Safety gate buying guide

Choose a gate with a straight top edge and closely spaced, rigid, vertical slats or a fine mesh screen. If you choose a model with mesh panels, look for a fine weave, because wider holes could provide a foothold for climbing or trap fingers. Follow the safety recommendations in the owner's manual for installing and using gates.

Finally, no gate is a substitute for careful supervision of your baby or toddler. Never leave your child unattended.

A portable pressure-mounted gate or two is an easy way to make a hotel room or a relative's home safer for your young child. When traveling with a baby or toddler and visiting friends or relatives, install a pressure-mounted gate at the bottom of stairs--never at the top--and use one to block access to rooms you consider unsafe, like a living room with a fireplace or a kitchen when people are busy cooking. Also use gates to block off bathrooms, since toddlers have been known to defeat childproofing devices on cabinets, drawers, and even toilets.

Properly installed hardware-mounted gates are the most secure type of safety gate, although no gate is guaranteed to be childproof. This type of gate--often made of wood, enamel-coated steel, or aluminum tubing--is installed by screwing brackets into either a door frame or framing behind the walls. It should not be screwed into drywall or plaster alone. (You can fill in the holes with wood putty or wall-patching compound when you no longer use the gate.) Some of these gates can be removed from the mounting hardware when you want to open a passageway. And some models, such as the Regalo Easy Step Walk-Thru Gate shown here (about $30), can be used as either a hardware- or pressure-mounted gate.

Like its name suggests, a pressure-mounted gate is held in an opening by pressure against the door frame or walls. This eliminates the need to drill holes for hardware, although the pressure can still leave marks. Some of these gates, like the Learning Curve Single Set Pressure Safety Gate, about $30, shown here, have two sliding panels that adjust to make it fit the opening (you remove the panels or slide them to the side to walk through), and a pressure bar or some other locking mechanism wedges the gate into place. A swing-style gate, like the Regalo Easy Open Super Wide Walk Thru Gate, about $30, is another option. Pressure-mounted gates are often made of wood, enamel-coated steel, or aluminum tubing. They can also be made of plastic, wire, nylon mesh, or plastic-coated wire, which might be framed with end tubes and top rails of either wood or coated metal. A few, like the First Years Everywhere Gate, about $40, or the Supergate Clear Choice Pressure Gate, about $20, have transparent panels made of plastic.

Basic pressure gates fit openings between 26 and 38 inches, give or take a few inches depending on the model. But some manufacturers offer wider models--as much as 62 inches. Some narrower models have optional extensions or extension kits you can purchase separately. One gate we found, the Summer Infant Sure & Secure Custom Fit Gate, about $100, can expand to fit openings as wide as 12 feet.

To discourage an adventurous child from climbing over a gate, the one you buy should be at least three-quarters of your child's height. (Gates must be at least 22 inches high.) If he's tall for his age, go with a higher gate. Some are as high as 39 inches, like the Dream Baby Extra-Tall Walk-Thru Baby Safety Gate by Tee Zed, for about $80, shown here. Generally, though, when a child is taller than 36 inches or heavier than 30 pounds (usually at about 2 years of age), a typical safety gate should no longer be relied on to constrain him.

Look for sturdy construction and an even finish. Wood surfaces should be smooth, splinter-free, and with rounded rather than squared edges. Metal might be more durable than wood. Some gates have a support bar that crosses the floor beneath the gate, which could cause tripping when the gate is open. Also look for a label from the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, which certifies that the gate meets certain safety standards. And check for a permanent label with the name and address of the manufacturer, distributor, or seller so you have a place to contact if the product. There should also be a clear warning statement label.

Safety gate slats should be vertical slats or bars less than 3 inches apart to prevent head entrapment. But that could still be enough space to let an adventurous toddler get a foothold on the gate's horizontal bottom rail in an attempt to climb over the gate or go for a ride on the swing-out door. This could lead to injury and could also dislodge and/or damage the gate.

Many gates, such as the First Years Slimline Gate (pictured), about $60, have a dual-action latch, meaning that you have to push down on it to release it. This can be done with one hand. Try different types of latches in a store to make sure they're easy for you--but not your child--to use. A gate with a squeezing mechanism opens by compressing parts of the gate, but this type of latch can be difficult to use, so be sure to test it in a store. Another option is a pressure-release handle, which can be lifted with one hand to open the gate. Some models, such as the First Years Hands-Free Gate, about $50, have a foot pedal to release the latch.

Many gates click to signal that they're latched. Others, like the Safety First Perfect Fit Gate, about $45, have a color indicator showing when the gate is latched. The Safety First Alarm Security Gate shown here, about $65, goes a step further by sounding an alarm if the gate is left open (adults can deactivate it). But it's always a good idea to make sure any gate is latched after you close it. An alarm or other indicator is a nice feature, but nothing replaces checking with your eyes and hands.

Many gates can be mounted to odd areas, such as stair balusters, angled banisters, and drywall where there is no wood framing behind it. But you might have to purchase an installation kit for these areas. Kidco, for example makes a $32 kit that allows you to clamp a gate onto newel posts without drilling. The company also has another newel-attachment kit for about $13 that does require drilling. And it has a kit for use at the bottom of stairs that attaches a pressure-mounted gate to a baluster (which the company calls a "spindle.") Some gates also adjust to fit irregularly shaped areas or very wide ones. You can slide some hardware-mounted gates out of their wall mountings, which is a bonus when, say, you're entertaining and don't want the gate in the way.

A hardware-mounted gate is harder to dislodge than a pressure-mounted one. That's why it's the only safe choice anywhere there's a falling hazard, such as the top of a stairway. For less-dangerous areas, such as between rooms, a portable pressure-mounted gate might do the trick.

Safety gate slats should be less than 3 inches apart to prevent head entrapment, or even closer to avoid letting feet or hands slip through.

Look for sturdy construction and an even finish. Wood surfaces should be smooth, splinter-free, and fashioned with rounded rather than squared edges. Look for a gate with JPMA certification.

Bring width measurements of doors or openings to the store. And try to avoid gates that will need to be at their maximum width to fit, because they might not provide enough security for an ambitious toddler.

If possible, test models in the store to make sure that they're easy for you to use. Once you choose a gate, don't forget to show visitors and or baby sitters how it works. Warn them to resist the temptation to climb over the gate rather than open it.

The gates with diamond-shaped spaces between the slats and V-shaped openings at the top pose safety hazards. Newer gates with a similar look have a horizontal rail or filler bar across the top to make the gates safe. You might run across gates with the open V-shape in a secondhand store or flea market, or perhaps someone will offer one to you. But we don't recommend them, even those that meet current ASTM standards.