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If you have a curious toddler, you don’t want them to have access to stairs, kitchens, and other potentially dangerous areas of your home. A baby gate can give you peace of mind by corralling them into or blocking them from a certain space. To help you in your search for the right size and design, the This Old House Team researched the best baby gates on Amazon. Learn more about our top five recommendations below.
Top 5 Baby Gates
- Best Size Options: BalanceFrom Walk-Thru Safety Gate
- Best for Large Rooms: Regalo Adjustable Baby Gate
- Best Outdoor Gate: Perma Child Safety Retractable Baby Gate
- Best Decorative Gate: Summer Infant Decorative Baby Gate
- Best Entry-Level Gate: Toddleroo by North States Baby Gate
Best Size Options: BalanceFrom Walk-Thru Safety Gate
BalanceFrom Walk-Thru Safety Gate
- $34.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Materials: Steel and plastic
- Color: White
- Size: 30 inches tall
- Features: Offered in multiple sizes
What Customers Are Saying
Many users thought this baby gate was easy to install and created a sturdy barrier once it was in place. Most parents said the gate door was easy to open and close, but some struggled with the bottom latch.
Best for Large Rooms: Regalo Adjustable Baby Gate
Regalo Adjustable Baby Gate
- $89.99
- $109.99
- 18% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Materials: Steel and plastic
- Color: White
- Size: 28 inches tall and 192 inches wide
- Features: Offered in multiple sizes
What Customers Are Saying
Happy customers appreciated the wideness and adjustability of this baby gate. They could size it to fit their exact needs. Some reviewers used this gate to corral puppies. However, some customers couldn’t adjust the gate as much as they wanted because their package arrived without all of the hardware.
Best Outdoor Gate: Perma Child Safety Retractable Baby Gate
Perma Child Safety Retractable Baby Gate
- $50
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Materials: Fabric and plastic
- Color: Gray
- Size: 33 inches tall and 55 inches wide
- Features: Offered in multiple sizes and colors
What Customers Are Saying
Customers with small pets and curious toddlers had success using this retractable gate, citing its light weight and transparency in their positive reviews. Some users liked its easy one-handed operation, but others said it didn’t retract smoothly.
Best Decorative Gate: Summer Infant Decorative Baby Gate
Best Decorative Gate: Summer Infant Decorative Baby Gate
- $74.99
- $79.99
- 6% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Materials: Metal and plastic
- Color: Bronze
- Size: 36 inches tall and 48 inches wide
- Features: Offered in multiple colors
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers liked the look of this baby gate. They appreciated that they could set up the door to swing in or out. However, users with uneven walls and floors had issues securing this gate in place.
Best Entry-Level Gate: Toddleroo by North States Baby Gate
Toddleroo by North States Baby Gate
- $30.18
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Key Features
- Materials: Plastic
- Color: White
- Size: 26 inches tall and 42 inches wide
What Customers Are Saying
Overall, users liked this baby gate’s light weight and easy installation. Many reviewers found the gate to be sturdy despite its plastic construction. However, some users didn’t like that it had small holes near its sliding parts, as children could jam their fingers by sticking them through these openings.
Buying Guide for Baby Gates
Looking after your baby can be an exhausting task. With gates, you can keep your baby from venturing too far, making it easier to supervise them while you take care of other household tasks. As you shop for a gate that fits your child’s and home’s needs, here are some factors to keep in mind.
Installation Method
Basic baby gates use bars or brackets that attach to your walls. This hardware is often adjustable to fit your doorway perfectly without screws or nails. For a baby gate at the bottom or top of your stairs, we recommend a model that drills into your wall or stair banister, as it will be more secure if your baby pushes on it.
Size
Baby gates are typically a few feet wide to fit between doorways, hallways, and stairways. However, wider models can span 10 or more feet. You can use this extra reach to turn the panels into a playpen that contains your child in a smaller space within your living room.
Ease of Access
You have to climb over basic baby gates, which can be cumbersome if they’re several feet tall. However, most middle-of-the-road and high-end models have a built-in door.
While it should be easy for parents and babysitters to operate a baby gate, you don’t want your baby to learn how to open the door. If your gate has a retractable, sliding, or swinging door, make sure that it’s more complicated than a basic bedroom door. For example, have a pedal, button, or another mechanism that you have to time with opening the door.
Material
Many baby gates are made of metal because it’s durable, sturdy, and rigid. However, plastic and wood are also common materials. You may see fabric for retractable models.
Style
Baby gates are temporary, so looks may not be your highest priority. However, you may have several young children you’ll need to corral for years to come. Baby gates come in different colors, materials, and styles. With the right design, your gates can look less like an eyesore.
Baby Safety Tips
Parenting is no easy task, no matter how old your child is. However, as your baby begins to crawl and walk, keeping track of them can become more of a struggle. For their well-being and your peace of mind, here are some safety tips.
- Stay close to your baby while they’re awake. If they’re asleep, you can place them in their nursery with a monitor or security camera to keep an eye on them.
- Keep music or other noise to a minimum so that you can hear what your baby is doing.
- Never use a pet gate for your baby. Although there are baby gates that double as pet gates, ensure the model you’re interested in is approved for babies. Look for a Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association (JPMA) certification if you’re in doubt.
- If your child is old enough to understand you, communicate with them that the baby gate isn’t a toy.
- Make sure that all of your wall outlets are covered.
- Store medications, cleaning products like laundry detergent and window cleaners, small objects, and other items that may be a poisoning or choking hazard in a locked or out-of-reach location.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Gates
Who needs a baby gate?
Anyone whose baby or toddler is starting to crawl or walk is a suitable candidate for a baby gate. You can also use a baby gate as a pet barrier to keep your puppy or kitten away from certain areas of your home.
Do I need to screw my baby gate into my walls?
If you’re using the gate to block a doorway, it’s likely fine with just the pressure-mount system. However, if the baby gate is at the top of your stairs, it’s safer to screw it into your walls. You don’t want the gate to come loose if your baby leans on it, as this could result in them falling down the stairs.
When should I stop using a baby gate?
It depends on your parenting style as well as your house layout. However, most parents stop using baby gates when their children reach 30 pounds or three feet tall because they’re large enough to knock over gates at this point.
Can I travel with my baby gate?
Yes, you can travel with your baby gate. You can fit smaller, basic models in your vehicle. You may need to check the baby gate if you’re traveling by air. We don’t recommend traveling with a baby gate that is oversized or requires semi-permanent installation.
Why Trust The This Old House Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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