Toddler roaming the house in the wee hours - is a stair gate my best/only option?

[3become4]

DD moved into her big bed a few weeks ago and has settled well but recently has started getting up and roaming the house before waking us up. This morning she presented me with a glass of water she had carried all the way upstairs! Thank god she hadn't slipped and broken it as I dread to think how seriously she could have hurt herself. So clearly I need to do something. Is a stair gate on her bedroom door the best solution? I don't really want to lock her in (and she won't be grateful) but can't think of any better options. We've also got her a gro clock thing but not sure how successful that is going to prove.

Oh god yes, I can't imagine not having a stairgate on my toddler's door - I wouldn't be able to sleep a wink at night otherwise.

It's not like locking her in with a thick wooden door. Just think of all the accidents that could happen while she's wandering around unsupervised; you can't trust them to just be obedient at that age. I bet you were so shocked though - sympathies and good luck!

Oh absolutely. We have one at the top of the stairs, so that if DD's upstairs she can wander around but not get/fall down the stairs. When she's in a bed rather than a cot we'll probably get one for her room as well to stop her escaping roaming in the night.

I had a gate on my DD's bedroom when she started in a bed. She was perfectly happy with this and used to close the gate herself to make her own personal space! She was terribly upset when we took it down..