What are baby gates?
When a new baby comes into our lives, we must do everything possible to make our home safe for the new little one. There are several items and pieces of equipment on the market today that protect our little darlings from danger, from escape, and from themselves. One of the most useful and practical items that every home can use is a baby gate. Baby gates are plastic or wooden gates which attach to walls and doorways in order to prevent a mobile baby from entering an area that might pose a danger, or that we simply don’t want him to enter. Baby gates were first invented as rickety wooden contraptions designed to keep a baby from falling down or crawling up a staircase. These early baby gates were inconveniently bolted to the walls or doorway at the top and bottom of the stairs, successfully keeping baby safe, but often posing a danger to the adults who were forced to climb over them or detach them each time they needed to use the staircase. In the past couple of decades, baby gates have
Each year, more than 2.3 million children age 14 and younger are treated at emergency rooms for fall-related injuries, according to National SAFE KIDS Campaign. Infants are most likely to fall from furniture, baby walkers, and stairs; in fact, 76 percent of baby walker-related injuries are caused by falls down stairs. Prevention is key. Nothing, of course, will ever take the place of parental supervision. There’s no getting around that. However, baby gates, installed properly, could be a literal lifesaver when it comes to keeping your children safe. Baby gates are also a handy tool for keeping kids or pets corralled, making your job a bit easier. There are two basic types of baby gates: Pressure gates, or tension-mounted gates, and hardware-mounted gates. Pressure gates generally cost less and are easier to install. However, they are also much easier to knock out of place. Also, these gates usually must be removed and replaced each time you want to get through an opening, meaning they
