Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Safety Gate Suggestions
MarinaVanessa 07:09 AM 01-05-2012
I'm looking for a couple of new safety gates and I'm hoping one of you ladies has some ideas for me.

The first gate I need is for my kitchen. This is the one that I really REALLY need help with. The open is 72" wide (6') and it has to be pressure mounted. I've searched all sorts of pressure mounted gates and their extensions but the biggest I've seen only goes up to 42" with two extensions. I see a few 6' harware mounted gates but I can't use those, it HAS to be pressure mounted (DH refuses to use a hardware mounted one in our newly remodeled kitchen).

The second gate I'm looking for is for my stairs (top and bottom). These I need to be hardware mounted because my DH says that a pressure mounted gate can loosen our banister. I have a gate now that I have to replace (it's getting old) and I want it to go before it breaks. I'll go out and buy the same gate that I have if I have to but I'd like a gate that can be opened with one hand. If anyone has any suggestions i'd really appreciate it. Price isn't a concern for either as long as it's safe.
Reply
Cat Herder 07:12 AM 01-05-2012
Have you considered building your own? Deck railing, lattice and door hanging hardware work great.
Reply
MarinaVanessa 08:12 AM 01-05-2012
Originally Posted by Catherder:
Have you considered building your own? Deck railing, lattice and door hanging hardware work great.
I never considered that! That makes sense. Any ideas on how to get it to stay up without hardware? It's just to keep the kids out of the kitchen but I can't use harware to attach it to the walls. What do you suggest?
Reply
Cat Herder 08:16 AM 01-05-2012
I have mine tucked in between the wall and heavy furniture (surrounding the bottom steps).

When not in use an adult can pull them out and fold them at the hinges (think short, portable, tri-fold room divider. ) to store in a corner/closet.

In my current playroom I am using part of a large plastic circle playpen instead of the wood. Can you see my album? If not I can send you a link.
Reply
MarinaVanessa 08:26 AM 01-05-2012
Hmmm, bummer. That won't work for me but I can probably figure something out or get my DH to figure it out since he's the one that doesn't want it mounted to the wall. My gate needs to go in an entranceway right next to the sliding door in the dining room so I can't put anything in front of it. I'll give my DH the bad news, he either has to harware mount a gate or build a pressure mounted gate by hand. Either way, he's dealing with the problem lol. There are PLENTY of harware mounted gates that would work but he always has to make everything so difficult by being picky lol.
Reply
SandeeAR 09:16 AM 01-05-2012
If this is just to keep kids out of the room, I have an idea.

Use two shower curtain rods, enough material (like canvas) to reach. Add pockets like for a curtain at the top and bottom. Make it tall enough to keep the kids out, but short enough to step over. That way, it could be put up each morning and taken down each night.
Reply
heyhun77 04:20 PM 01-05-2012
I know you said no hardware mount but would he consider one that is only 4 screws on each side? No anchors are required. The one I bought last spring is a retractable gate so it's not in our way when daycare is done for the day. I found them online at http://www.retract-a-gate.com/ . Otherwise the gate we used in that space before was a pressure mounted one from toys r us. It was a pain for us because at the end of the day I had this long thing to put somewhere or I had to turn the poles down to make it shorter.

Here's the link to the one I had before:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=4319489

For the steps, it isn't recommended to use pressure mounts at the top of the stairs so hardmount is the way to go. My house is 100 years old so nothing is square. I ended up having a handyman come in and build me a custom gate for the top of the stairs.
Reply
MarinaVanessa 05:00 PM 01-05-2012
HeyHun: Nope. Won't work. I left it in his hands and he has spent hours scouring Amazon and the internet looking for a pressure mounted gate to no avail. I think it's because pressure mounted gates that long probably won't work very well. They probably won't be very sturdy, but my DH wants NO HOLES in his precious walls. Whatev, I told him it was HIS responsibility to find something then .

I'll propose SandeeAR's idea (which I also think is brilliant) and see what he says. Hopefully it'll work. Most of the kids will stay out of the kitchen anyway but it's my own 1yo DS that insists on coming in when I'm cooking and hangs on to my pant legs or empties my lower cabinets and drawers. I'm tired of dancing around him and peeling him off of my leg. My DS is very determined so as long as he can't pull the rod down I think I'll be ok. I even thought to make a barrier out of PVC pipe and mesh material with t-connectors as legs to keep it up (playing with the lincoln logs gave me this idea).

It's only a matter of time before my DH gives up looking fpr a pressure mounted gate and he finally realizes that the only other option is to build me something (which he doesn't want to do because I want it NOW). Maybe I'll get the hardware mounted one-handed-to-open safety gate that I've been eyeing afterall
Reply
DaisyMamma 06:50 AM 01-06-2012
Worth the high price.
http://www.retract-a-gate.com/?refA=...FQXd4AodfnVHBw
Reply
SandeeAR 07:29 AM 01-06-2012
MarinaVanessa, Thanks for the compliment

I have a wide space too that I considered putting a gate on. I later figured out I could pull two of the kitchen chairs to that opening and block it off. Simply taught them not to push the chairs. It was cheaper
Reply
Blackcat31 07:53 AM 01-06-2012
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
I'm looking for a couple of new safety gates and I'm hoping one of you ladies has some ideas for me.

The first gate I need is for my kitchen. This is the one that I really REALLY need help with. The open is 72" wide (6') and it has to be pressure mounted. I've searched all sorts of pressure mounted gates and their extensions but the biggest I've seen only goes up to 42" with two extensions. I see a few 6' harware mounted gates but I can't use those, it HAS to be pressure mounted (DH refuses to use a hardware mounted one in our newly remodeled kitchen).

The second gate I'm looking for is for my stairs (top and bottom). These I need to be hardware mounted because my DH says that a pressure mounted gate can loosen our banister. I have a gate now that I have to replace (it's getting old) and I want it to go before it breaks. I'll go out and buy the same gate that I have if I have to but I'd like a gate that can be opened with one hand. If anyone has any suggestions i'd really appreciate it. Price isn't a concern for either as long as it's safe.
If you look for pressure mounted gates FOR PETS (LOL!!!), you will find ones similar to these: http://www.1800petmeds.com/Elongate+...prod60276.html.

You need to use extensions but can use as many as 4 and get a total width of up to 13 feet!

....and it has a door for easy pass through for an adult.
Reply
sharlan 09:29 AM 01-06-2012
I have 3 similar to the one Blackcat suggested, but they left big holes in my walls. My husband ended up attaching the little plastic plates that come with them to the walls.

All of my pressure mounted gates left holes in the walls where the kids rocked them back and forth.

I bought a wooden sliding gate at Babies R Us that expands to 65". It attaches to the wall with 4 eye hooks. I can easily step over it, but it stops the kids. Sorry, I just read that you needed 72".
Reply
heyhun77 06:43 PM 01-06-2012
Originally Posted by lymemomma:
Worth the high price.
http://www.retract-a-gate.com/?refA=...FQXd4AodfnVHBw
TOTALLY AGREE!!! I love my retractable gate. It blends into the wall when daycare is done at the end of the day but it's super easy to pull out and attach. Only about 12 holes totally and they will be easy to putty in if I ever take the gate down.
Reply
momma2girls 07:14 PM 01-06-2012
I have two great ones, expensive but well worth the price. They are online thru Toy's R us and Walmart- it is Dream babies- only pressure mounted, do not have to make a hole in the wall, etc..
Reply
MarinaVanessa 08:11 PM 01-06-2012
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
If you look for pressure mounted gates FOR PETS (LOL!!!), you will find ones similar to these: http://www.1800petmeds.com/Elongate+...prod60276.html.

You need to use extensions but can use as many as 4 and get a total width of up to 13 feet!

....and it has a door for easy pass through for an adult.
Oooh this is what we were looking for. It doesn't matter to me if it's for pets or not since it's not really a safety thing (licensing doesn't require me to have it where I want it) so it doesn't matter if it's for kids or not. Thanks, I'll show this to DH. It's even right around what I expected to spend plus no shipping. I love that the gate swings either way and can be opened one handed.
Reply
MarinaVanessa 11:30 AM 01-07-2012
I got too excited too quickly . After reading the description, the reviews and the instruction it turns out that the gate is hardware mounted also. The description is a little misleading because it says that it's "tension mounted" but in fact it's hardware mounted. DH did find a pet gate that IS pressure mounted that would fit our opening BUT it's $160 for the initial gate and then extra for the extensions ... WAY too much money.

I did try the shower curtain idea but my extremely ambitious 1yo pulled down both rods within the first 10 minutes of putting it up . All other ideas that I've pitched to my DH have been shot down including when I was fed up and would have been happy with simply shoving a board between the wall and fridge ... he didn't like that idea either .
Reply
Crazy8 07:03 PM 01-07-2012
I don't think you'll find pressure mount that wide - I've noticed even with wall mounted gates the longer they are the weaker they get in the middle when put straight across an opening. For my large opening I ended up putting one of these (wall mounted) http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/...egoryId=117479 because I could angle the sections to make it sturdier in the middle - it has worked great for at least 3 years now.

For your kitchen area can you maybe just gate the child off in a different area of the house?? Even use something like the above playyard/gate to give him a safe play area while you are cooking? Not sure you'd find what you and DH both want that will keep a curious toddler out, LOL!
Reply
Tags:gates, safety issues, stairs
Reply Up