Looking for Child Gate Suggestions

Hello, we had a similiar situation with our open staircase to the basement. We ended up with an Eddie Bauer wooden gate from Babies R Us/Toys R Us that we really like. To remedy the attaching to 2 post dilemma, my husband cut a piece of oak 1"x3" to fit the height and screwed it to the top and bottom of the post (we have a section that's square block on top and bottom). For the railing side he notched the oak piece and we ended up with a nice flat surface to mount the gate to. And in several years when the gate can come down we only have 2 holes on each side to patch instead of 10 or 12. I hope I'm explaning this clearly! If it sounds like something that would interest you, feel free to send me a message with your email address and I'd be happy to send pictures. Good luck! Oh, and our daughter can't open the gate, it's actually somewhat tricky but once we figured out how it works it was no problem to open one handed - very secure to keep the little ones out!

Evenflo makes a great wooden stair gate. They also now have an attachment that mounts onto your railing w/out causing any damage. My 7 yr old can open the gate but my 4 yr old and 18 month old can not. It swings both directions and expands as well. Here is a link.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2909941

And here is a link to who makes the bannister attachment so you do not have to screw anything into your wood. This works great. It adds to the cost but well worth it to save from the price to fix your bannister in the future.

http://www.amazon.com/Stairway-Gate-Installation-Kit-KidC...

Cardinal Gates Stairway Special is a great gate for the top of stairs. It's unique latch makes it more difficult for children over the age of 2 to open.

I would recommend a No-hole gate mounting system for attaching the gate to your rail posts. You will need one set for each side of the post.

If these items aren't in your local stores, you could contact your local child proofing company for assistance.

If you're in the Omaha area, you can order from my company Heartland Baby Safe LLC. We offer safety consultations, sales and professional installation services.

Hi, We used one that's actually a pet gate but it worked great. It's metal and is tension mounted. It has a "door" to open so you can walk through instead of having to step over it or put it up and down all the time. I don't remember the brand but we got it at a pet store. Good luck!

I LOVE this gate. We have one at the top and bottom of both sets of stairs when we have a little one.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2909941
For mounting it between two posts, I have seen people tie a board to the post and mount the hardware on that. Does that make sense?

Hi T., We love our gates, and have them attached to 2 wood posts with the adapter kit that is available separately. It is pricey, but we felt it was worth it because it was rated to hold the weight of an adult leaning on it. (We also got it so our cat could sneak under it.) Your four year old probably could not open it - but once an adult gets used to it, we can do it with one hand while holding our son in the other. We got a similar cheaper The First Years gate for the bottom of our stairs, but it is not as nice as the Lascal one.

http://www.amazon.com/Lascal-Kiddy-Guard-Gate/dp/B000HI3Y...

If the link does not work, it is called the Lascal Kiddy Guard Gate - and it is available at amazon & brus.

For the top of the stairs you definately don't want a pressure mounted gate. If a child leans on a pressure mounted gate too hard or shakes it the gate can fall.

We bought a mounting kit from Babies R Us that allows you to connect a gate to your wooden bannister without drilling into the bannister. It has plastic pieces that fit around the bannister and then you drill the gate into the mount. It was easy to assemble and I don't think it cost too much. I don't remember the brand but you can find it on their website.