Babies can go from crawling to walking in a little over six months. You can also bet that they’ll be leveraging their newfound physical ability to indulge their curiosities and explore every bit of their surroundings. As such, you must take extra precautions to ensure their safety during these times.
Baby gates are a godsend for parents with children between six and 24 months. Experts advise parents to use these instruments only until their little ones figure out how to open or climb over them.
There’s also the matter of safety issues related to the poor installation of baby gates, which have made some parents hesitant to have them installed. While a notable concern, indeed, it’s not something that should stop you from using a baby gate if you need it. When installed correctly, this tool holds a great many benefits for you and your child.
Why You Need Baby Gates
You can find baby gates useful for plenty of reasons, among them are:
Child Safety
The risk of children getting themselves in dangerous situations is significantly higher when they’re more mobile. As soon as your babies are able to crawl or walk, you can position safety gates in doorways, at the top or bottom of the stairs, or around dangerous areas, like the fireplace, to keep them safe.
Your Peace of Mind
Baby gates are also for your peace of mind. As curious as your little ones are, they won’t hesitate to explore the unsafe parts of their surroundings once they see an opportunity. While it’s important to encourage curiosity and discovery in children, you should limit it to secure zones until your kids are at an age where they can venture farther safely.
Secure Play Zones
You can limit play zones to the safe areas of your home by closing off entryways to the kitchen, stairs, bathroom, or any area that’s out of your view. To make play zones even more secure, you can utilize a baby play yard to create a detached enclosure.
Separating Pets from Babies
It’s never a good idea to leave pets alone with children who are still too young. No matter how child-friendly your pets are, they can still be a danger when they feel threatened.
When it comes to pets being around babies or newborns, even the tiniest risk is a risk too great. You can keep your kids and pets separate by using baby gates. In that way, they won’t end up playing together unsupervised and accidentally harming each other.
How to Install the Different Types of Baby Gates
The many horror stories that revolve around baby gates have made a lot of parents hesitant to use them. Since most of these stories stem from the poor installation of these gates, we’re now going to discuss the different kinds of baby gates and how to set them up correctly.
1. Pressure Mounted
There are pressure-mounted baby gates that are placed into position by the pressure coming from the two surfaces the instrument is positioned between. Aside from being easier and quicker to set up compared to its counterpart, these gates are also non-damaging to walls or entryways. On top of that, they can be transported from one place to another with ease.
If you’re looking to bar your child from entering an area where falling isn’t a hazard, then the pressure-mounted gate would be a great choice.
2. Hardware Mounted
A hardware-mounted gate requires you to drill holes in doorways or walls and secure the gate into place by screwing. Go for this type of gate if you’re interested in a more permanent barrier between your little one’s play zones and the unsafe areas of your home, like the kitchen, bathroom, and fireplace.
Hardware-mounted gates are also the safest solution for areas where falling is a hazard, like the top of the stairs. This is because they will remain in place securely even when pushed by your child or a pet.
Baby Gates to Steer Clear Of
Not all baby gates are a good idea. For instance, you don’t want old or hand-me-down gates to act as barriers between play zones and unsafe areas. These gates are usually outdated, have safety issues, or have unsafe features that could potentially put your child in harm’s way.
Final Thoughts
More often than not, to keep your little one safe, you’re going to need state-of-the-art baby gates installed correctly in doorways or entryways to unsafe areas of your home. With these gates barricading areas like the kitchen, bathroom, fireplace, the top and bottom of the stairs, and the backyard where your pets are, you can greatly reduce the risk of your kids getting hurt as they explore their surroundings. This, in turn, brings you peace of mind and keeps you from being worried and stressed about your child’s safety.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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