You know baby gates matter—but what types of baby gates are right for your home? Chances are that your home’s layout means that you’ll need more than one type of gate. Use this quick guide to learn about each option’s options and advantages.

Mounted Baby Gates

Mounted baby gates attach directly to the walls or doorway where they provide a barrier. Some gates are pressure-mounted, using tension to stay in place, while others are physically secured to the walls with fasteners like screws. This style of gate offers more security and peace of mind than some other types of baby gates.

Safety features these gates have may include extensions for wide hallways and entryways, motion detection lights, and latched doors that don’t create pinch points where babies can reach. Mounted baby gates are best for children aged 6 months to two years, as they’re beginning to crawl and toddle around but shouldn’t leave safe areas of the home. They’re often used in bedroom doorways and to block off hallways.

Installation is relatively simple. Once the hooks or brackets are attached to the wall, you can simply hang or screw the gate in place.

Baby Gates for Doors

Baby gates for doors are often mounted gates designed specifically for installation in standard doorway sizes. They create a simple barrier so young children stay inside safe rooms or away from potentially dangerous areas like kitchens and bathrooms. By installing a gate, you can keep the door open, allowing for more visibility and peace of mind.

These gates are also ideal for children between 6 months and two years of age, though they can also be installed sooner to keep dogs out of a nursery. Key safety features include strong fasteners that can withstand force as toddlers push against it or use it as support while standing, child-proof latch buttons, and a reasonably short height so children can’t climb the gate.

To install, you need only secure the brackets or fastener hardware on the far edge of the doorframe, not the side where the door closes. Positioning it opposite the door hinges means you can keep the gate in place while closing the door at night.

Baby Gates for Stairs

It’s also important to have baby gates on your home’s stairs. If your child’s bedroom or playroom is upstairs, you should have a gate at the top, and you should have one at the bottom at all times. Your home’s layout may require two gates. These gates ensure your child can’t climb up the stairs without an adult present.

Important safety features include a child-proof latch, a self-closing door construction, and an extra-wide gateway through so adults don’t trip over them. The best time to install these gates is when your child is six or seven months old and starting to crawl. But once your child is old enough to open or climb the gate, it’s time to remove it—that way, you don’t risk the toddler climbing to the top of the gate and falling down it.

Freestanding Baby Gates

Freestanding baby gates allow you to create defined play and crawl areas that are safe. If you have an open living space, there won’t be convenient doorways or hallways you can use. Instead, freestanding baby gates often come with fence panels so you can enclose portions of the room that are safe for babies and toddlers.

These gates are relatively simple to set up and take down, as they are not intended to be left up as permanent barriers. They are self-supporting and have slightly wide bases, and these gates should have child-proof latches. However, it’s important to note that these gates can be pushed and moved around with a bit of effort, so it’s important to always have an adult supervising the enclosed area.

Schedule a Home Evaluation

Installing baby gates makes your home safer and can give parents peace of mind. But with so many baby gates on the market, it’s hard to know which ones to use at different times and in different areas of your home.

At Precious Baby, we specialize in helping families choose the right gates and have them safely installed. Contact us today to schedule a home evaluation and have your gates ready before your baby starts to crawl.