Most manufacturers recommend that you buy a stair gate when your child is around eight months old. However, while that’s when most children will begin to cruise or toddle, it can be worth buying one before then. Even a crawling baby can accidentally fall down the stairs.
When you do decide to buy a stair gate, there are a few things you need to think about. First, there are the number of gates you will need. Each flight of stairs in your home will need to be fitted with a pair of stair gates. That’s because your baby could easily climb up the stairs and then fall down them (as well as being upstairs in the first place and falling down).
It’s also worth considering getting stair gates for areas that don’t have stairs – they make effective barricades to dangerous parts of your house! Pressure fix stair gates are not recommended for the top of stairs, and it’s recommended that you fix them so that they swing outwards – away from the stairs themselves. That’s just in case your
child leans heavily on the gate, and it accidentally opens.
Stair gates can be expensive, but they are often available second hand, and there are some budget friendly options out there too.
