Baby Gate Features
A child safety gate, otherwise known as a baby gate, is designed to block your child’s access to rooms or staircases. Some products are versatile enough to handle doorways and stairs, but in many cases, baby gate manufacturers are anxious to market their wares more broadly than they should. For the top of stairs, you should really consider a stair gate designed expressly for the purpose of accommodating the more peculiar angles of stair railings.
Baby gates are typically between 26 and 40 inches wide, which should be adequate for most doorways, and 30 to 34 inches high, which should discourage most toddlers from reaching over. If necessary, extra wide and extra tall gates are available. Some parents have found that after trying to install their new baby gate, only to find that it fell an inch or two short, so it’s important to actually measure the doorway instead of assuming that it’s compatible. This is a problem with traditional baby gates that can be obviated with a retractable model.
Instead of using a rigid frame of wood, plastic or metal, a retractable baby gate uses a polyester mesh screen that extends and retracts into a rolling mechanism, much like a window shade turned on its side. It’s not uncommon for retractable gates to extend to 72 inches, so there’s less of a need to measure your doorway beforehand. They’re also are easier to stow away when not in use, since the roller is detachable from its mounting bracket.
Baby gates are fastened in place with either pressure mounted brackets, which require less installation, or screw-in brackets, which are less likely to egress over time. Easy access for adults is an important consideration. Parents need to be able to walk through the doorway while leaving the installed frame in place. Almost all gates have a center panel with its own hinge and some form of quick release latch in the form of a hand-operated lever, a foot pedal, a knee pedal or all through. With the latch, the baby gate does exactly what it’s designed to do: facilitate access for adults, while preventing access for children.