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misc.kids FAQ on Babyproofing - Hearths
Archive-name: misc-kids/babyproofing/hearths
Posting-Frequency: monthly ================================================== ============================= Childproofing a Hearth ================================================== ============================= From: Harry Jenter, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston VA Thanks to everyone that responded to my original request for hearth child-proofing. Here is a collection of the responses that I received. They're grouped loosely into three categories: 1) physical modifications to the hearth 2) teaching the child to avoid hearths 3) erecting a barrier or placing pads on the hearth I've editted them a little to reduce space. ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Mike Fields) What we did for our hearth that has worked out very well was to get some of those steel angle sheet rock corners (light wt. steel angle iron equiv about 1-1/4 X 1-1/4 inches) and glue polyfoam pipe insulation with a 90 degree wedge cut out of it to the angle. We then screwed the angle to the hearth after drilling small holes with a masonary bit. Works great! and the advantage of using the steel angle instead of gluing directly to the hearth is that when the kids get older etc, it is easy to remove, leaving only the small mounting holes. Of course, you have to watch for them trying to eat the stuff when they are teething (as well as anything else they can wrap their gums around!!) We also used the foam insulation on the aquarium stand that I welded up (80 gallon tank ) for the front room. The pipe insulation comes in 6 foot lengths (I think) and is only a couple of dollars per length. It is avail in a number of sizes, although the most common one seems to be for 1/2 or 3/4 inch pipe. This has an outside diameter of about 2 inches. It is available in off-white, brown, gray and perhaps some other colors. hope that saves someone's head/teeth!! ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Grace Sylvan) There is a company that advertises in _Mothering_ magazine. Protect your Child from dangerous fireplace hearths. Starts at $39.95, custom built 6 colors. Call 404-717-0088 Baby Bumpers, Inc. 479 Loma St. Liburn GA 30247 Disclaimer: I have not ordered one, and I don't represent the company, just passing on info that I remembered seeing ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Monica Fortner) What we did was cover some sheets of 1/2 inch cork with clear contact paper and then fasten that to the fireplace with Liquid Nails. The cork was about the same color as our brick, so it looked ok. It has held up for 3 years. My biggest concern is when we want to sell the house, we may have trouble removing the Liquid Nail spots. ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Diane Segelhorst) I forget where I read this idea. It may have been on misc.kids, and the originator will mail you a response as well. Just in case (s)he doesn't, I'll try to summarize what I remember. Take some of that metal or plastic outside corner strip. It is about 3/4" by 3/4". With small cement or brick anchors, or burred nails, attach this to the brick corner of the hearth. Use as few nails as will hold it securely. Then take the foam pipe insulators that you can get at a hardware store. Cut out one quarter of the insulator, and glue it to the metal stripping. This provides a nice cushioned corner. When you are ready to remove it, all you will be left with is the few small nail holes you used to hold the metal stripping in place. I'll _try_ to do an ascii sketch, but who knows if it will help you understand what I mean! ____ / \ Foam Pipe / __\ Cover | | ______ Metal Corner stuff \ | | ________________________ \___| | | | | Brick Hearth | | EDITORIAL NOTE: I received a phone call from Mike Fields who described this solution in great detail. He may have been the original poster mentioned above. Thanks, Mike. --Harry ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Laura Floom) If you cant baby proof it, then the best thing to do is to teach him how to climb up and down safely. I have some cement steps in my front and back yard, and that's what we did. ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Diane Lin) We have a similar situation--brick fireplace which is never used, but it's one of the only Off-Limits areas we have in our place left :-). We just instituted a simple rule: the fireplace hearth was off-limits. So, when Dylan started making his way over there, we would say (very calmly and in a normal voice) "off-limits." Then, we would pick him up and transport him to a safer area, and try to distract him with something fun to play with. He would keep testing (at 10 months, so will your son, I imagine) but after being faced with the same, exact reaction from us, he soon tired of the test. We wanted to save using "no" for really serious things, like life or limb-threatening situations. BTW, he started crawling over to the fireplace at about 7 months, and now, at 15 months, he rarely even looks that way, because he knows what will happen--consistency is all important in the early limits placing, IMHO. We don't make it fun for him to go to the off-limits areas (no swooping in the air, for instance), but will make it more fun for him to avoid that area. Friends of ours took a different tack--they surrounded the hearth with big pillows in case their sons took a fall. Well, unfortunately, that worked only for a little while, until the kids were big enough to push the pillows out of the way. And, it didn't help the kids learn that *all* fireplace hearths should be off-limits. When we visit other houses, Dylan automatically avoids the hearth areas. Maybe he just doesn't have a fascination with bricks :-) ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Lynette Atwood) I have the same problem at home. For our first child we had to cut a large cardboard box (I believe it was a windshield box) and tape it around the hearth. It looked tacky as hell but saved our little monster's head. With this new baby (9 months old) we planned ahead. We had my brother-in-law (who works for a plexiglass manufacturing company) make a shield which goes around the three sides of the hearth and is about 24 inches high. All corners are rounded off and the top has a small (4 inch) shelf which faces in towards the fireplace to prevent cuts. The plexiglass doesn't distract from the rest of the home. ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Chris Phillips) We never use our fireplace. So I covered the whole lower part with cardboard (leftover from moving boxes). It is still somewhat hard, but at least is not as bad as brick or stone. It also helps a little to have the bends in the cardboard a bit away from the corners they cover. You would have to take it away when you had a fire (it could catch fire). ************************************************** ***************************** From: Craig Seidel If you don't mind UGLY, I've heard of people finding a box the same size as their fireplace. I covered mine with plywood until we could teach our child to keep away. ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Betsy Mandrus x2331) We had this problem so my husband built a fence around the hearth and covered it with some inexpensive but tough carpetting. ************************************************** ***************************** From: gatech!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ames.arc.nasa.gov!ver We have a free-standing fireplace in the middle of our living room (we didn't design the layout!). It's our primary source of heat, and we have a 3yr old and a 19 mo old, so we need pretty good child-proofing. We use a big child-gate -- I think they're also called portable playyards. It's one of those accordian things made out of panels; each panel about 3 ft long, 18 ft long total. We wrap it all the way around. I bought it at a garage sale for $5. I've seen them in stores (ToysRUs, baby stores) and catalogs for alot more -- about $60-$70. The other similar situtation we had was with the coffee table -- we decided it's an essential piece of furniture, but it's also the source of alot of bumps. When my son was learning to walk, I made a pad out of foam rubber covered with cloth. It wrapped all the way around the table and fastened with velcro. Unfortunately we took it off when he seemed steady on his feet, and didn't put it back on for the 2nd child until AFTER she ran into it with enough force to require 4 stitches. The pad isn't pretty, but neither were the stitches! ************************************************** ***************************** From: When our oldest daughter was that age she was fascinated with the hearth (a raised brick platform) also. We stopped having fires, obviously, so we weren't worried about the flammability of a hearth pad. We used an ensolite foam pad, the kind backpackers used to use and held it down with duct tape. It was pretty apparent to anyone who entered our living room that there was a toddler in the house! But of all the tumbles she took that launched her into the hearth she never got so much as a bruise. Gradually the hearth lost its appeal, we removed the foam pad, started having fires again, and found new things to worry about. But I will always remember the time I walked into the living room just as she was climbing onto the hearth and she looked over her shoulder at me and said "no-no. Hot!", laughed, and continued climbing up onto the hearth. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Laurie Hafner We purchased 6 bedsize pillows (inexpensive ones) and my husband's grandmother made covers for them to match the colors in our living room. We prop the pillows up against the fireplace. They have provided an excellent barrier to the bricks. We have not had any accidents so far - thank goodness. We have a 28 mo old and a 14 mo old - both boys who are very rough and tumble with each other. When we use the fireplace, we remove the pillows and are always right there to make sure they don't get burned or bumped. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Jean Jasinski We bought a 2 inch thick piece of foam the length of the hearth and covered it with a blanket. The foam extends over the front edge which is also draped by the blanket so if they hit the top edge, they don't catch the edge of the hearth. We also put some corner guards on the corners. It doesn't look the fanciest, but I am more concerned with my kids' safety. ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Debbie D. Harden) We, too, have an "evil" hearth. For awhile, a thick blanket draped over the hearth worked well. Then James learned how to pull it off. We received a mail-order cat. called "Perfectly Safe." In it they have hearth bumpers you can purchase, but you have to call for a $ estimate. If you're interested, I can bring it in tomorrow and e-mail you their number. ************************************************** ***************************** From: (Debbie D. Harden) The company is called "Perfectly Safe." Their customer service number is 1-800-837-KIDS, Monday - Friday, 0900-1700. They show a similar shield for coffee tables that costs $44.95 to fit tables 93" - 192" around. The hearth guard is pictured on page 22 of their catalogue. If they ask for a number on the mailing label (to see which catalogue you're talking about) it's FA170. -- Harry L. Jenter U.S. Geological Survey COM: (703) 648-5890 FTS: 959-5890 Mailstop 430, National Center "Sometimes you're the bug. Reston, Virginia 22092 Sometimes you're the windshield." ************************************************** ***************************** From Thu Jul 2 13:20:10 1992 childproofing a woodstove These are used widely in New Zealand. Studies have shown that children rarely touch woodstoves deliberately, as they are usually deterred by the heat. ( Adults are the main culprits, as their faces are generally too far above the stove to feel the heat ) most cases of burns in children are caused by them tripping and falling against the stove. Skin will stick to the glass doors and cause terrible burns. The best safeguard against this is a wrought iron ( or sometimes aluminium ) "cage" around the stove. Even a couple of inches from the stove is effective, as the cage prevents contact with the stove. Although the cage may get hot from radiation, it will not cause burns. Vertical bars twelve inches apart are effective. Here, the cages are made at reasonable cost by people who make gates, fences, pool enclosures, etc. Many are made by D.I.Y . ************************************************** ***************************** From: Susan Raymond, University of Michigan I have a source for babyproofing a hearth that I would like to mention. In the last paragraph a man from New Zealand mentions putting a wrought iron cage around a wood stove and that many local craftsman make these. I had a hard time finding one here in the US. (Although it would seem logical to sell these at wood stove stores.) The following catalog carries a wrought iron cage at a reasonable price. For about $60 plus shipping and handling: Plow & Hearth P.O. Box 5000 Madison, Virginia 22727-1500 24 hr ordering 1-800-627-1712 toll-free fax: 1-800-843-2509 Customer assistance: 1-800-866-6072 ************************************************** ***************************** From: Tom McBrine We have a fairly large hearth on our fireplace (8' long, 2 1/2' deep and at least 8" high). What we did was build a wood cap which incased the hearth on 3 sides, padded it with 1" styrofoam, and covered it with contact paper in a color that matched the rug in the room. Due to it's weight, there's no need to anchor it down. It ain't going anywhere! You can't have fires, but it has really saved our kids from serious injury. Just the other day our oldest, Jenny (2 1/2 yrs), tripped on a toy and when she fell her forehead struck the front corner of the padded hearth. She cried from the impact, but there wasn't a scratch on her. This is a good example of why I feel teaching a child to avoid the hearth isn't good enough. Accidents do happen! ************************************************** ****************************** |
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misc.kids FAQ on Babyproofing - Gates
Archive-name: misc-kids/babyproofing/gates
Posting-Frequency: monthly ================================================== ============================= Additional Information on Gates ================================================== ============================= From: Judy Leedom Tyrer, Locus Computing Corporation, Los Angeles, California Well, I can tell you I hate ours. We got one that you don't permanently attach, but it uses a foot clamp that pushes two rubber pads up against the edges of the doorway. Well, it falls out with the slightest provocation. I think it was made by Gerry. Grey with a blue foot pedal. It DOES have hinges you can use to permanently attach it, but we wanted to be able to move it from room to room. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Rober Plamondon, WEITEK, Sunnyvale CA Every gate I've seen is junk. They all work real hard for a "no tools necessary" installation, and it makes them unreliable, unwieldy, and expensive. I'm looking for a "great big cordless screwdriver required for installation" gate myself. Anybody know of one? Robert Plamondon, ************************************************** ***************************** From: Pat Homsey, AT&T Bell Laboratories, New Jersey Sorry, don't have one of those. :-) But I do have one I've been able to live with. I don't know the name but I'll try to describe it. We actually bought it when we had a dog (pre-kids era). It's a white gate with plastic cris-cross mesh with openings about 2 sq.in. on a diagonal. It stays in place very nicely with tension bars at the top and bottom. You have to turn them to tighten against your door jam. It doesn't take much time to tighten or loosen. It's also short enough that I can step over it and I'm 5'4". The kids were unable to climb it due to the small openings. Crude picture alert! ________________________________ )------------------------------( - there area knobs at the four |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| corners that tighten/loosen. |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| )______________________________( -------------------------------- ************************************************** ***************************** From: Nichael Cramer, Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA We found a *great* one (well, two actually) at Somerville Lumber (which, of course, means nothing if you're from outside New England). Unfortunately, we've had it for +3yrs, so I don't remember the brand name or anything. I'm going to steal Pat's picture to give you some idea what it looks like. | | |XI ________________________________ XXX| |XI )------------------------------+---X| |XI |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| o|X| W |XI}{|\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |X| W A |XI |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |X| A L |XI |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |X| L L |XI |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |X| L |XI |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |X| |XI |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |X| |XI |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| |X| |XI}{|/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\| |X| |XI |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/| /XX| |XI )______________________________|/XXX| (Pieces not to scale) |XI -------------------------------/ XXX| |XI___________________________________XXX| Basically, it's a hinged gate. Two permanent attachments are made to the adjoining walls, but the itself gate is removable. On the left, the "X" part is attached to the wall. In cross-section it looks like this: |XXXXXX |X****X (Wall)|X******** .... |X******** |X****X |XXXXXX Where the "X" is the part attached to the wall and the "*" is the part of the gate to which the hinge is attached. The gate part can be lifted out and moved to be used in another doorway that has its own the "permanent" pieces in place. (The "permanent" part is attached to the wall with 2 [3?] screws and was very simple to attach.) On the right side is the "latching" mechanism. This is a little hard to draw, but in cross-section this looks like: ------------ | ********* XXXXXXX| ... ********* XXXXXXX| (Wall) ********* XXXXXXX| ------------ | Where the "*" is the gate and the "X" is a strip that is attached to the wall. The "-" part is one piece that slides up and to the left (i.e. towards the center of the gate) and so swings free of the part attached to the wall. (NOTE the "o" in the main diagram is a "bullet-latch" to keep the moving part in place.) This is almost impossible to describe and/or to draw, but is really very simple in real life. We have two which we use at the top of stairs. They're pretty heavy duty and have lasted us through two kids with no mishaps so far. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Kate Gregory, CSRI, University of Toronto Yeah, the Gerry that Judy hates :-) [Robert deleted the part where she said it screwed into the wall but they wanted to move it around]. We bought it because it was one of the few screw-into-the-wall types available, and we we had quite a clear run up the the top of the stairs. We were concerned that Beth could work up a full head of steam, smash into the gate, and knock a rubber-bumper- type right out of the doorway. Various people told us that was indeed possible. So we bought the Gerry. It is really hard to open. In fact I was insisting we should take it back till I suddenly got the knack. We had to teach everyone to open it, and I usually had to help the first 4 or 5 times. Somehow that didn't make us just leave it open. It was also VERY hard to open from below, because as you push on the foot switch it gives a little when opening from the other side. All in all though, I liked it and would recommend it. There was no other place we wanted to gate, so a movable gate held no appeal for us. In fact I liked the fact that this one hinged like a door and was waiting for you when you came back to close it. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Deantha Menon, University of Colorado, Boulder (PMH) writes: It's a white gate with plastic cris-cross mesh with openings about 2 sq.in. on a diagonal. It stays in place very nicely with tension bars at the top and bottom. You have to turn them to tighten against your door jam. It doesn't take much time to tighten or loosen. we also have one of these for the dogs. it works well for its barrier purposes, but it leaves marks on the walls that require paint jobs to repair. so unless you don't mind marred walls..... ************************************************** ***************************** From: Clare Chu Ayala, Nynex Science and Technology I wish I had asked before getting that gate. It is made by Gerry and we failed utterly at installation. We drilled the doorway and put the hinges in. Little did we know that the hinges would be so unsteady. Basically even with the hinges in, you still need to push the rubber pads up against the edges of the doorway. If the doorway is not perfectly parallel, it doesn't fit correctly. We got it because it had a foot pedal and we thought (incorrectly) that my mother-in-law would be able to use it without bending down. Now it is just $30 junk sitting in her closet. Incidentally, we do have a Supergate (about $20), and that gate has a kit inside that has 8 plastic cups (4 for doorway, 4 for rails) that you can screw into the doorway. We screwed 4 in (2 on each side) at the same level as the rubber pads. Now that gate is easy to put in (just fit it in between the plastic cups, extend and latch). Our son can no longer understand why he can't push the gate down anymore! We might try using the remaining 4 plastic pads (for rails) with that blasted *#%@#!& Gerry gate (I don't know if it'll work), but if it did, we'd only use it without the foot-pedal, taking the time to twist the two tightener knobs every time and forget about it swinging. For pressure-rubber gates try the SuperGate (I got mine at Service Merchandise). It is grey, has diamond-like plastic pattern, and has a plastic lever-like latch in the middle that you can bend down in 3 positions to get the desired tightness. We've found that after installing the 4 door pads, we only have to use the least tight position. This also evened out the non-parallelness of our doorway. That gate also has hardware for hinges (although we haven't tried that since it works pretty well with just the pads). Don't get the Gerry gate, it's worthless!!! I wish I could just get gates that have hardware on both sides. Maybe I'll make one myself. I'll use the Gerry gate, drill some holes and attach a hinge on one side and a latch on the other side. That's an idea. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Laura Floom, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA For a good mail order source try the Perfectly Safe Company (1-800-837-kids). I had a gate that I bought locally, but is also available thru them. It is wood and has vertical slats. On each side of the door frame you connect two eyebolts. Then there are three hooks (2 on one side, one on the other) that hook into the eyebolts. Then instead of a hook for the forth eyebolt there is a little clamp thingy that keeps the whol thing from being taken off too easily. You can remove the whole gate easily (and with extra eyebolts - use it in more then one location), or you can disconnect the side with the clamp and swing it aside, You can even collapse it in a bit. The come in two sizes. One fits most standard doors, and the other size expands up to 96 inches. The gates cost $19.95 for the 27"-48" model and 39.95 for the 52"-96" one. I used the larger one to seperate the living room from the dining room. Worked great. I am not good at describing this sort of thing. P.S. I think it is made by Cosco, but dont hold me to it. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Steve Albert, AT&T Bell Laboratories In article , (Mike Fields) writes: On to the reason for the post. What we have is called the "Walk-thru Ultra Gate" by Nuline industries in Wisconson. It locks/releases with a latch at I have to toss in another endorsement. We use the Ultra Gate in 3 different spots, each of which is installed slightly differently. The gate is very easy to open/close (for an adult) and can be mounted in what might otherwise be "non-protectable" spots. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Steve Glassman uunet!decwrl!steveg We made very simple (but effective) baby gates (or fences) with 2x4's and 1 inch dowels. Cut 2 2x4 lengths equal to the width of the doorway. Drill 1 inch diameter holes about 5 inches apart (measured from center of one hole to the center of the next - 6 inches is too wide since it leaves a 5 inch gap between the bars). The leftmost and rightmost holes should be only about 4 - 4.5 inches from the ends or the end gaps will be too big. Cut the dowels to 2 foot lengths. Assemble with one 2x4 on the bottom, one on the top and the dowels in between. Baby gates tend to be virtually permanent (from about 6 months old to ?). So you can just nail the 2x4's to the wall. The result is secure and looks pretty good (especially if you finish the 2x4's and dowels). We used the railing from a banister as the top of the gate, so that it looked a little nicer. We also did a slightly fancier connection to the wall, just in case we wanted to take it down temporarily (we haven't yet). The only tricks are cutting the 2x4 lengths correctly for moldings at the base of the wall, and adjusting for the width of the moldings when drilling the holes for the dowels so that the dowels line up vertically. Measure carefully. ************************************************** ***************************** From: Jeff Richards Just read your FAQ on Baby Gates and found that no one mentioned the ones that we have. We are quite pleased with them and have bought 3, one for each entrance to our kitchen. They are made by Fischer-Price and cost around $25.00 US. (or at least they did 2 1/2 years ago). They are the rubber-pressure type, and if _really_ pushed on hard (harder than a toddler will push) if installed correctly will move. If installed or adjusted incorrectly, they will not stay up at all. When installed correctly, I would lean against it with all my 190 lbs to determine if I had it right. The catches are a) the walls must be no more than 38" apart, no less than 30 " apart (I may be a little off on the dimensions) b) the walls must be flat c) the gate must be adjusted _properly_ and installed _properly_ d) the gate must be installed with the _adjustment_ controls on the _OUTSIDE_, meaning, so the kid can't get at them These gates have the same diagonal criss-cross design that all the other plastic gates appear to have. As mentioned, they are adjustable. You can even re-adjust it in about a minute if you want to move it somewhere else. To adjust it, you release the controls, size the gate to the opening, take the gate out of the opening, manually size the gate to 1/2 to 1" larger, then re-clamp the controls. Then, you just grab the handle on the top, and push the buttons (two, one for a lefty or righty), put it in the opening, and release. Pressing the buttons _pulls_ the pressure spots in. Since you size the gate _larger_ than the opening, the pressure holds it in place. Taking the gate down or putting it up with your right hand while carrying a 20 lb. toddler is no problem at all. One caveat. I would _NOT_ use this gate at the top of a stairs. For the top of the stairs I actually had to install a 2x4 on one side, and drill into some faux-wrought iron to install one of the accordian style gates. We have never had a problem with the Fischer-Price gates. Is it that no one knows about them, or that they are considered a no-no that it's not in the FAQ? ************************************************** **************************** From: Mary Csernica In article , (Marie Goldenberg) wrote: We need to put gates at the top of 2 stairways, plus one in an open doorway (no door, just a passageway) between the kitchen and living room. Several people have told me not to put the swing-out type at the tops of stairs, so I guess the sliding type are the only ones to use. 1. Looks like the sliding type must all be removed to walk through. Is this true? 2. Someone at the Baby Superstore told me that none of the gates are 'approved' for stairtop use - something about the manufacturers being afraid to make this claim for fear of liability suits. Are there any that are actually approved for stairways? 3. Because of the way the stair rails go, the first gate I bought was too tall and would not fit. Looks like a 24" tall gate would fit - are there any out there? 4. A neighbor who has the same floorplan said theirs was (he thought) a Safety First; and it attaches using hardware, in such a way that it fits on the front of the newel posts, rather than between them. Anyone know where I can find one of these (the neighbor didn't remember)? Any general recommendations for/against a particular gate? ...Mom to soon-to-be-mobile 'Fang'... I don't know what your floor plan is like, but we have a split level home where the stairs are pretty much part of the main living area, so we wanted to _be sure_ that whatever we put would be safe. Since it's split level, the whole staircase area is really two staircases wide (one up, one down). And there's just a metal bannister between. Here's what we did: First we bought some pegboard and tied it in several places to the metal bannister so Peter wouldn't get his head stuck or fall through. Then we basically built a half door: we nailed piece of panelling to a frame built of 1x4's, screwed a small 1x4 into the wall, and hinged the two together. The door is just slightly wider than the staircase going down, so it hits the bannister/pegboard when closed. There's a hook and eye on the bottom of the back side to hold it closed. We then use a cheap pressure-type gate on the half of the staircase that goes up. This is wedged between the wall and the pegboard. I don't know if this makes sense to you, but if you want more information, let me know. ************************************************** **************************** From: Michal Peri, Gordian; Santa Ana Heights, CA We have a gate we use at the top of our stairway. It has two spring-loaded catches on each side that clamp onto eyelets screwed into the wall. If you unclamp the catches on one side it swings open (the catches on the other side act as a hinge). You can also unclamp the catches on both sides to completely remove the gate. It was the only gate we found that did not explicitly warn against use at the top of stairs. The gate is a Gerry. It cost about $20-25, I think. We got it at HomeBase. They had a better selection of gates at a lower price than the baby specialty stores. ************************************************** ***************************** |
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