Baby gate safety facts
What more than 20 years of baby proofing has taught us about choosing, positioning and using baby gates safely.
Choosing a gate
What to know before you buy
Suitability
Gates are for the whole toddler stage
Baby gates keep toddlers away from household dangers from the time they start moving on their own until they understand danger, usually between 6 months and 3½ years.
Toddlers are prone to sleep-walking, so many parents leave stair gates in place well beyond this stage as a physical safeguard.
Gates are often labelled as suitable "to 24 months". That's a legal disclaimer, not a performance limit. Quality gates generally perform well beyond the toddler years, but real safety depends on the quality of installation and ongoing maintenance.
Zoning
Zone your home instead of baby proofing all of it
Toddler-proofing a whole house can be costly. Gates let you create "safe" and "exclusion" zones instead, which cuts costs substantially.
Many parents use our modular gate system to turn part of a living area into a large, safe play space that's easy to watch from the kitchen or dining room.
Height
Choosing between 71 cm and 104 cm
Every gate comes in two heights. The 71 cm gate is perfectly adequate throughout the toddler years.
The taller 104 cm gate suits older toddlers who have started climbing, and pets that can jump.
Staircases
Statement staircases need custom solutions
Most modern two-storey homes have a statement staircase that off-the-shelf gates can't close off. Our range of gates, combined with our fixing techniques, can resolve almost any stair situation.
Positioning & installing
Where and how a gate goes matters
Set the gate back from the top step
A badly positioned gate can create more danger than it prevents. A gate with a base rail should sit at least 40cm back from the top of the stairs. Positioned too close, a caught heel can send someone toward the drop, with no floor in front to recover their footing.
Never pressure-mount on glass
An unsupported newel post can bend under constant pressure and, in the worst case, destabilise entirely, needing major structural repair.
Don't pressure-mount on an unsupported newel post
Even toughened glass at least 10mm thick is put under stress by the constant pressure of a pressure-mounted gate, and any impact could shatter it.
Protecting precious kitchen surfaces
Many toddler accidents happen in the kitchen, so it's a good place to close off. We can fix gates to precious surfaces like laminate, stone, timber or any smooth finish, and they can be removed without damage when you follow our instructions.
Close off dangerous balustrades
Dangerous balustrades can lead to severe falls and must be closed off. Compliant balustrades are 90cm to 110cm high, depending on the age of the building. That's perfectly adequate for toddler safety, as long as nothing climbable sits against them. Never place mobile or lightweight furniture in this area.
Using your gate
Everyday habits that keep it safe
Children copy what you do
Children learn by watching from day one. Many parents step over their gate instead of opening it, especially taller ones. Chances are you're being watched, and your child will copy you as soon as they can.
Always open the gate properly, and try to hide how it opens and closes with your body.
Manual latches over self-closing gates
Self-closing gates rely on delicate springs that need frequent tuning, and daily use can make them fail, more so as your toddler gets stronger and more dexterous.
Manual operation is the only failsafe way to know a gate is latched. We recommend avoiding self-closing gates where the danger is high, like stairs or separating children from boisterous pets.