Safety gates (view report contents)
Buying guide
Do’s and don’ts of safety gates
Do follow the instructions carefully for fitting the gate.
Do fit it against sound walls or woodwork.
Don’t fit a gate across window openings.
Do check daily that the gate if held firmly in place.
Do check your child’s development and stop depending on a safety gate when he or she are too skilful or big for it.
Don’t use a safety gate once the child reaches 24 months.
Don’t let your child swing on the gate.
Don’t hang toys on the gate.
Don’t ever climb over a gate and don’t let anyone else.
Don’t continue to use a damaged gate or one with any missing parts.
Don’t leave a child under two years unattended even with a safety gate in place.
Do contact the Child Accident Prevention Trust for further information on safety equipment and its use.
Use on stairs
- At the top of the stairs, do not fit the gate below the level of the first stair.
- At the bottom of the stairs, fit the gate on the lowest stair.
Our research showed big differences between the gates tested in how easy they were to use for people with disabilities. Mostly the testers agreed about which were the easiest to use, irrespective of their disability.
Three gates were liked best overall and many of the testers would be happy to use them regularly. The centre opening Bettacare Auto-Close Gate (£25.99) could generally be opened one handed and swung shut automatically, closing securely with a loud click. The automatic closing was liked by most people but some with walking or sight difficulties found it closed too quickly for them, and the floor bar had to be stepped over. The Lindam Two way Safety Gate (£24.99), also centre opening, was easy to open and close securely one handed. Half the testers criticised its fairly high floor bar, a particular problem for those with walking difficulties, though overall they still liked this gate. The side opening Baby Dan MultiDan Beechwood Gate (£27.99) was particularly liked for its wide opening and no floor bar. It was easy to close and rated average for opening, with most people able to do it one handed. This gate would certainly be worth considering if you use a wheelchair at home.
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Betacare Auto-Close |
Lindam Two Way |
Baby Dan Multidan Beechwood |
Report Contents
Report Contents
About this guide
Types and what to look for
How to stay safe
Buying guide
Centre opening
Side opening
