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Buying Guide for Baby Safety Gates
Selecting the Best Safety Gate to Keep Your Baby Safe and Secure
Buying Guide for Baby Safety
Gates
It is unavoidable… at some point helpless immobile newborn babies turn into
active youngsters. You can be certain that active youngsters like to get into
any and everything humanly possible when exploring their new world!
The best thing you can do to protect your baby is invest in one or more
safety gates. Safety gates are a must have item for child proofing your home and
ensuring your baby is safe from the moment he or she starts crawling.
Styles of Safety Gate
There are many different styles of safety gates available. Mounted and pressure
safety gates are the most common.
Mounted safety gates are an excellent selection for protecting children from the
top of stairs or other unsafe areas. You need to mount a safety gate permanently
to your wall for it to work properly. Most feature swinging doors that click
into place when installed correctly.
Pressure gates are less expensive, but worthwhile because they can be moved from
place to place easily and conveniently. You can place this gate between two
walls or in a door opening. The gate provides suction between the structure and
barrier to prevent your little one from squeezing by.
Tips for Selecting the Best Gate
When buying a gate for the first time keep in mind the following:
- JPMA (short for Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association) or
products with this logo are always a good alternative. The association works
with many safety agencies to develop high quality baby products including
safety gates.
- Size: you need to make sure you buy a gate that is the correct size for
the space you plan to install it in.
- Strength: remember that when it comes to safety gates pricing does
relate to quality. You want to be sure to invest in a gate that is sturdy so
your baby can’t easily move it out of position.
- Slats: if you opt for a gate that has slats, make sure that they are
spaced close together so your baby doesn’t accidentally squeeze a loose limb or
head through. Slats should be only 2 to 3/8 of an inch apart.
You should never by gates used at garage sales. Older gates including those made
before 1985 were made with openings that may be dangerous for your baby. You
should also remember that a safety gate doesn’t guarantee a 100 percent safe
environment for your baby.
Always remember to keep an eye on your baby even when he is playing in a ‘safe’
area. Sometimes a safety gate provides just enough time for you to reach your
baby and scoop him or her out of harms way.

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