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Monday, October 4, 2010

Baby Safety Gates



Once your baby starts to become mobile, there suddenly is an urgent need to “baby-proof” all areas of the home baby can now access. One tool several mothers choose to employ in their baby-proofing efforts is a baby safety gate. These gates are especially useful if you have stairs, certain rooms or hallways you do not want baby crawling in, or if you have a fireplace. There are many different kinds of gates available to be purchased, ranging greatly in function, quality, and cost. One website to visit when you are thinking about purchasing a baby gate is http://www.babycenter.com/0_safety-gates_441.bc. Here you can find great questions to ask yourself about a gate you are considering in order to make sure it is safe and suits your needs. Here are some of the main questions to consider when purchasing a gate according to this article: 

1.       Was the gate made after 1985? Most gates made from this time are not available to purchase anymore, but if you are shopping secondhand, you may encounter an expandable accordion-style gate that was probably made before 1985. These gates are hazardous and dangerous for your baby, so just say no to these.

2.       How far apart are the slats? If there are vertical slats incorporated into the gate, make sure the space between each one is not more than 2 3/8 inches. If the space is larger than this, it is not safe for your baby.

3.       Is the gate safety-certified? The gate should have a “ASTM/JPMA” certification seal on the packaging. If it does not have this seal, than the gate is not guaranteed to comply with voluntary safety standards

Although they are more expensive than their pressure-mounted counterparts, hardware-mounted gates are safer since the pressure-mounted gates can be knocked out of their place pretty easily.
Feel free to look at that website for more guidelines for baby safety gate purchasing! 

Although it does not say if the gate is ASTM/JPMA certified, this is a stairway gate I found that is reasonably priced, has over 100 great reviews, and fits the criteria listed on the website: http://www.walmart.com/ip/North-State-Plastic-Stairway-Gate/4380096

Happy shopping!

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