Find the Right Children's Safety Gate at Child Safety Store

Stop accidents near stairs and other areas before they happen. Childproof now.

When toddlers begin to crawl, installing children’s safety gates becomes essential. In addition to supervision, they’re your best line of defense to keep children out of unwanted areas and away from danger. Unprotected stairways and other areas of your home are true dangers to toddlers and small children. Restricting access 24/7 with baby gates is the solution, whether it’s a fireplace, a pet’s eating area or even outdoor or indoor handrails etc.

Child Safety Store sells a wide range of baby safety gates that are attractive, sturdy, easy to use and very safe. Whether you need to add a safety gate to a doorway, stairway, or any other place in your home, we have flexible mounting options and models to cover virtually any scenario in your home no matter how small, wide, or unique the area may be. With our customer reviews from parents, helpful product videos, and a team of childproofing experts here for you, you will find the right baby gate for your home.

Types of Baby Gates Parents Can Consider

There are quite a few different children’s safety gates on the market, but Child Safety Store has hand-picked and curated the very best collection for parents, especially for those challenging areas in your home like stairs and banisters. Gates vary by features, heights, widths, size of openings, installation methods, how they are operated, and materials, to name a few. Here are some common types of gates you may need:

Mounted Baby Gates for Stairs

Stairs can be a challenge especially if you want to protect banisters or limit drilling directly into them. Child Safety store carries children’s gates for stairs including:

• Top of Stairs baby gates
• Baby Gates for Stairs with Banisters
• Baby Gates for bottom of stairs with banisters

Pressure Mounted Baby Gates

Pressure mounted baby gates appeal to many parents because they appear to be easier to install and create less damage to your home. They apply pressure to hold the gate into place without requiring drilling. They are also more portable. Pressure mounted baby gates are not actually much easier to install and they can be less secure than mounted gates. They may also cause damage to your walls (over time, they can stick to your wall or paint and may be less easy to fix than patching a few screw holes if you remove the gates in the future). Plus, they may loosen over time. Pressure mounted safety gates can also not be used on the top or bottom of stairs and they require a threshold bar that runs along the bottom so there is no 100% opening. A child or even an adult could trip.

Hardware Mounted Baby Gates

By contrast, mounted baby gates are thought to be sturdier but require drilling holes into walls, banisters, and doorways. They are more permanent fixtures but also much sturdier and strong. They can be used on the tops and bottom of stairs or anywhere else, so they are more versatile. If moved, holes can be patched and sealed/repainted easily in most cases.
Which should you install? Child Safety Store recommends hardware mounted baby gates. They’re the safest, strongest option.

Baby Gates for Doorways

Doorways between rooms or on bedrooms, for example, restrict access very efficiently. Baby gates for doorways is a very popular use. Many have gates that can be swung open. Some options:

• Baby Gates for Kitchens and Bedrooms
• Baby Gates for Hallways
• Baby Gates with Doors

Retractable and Expandable Children’s Safety Gates

Many parents need flexible options. When you do, a retractable gate such as the KidCo Retractable Safeway Gate White/Black is a great option. In other cases, you need a gate to cover extra wide areas. Cardinal XPanda Gate – Black or White. You can add as many extensions as is needed without limitation.

Aluminum and Steel Baby Gates

The material your gate is constructed of impacts its strength and reliability. At Child Safety Store, we use the strongest materials. For example, in aluminum the Cardinal Gates Stairway Special Baby Safety Gate - White is excellent. In steel, we recommend KidCo Angle Mount Safeway Baby/Child Gate | White & Black.

Angle Mount Baby Gates

When mounting points are not straight across from each other, angle mounted baby gates are what you need. Many doorways or a banister and a doorway to do not line up. When they don’t try using KidCo Angle Mount Safeway Baby/Child Gate | White & Black. When an extension is needed, KidCo Angle Mount Safeway Gate 10" Extension are available.

Pet Gates

There are also pet safety gates on the market. Our store focuses on gates for children.

Safety Gate Brands We Carry

At Child Store, we carry the brands Cardinal, KidCo and Safety1st. Many people ask us, “What are the best baby gates?” Our answer is that all three of these brands have something to offer and all three are popular choices. The best gates maximize safety and solve the unique safety concerns of that particular area of your home.

Child Safety Gates Buying Guide

Below are some helpful buying tips to show you what you’ll need to install a gate as well as safety and shopping advice you can consider:

What You Need to Install a Baby Gate

Before you select a baby gate, ask yourself these questions to help make the right selection:  

• Where exactly is this gate going in my home?
• What is the size opening I need? Take width measurements. For stairs, remember to measure the opening size at the top and the bottom of the stairs.
• Do the walls (or wall and banister) line up where you want to install a gate or are you going to need an angle mount gate?
• Will it be wide enough, or will I need extensions?
• How tall is the gate when installed? Will it be the correct height?
• What type of opening or door do I want or need? What is the width of the door?
• What type of door type so I need/want? e.g. swinging, sliding
• Will the gate door automatically lock?
• Can I open it with one hand?
• What materials do I want my gate to be made from?
• What paint or finish color do I want?
• Do I have all the tools I need to install the gate once purchased?

In general, you need to buy and assemble:

1. The actual baby gate
2. Any baby gate extensions
3. A baby gate or staircase gate installation kit that has materials and fasteners necessary to properly install any child safety gate
4. Required tools and hardware

When installing any baby safety gate into wood banisters, drywall, or wrought iron, you need a safety gate installation kit that comes with the materials and fasteners that can work in these challenging situations or when you don’t want to drill directly into a banister. We recommend the KidCo Gate Installation Kit. Can be used with any brand.

When installing on a staircase, consider the KidCo Stairway Gate Installation Kit. One kit is required for each side of the gate that is being mounted to a banister.

When choosing and installing a baby gate, you should consider the following:

• Be proactive and install gates before your toddler begins to crawl. Generally, gates are for children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years old.
• Put gates at the foot and the top of staircases, on doorways, and in hallways as needed.
• Use gates to keep children away from dangerous areas of your home like the kitchen.
• Some are safer than others. Hardware mounted gates are the most secure and stable. Accordion gates are not as secure. Pressure gates can be pushed over, so they should only be used in between rooms or in hallways, and never on stairs.
• That the gate bears a safety-approved label (certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association).
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• Make sure the gate is free of splinters, cracks, and anything that could catch on a person.
• Check the specs to ensure that the gate is the correct size for the space that is being blocked.
• When installing safety gates for stairs, ensure the gate is hardware mounted at the top and bottom.
• Extra wide safety gates are ideal for non-standard door openings and long spans of space.
• When you need to expand past a doorway or walkway and create a ‘dip” into a room, expandable gates can be considered.
• Avoid raising the height of the gate to the point that your child could crawl under it.
• Make sure you keep safety gates closed at all times. Children are curious and they are fast!
• Consider a gate that allows easy one hand operation for adults. They are great when you are holding household items, or, of course, your baby, too!
• Use gates with auto-closing latches and auto-lock features to add an additional layer of childproofing.
• When mounting points are not straight across from each other, angle mount gates are an excellent option for top of stairs and areas where walls do not match up, and they are easy to use.
• Many baby gate brands have quick release hardware so that it is easy to remove gates as needed — hardware systems range from wall-mounted to pressure-mounted gates.
• Look at what your safety gate is constructed from and look for durable, sturdy materials that will last. We advocate, for example for steel, aluminum, and hardwood construction, to name a few.
• Remember that they can be used to keep pets out of unwanted areas -- and away from children, too.
• To make outdoor decks and balconies safer, rail nets help prevent children from the areas between rails. If you have a pool or waterway nearby, extra precautions such as mesh pool fences and gates are strongly recommended.

Shop child safety gates now here at ChildSafetyStore.com!

We carry the best baby gates for stairs, doors, and hallways from Cardinal Gates, KidCo, and Safety 1st, whether you need a standard or expandable size. Our gates are in-stock and ready to ship. Orders over $50 come with free shipping! Order online today.

FAQS

Can I use a pet gate as a baby gate?
It’s not recommended. Many pet gates are pressure mounted and can be pushed out of the way by both children and animals. Most importantly, a child could get out. Hardware mounted gates are the safest and the most secure.

Where should I place safety gates in my home?
Stairways (bottom and top), high traffic doorways, “dangerous” areas of the home such as kitchens, hallways, and bedrooms, are all common areas to install gates.

What are the best safety gates for children inside the house?
The safety gates we sell are well-made and inexpensive for the size and functionality.

Are children safety gates easy to install and set up inside my home?
Our lines of child safety gates are easy to install and made with durable material. You’ll be able to position the gates in any door frame or area of your home.

Will my child safety gate last long?
Child safety gates are made with quality material that last a long period of time. The frames are great and close securely.

How can I tell if the child safety gate will fit my door frame?
Our child safety gates are designed with adjustments on all 4 corners of the gate in case your doorframe, wall, or stair rail isn't straight/lined up.

What should I do if the child safety gate doesn’t fit my door?
You will be able to use the extensions to make your child safety gate fit your doorframe.

How long should I have my child safety gates installed in my home?
We advise installing gates in homes with children between 6 months and 2 years of age. Once a child begins to climb the gates, it’s time to take them down.

Why is it important to install safety gates in my home?
Child safety gates are important ways to keep children out of stairways and other potentially dangerous areas of your home.

Can I use my child safety gate to protect my pets from harmful accidents?
Yes! Our child safety gates work great for children and pets inside your home.

Should I install my safety gate at the top or bottom of the stairs?
Install the child safety gate at both the top and bottom of the stairs to ensure maximum safety for your children. Small children can climb up the stairs but may have difficulty getting down. A gate at the bottom of the stairs will prevent climbing altoghether.

Safety Precautions to Take After Installing a Baby Gate

Even if your home is properly childproofed, it only takes a second for a baby or toddler to fall, get into something they shouldn’t, or put something dangerous in their mouths. To keep your family safe, you should also:

• Know where your children are at all times, your watchful eye is the best way to safeguard young children. Parent supervision is always the first layer of protection.
• Install video baby monitors and cameras to keep an eye on your children if you need to leave them unattended.
• Ensure every adult in your home knows how to perform CPR.
• Have a fully stocked first-aid kit in your home.
• Keep important numbers displayed or saved as emergency numbers in your phone - this includes primary caregivers, poison control, and your child’s doctor.
• Carpet stairways to make them less slippery