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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Jan 12 2007 at 6:36pm | IP Logged
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Sorry if this has been discussed before. I am being lazy and not searching the archives. 
After a close-call today with my crawling baby on the tile steps, I realize I need to step up my search for good gates for our house. I am looking for a long one (72 inches) to keep her out of the hallway where the basement door is, so I don't have to count on the kids shutting the door. I also want one for the bottom of our other flight of stairs which has wooden banister rails at the bottom. There are two steps up on either side leading to that flight of stairs, but I figure a little roll off of those won't do much harm. I am sure dh doesn't want to drill holes in the wood.
A friend is going to lend me her Supergate play yard so that I can keep her safely in one area, but with all of these "helpers", I need as much protection as I can get!
As for the close-call, my 15 yr old walked in the front door just in time to catch Emily as she started falling down the tile steps! He literally scooped her up in mid-air! I was out of the room and the other kids forgot about her and went downstairs to play, with the 3 yr old leaving the door open behind her.
It was truly her guardian angel. Thank God!
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 12 2007 at 7:46pm | IP Logged
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Hi Molly - the Supergate playyard is good in some ways - but a warning if you have wood floor: it slides about - my 1 year old used to push it all around to where he wanted to go - but he could not go up or down stairs.
We ended up putting a very good gate at the top of the stairs (got it from right start) - but never found a satisfactory solution to the bottom. But I saw an article about an attachment you can get for a gate at the bottom of the stairs so that you do not have to drill into wood. Check out the Right Start website - though you can usually get their stuff cheaper in Target.
We are lucky that our basement has a door going down. I ended up usually doing a little obstacle course at the bottom of the main steps - which the baby usually figured out!!
When I design my dream house (still very much in my dreams!!!) - I think I will have a one level ranch house!!!
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Marilyn
Blessed with 6 gifts from God
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LisaD
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| Posted: Jan 12 2007 at 7:48pm | IP Logged
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So far, these gates have been the best we've used. I really like the Sure and Secure pressure-mounted gate. It's wonderful for doorframes that aren't plumb. I even use one to block off our downstairs bathtub, which is a sunken Roman-style thing just asking for a curious baby to fall into it. They aren't cheap, but they are very sturdy gates. I have had more than one cheap plastic gate break on me! I found these gates at Babies R' Us.
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Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: Jan 12 2007 at 8:00pm | IP Logged
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MarilynW wrote:
When I design my dream house (still very much in my dreams!!!) - I think I will have a one level ranch house!!! |
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We just moved here last year from a one level house. So with babies #5 & #6, I didn't have to worry about steps. Now I have to re-train myself to all the safety equipment.
I do have a basement door, which the kids do a good job closing, but it only takes once for something horrible to happen.  I will check out the suggestions. Thanks!
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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JennGM
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| Posted: Jan 13 2007 at 8:00pm | IP Logged
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Yikes, Molly! The last house we didn't have a solution, and I was a nervous wreck, because it was a three level town house, with stairs everywhere.
If you ever come into Manassas, Baby-2-Teen has some good baby gates, recommended for stairs. Was it you or Molly Smith that mentioned how you love that store? That was a while back? They stock things that are the higher rated for safety and performance (sometimes more expensive) baby items. If you're a visual person, it might make sense to visit. (And call me if you're in the area!)
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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KellyJ
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| Posted: Jan 15 2007 at 1:47pm | IP Logged
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We're using the Elongate and the HearthGate from KidCo. We had to buy extensions for at least one of the two gates. I think we bought them through One Step Ahead.
KidCo Safety Gates
There is also a ConfigureGate if that suits your needs.
We use a retractable gate for the top of a set of steps (it is rated to be used there), but I don't think it would extend as far as you need it. It is attached to one wall and can span over to a couple "hooks" to which it locks into place. It also as makes a loud noise if a little one somehow successfully retracts the gate. I can look figure out what that gate brand is if you'd like.
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KellyJ
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Topic: Baby gates
