Another upstairs hall/stairs safety improvement: an attractive baby gate!

Another upstairs hall/stairs safety improvement: an attractive baby gate!

• 1.14.2021

Our stairs/upstairs hall just keep getting better! A while back we removed the carpet and painted up here, and then last year we replaced the wood balusters with metal ones that are close enough together to be safe. A month or so ago I installed a wool runner on the stairs--so much safer and nicer! And now, we've installed a baby gate at the top of the stairs to contain our exuberant toddler when we're upstairs with him and the baby, and just don't always have enough hands or eyes to keep him nearby.

Baby gates are not always attractive, but I found a really elegant one that even goes with our stair railing/balusters!

Thank you to KidCo for partnering with me and providing this gate for my review!

Here it is! 

At the bottom of our stairs we have a door with doorknob, so we don't need a gate down there. This is our upstairs hall, which has two large closets to the right and our bedrooms and upstairs bath behind and to the left. You hardly notice the baby gate--it's simple, low-profile, black, and would go with almost any style of home so it even works in our historic home. (It also comes in white which would blend in with white walls and stairs.)

It locks in place with pressure from above, and releases easily when you use a (strong adult) hand to push on the triangle part on the wall/stair post and pull up. The stop pin keeps the gate from swinging over open stairs (the gate opens towards you away from the stairs), 

If you're like me you may not have thought much about the baby gate market until you went to purchase one... but KidCo, the company that makes this gate, actually pioneered metal safety gates in the U.S. market over 25 years ago. Even now they offer the only gate that allows you to mount on an angle on both sides.

The Safeway baby gate we used is specifically designed for top of stair use but can also be used in hallways or as a room divider. They have lots of options of baby gates, including those for angled areas and much longer runs. You can put one around a fireplace, around a large landing at the bottom of a staircase, whatever!

Because of the way our stairs are, and the location of the window, we couldn't put it right at the landing or top of the stairs, so we lined it up with the stair post right before the closet door. Because it was so close to the door trim, we had to add a narrow piece of plywood we cut and painted so the gate could open all the way. In most locations you wouldn't have to do this and could just install it with the template it comes with, super easy installation.

So happy with this simple addition giving us peace of mind when hanging out upstairs with our little ones!!

You can shop KidCo simple, versatile, attractive baby gates here and check out their brand and all their kid/safety products here.

Thank you to KidCo for partnering with me and providing this gate for my review!