When to Use a Retractable Baby Gate
Is a retractable baby gate the best option for keeping your child out of your house’s more hazardous areas? Let’s look at how the different types of child safety gates compare against each other. The two types most familiar to parents are hardware mounted baby gates and pressure mounted baby gates. Hardware mounted brands install with a set of brackets that are screwed into their framing members — either door frames or stair posts. Pressure mounted brands install with bolts that extend out to brace against their framing members. Retractable versions are less rigid, using a polyester mesh screen instead of wood, aluminum or plastic.
Retractable baby gates operate in a manner similar to window shades where the screen winds into and out of an enclosed roller pin. The screen is drawn across a doorway, or occasionally a stairway, to close off access to children and pets. Adults that walk through the passage can either wind the screen into the roller to open the gate. Some units wind automatically with a release latch, but most have a knob for manual winding.
For quick passages through the doorway, the screen doesn’t have to be unwound; it can just be temporarily unlatched from the door frame bracket. The screen can be left fully retracted during the hours when the child is out of the house. For extra clearance, the roller can be detached from its door frame, taking up far less storage space then a pressure mounted baby gate.
When Not to Use a Retractable Gate
Designs for retractable baby gates are being continually updated, leading many manufacturers to make historically untrue claims about the capabilities of their products. In particular, many of these are marketed as JPMA certified for use as stair gates.
Installing a retractable gate at the bottom of stairs is perfectly acceptable — no different than placing one in a bedroom entrance. The problem with placing them at the top of stairs is that mesh screens lack the rigidity of wood. Screens are basically meant to discourage a child from passing through them, but a strong, tall, heavy or fast-moving child can break though the screen. From the top of a staircase, the potential for injury is clearly greater than a fall through a doorway. Retractable baby gates are ideal for temporary, changing placements, but for top-of-stairs baby gates, hardware mounted models are the best way to keep your baby safe.
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