Any parent will tell you that nothing comes before their child’s safety. Having child-proof gates installed is important to your child’s safety. The exposure to hazards increases as the young one becomes mobile. To ensure that your child is safe whenever they move from one point to the other inside the house, you need to deny him or her access to certain areas with good quality child-proof gates.
The easiest way to do this is by restricting them within a certain perimeter using a baby gate. The biggest issue as far as buying a baby gate is concerned becomes knowing when the most appropriate time to buy is. Let’s look at the probable times when you should hit the stores and buy your kid this all-important safety equipment.
Considering Getting Child Proof Gates?
Before the Baby Becomes Mobile… Most parents, especially first-time parents, tend to think that it will be a long time before their baby starts to crawl. However, times seem to fly when you’re tendering the newborn, and before you know it, they are crawling from one place to the other.
Crawling is part and parcel of a kid’s development, and you should let them explore. However, you need to ensure that you’re not caught off guard when the toddler becomes mobile. Thus, it’s imperative that you acquire child safety gates before your child starts to crawl. Most kids gain the ability to crawl when they are aged between seven to ten months.
Therefore, if you consider installing the baby safety gates when the baby is about six months old, you will be adequately covered. If six months is too early, you may keep a close eye on how quickly the baby develops crawling skills. Your child will start crawling slowly, but as they advance, they will be moving from one room to the other within the blink of an eye. When you can no longer keep up with your child’s crawling speed, it’s time you consider safety gates.
If You Have Stairs in Your Home… The top of stairs child-proof gates is a must-have when your house has stairs. For some reason, kids are attracted to stairways and will try to climb on them more often. Falls from stairs are one of the leading causes of home injuries to kids. The risk is even greater when the child accesses the stairs from the top. The likelihood of the kid tipping over the stair and sliding all the way to the bottom is very real and should be adequately addressed through the installation of some child-proof gates.
If your child is under two years, you should buy safety gates for installation at the bottom and top of the stairs, but the top is the most important spot. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety, you should buy safety gates that can be screwed into the handrails or the walls for the top stairs. There are many types of baby gates that will provide extra safety, and it’s almost impossible for your kid to dislodge them off the position. The best child-proof gates to install at the bottom of the staircase are pressure-mounted gates.
Just like the name goes, you don’t need screws to install them. They are easy to operate and can secure your kid without breaking down. Always buy new gates whenever possible. Go for a baby gate that has the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Associations (JMPA) guarantee label. Certified baby gates have gone through rigorous tests and are guaranteed to offer maximum safety, not to mention that they are durable as well. Never climb over the baby gate, as this will set a bad precedent for your kid.
Ensure that the gates are locked safely every time you pass through them and never leave them unlocked. Keep an eye on your child’s movement so as to know where to place the gate. For instance, if you notice that the young one has a tendency to visit the kitchen more often than your bedroom, place the gate at the kitchen’s opening. In other words, place the gate at the entrances leading to areas where there are more hazards as opposed to safer areas.
The right time to buy child-proof gates is largely determined by how soon your kid becomes mobile. However, you shouldn’t wait until the kid can crawl for you to buy the gate. Have the gate in your possession a couple of months before the young one develops crawling skills.