modern living usually come first imho.

yep, we were forced to drill too - wood filler will be the way forward when it comes down. if they are sanded off and re-varnished/painted no-one will ever know ...