My mother in law actually had these gates and we used them frequently at her home. Then, after a while, she gave them to us to use. We originally did not use or want these gates, but we soon found out they can be very helpful. But, there was a drawback to them. But, if you are in the market for a gate for either babies, toddlers or pets, this might be one you want to consider for use in your home!
The Product
This is a pressure gate that you can use in your home and you do NOT have to install any bolts, screws or ruin any doorways or walls! That is a huge plus when you are considering buying a gate. If you have a standard doorway, you can use this without a problem. If you have a larger than normal doorway this will likely work for you as well. This gate will work in doorways ranging from 26 inches wide up to 40 inches wide. This gate stands 26 inches high.
Another benefit is if you have wrought iron, this gate has what they classify as rail sockets that allow the gate to be used between railings which is very nice if you need this feature! The box also normally includes hardware to actually attach the gate to a wall so that you can use it as a swinging hard mounted gate allowing you to place this gate at a stairway. But, if you do not attach it to the wall and are only using the sockets to suction up on the walls, it is not recommended that you use this at a stairway. (Now, maybe with pets, that would be an ok thing to do. But, with toddlers, it’s not a good thing, as the gate will not be that sturdy for keeping a child from getting on the stairs.)
These gates do use a pressure socket to attach or adhere to the wall when you set up the gate. If you open the gate and use the lever on the side (that should be opposite of where you child is) you can open the gate, snug it into place and you are set!
The lock down lever is a hard plastic lever that needs to be pushed down from a 45 degree angle to the lock down tabs on the back of the gate. This is what is connecting and locking the sockets down on your doorway or walls to keep the gate up and in place. If you have the gate cock-eye, you will not have all of the sockets locked down and it can be easily pushed or kicked over. But, if you have all sockets lined up and are locking the gate down, it can be quite a hard to push this plastic lever into place and lock the gate down by pushing the lever into the little hole to hold the lever down.
Every time you take down the gate and want to put it back up, you will have to adjust the gate’s width to match the doorway size. It does not hold the position and it will always slide back to the 26 inch position unless you use a bread tie or something to maintain the desired width. We always altered where we put the gate and the doorways were different sizes, so we did not lock it into a position at all, but it could be done giving you a little more control and less resetting if you wanted to do it!
One nice thing about this gate is that it does afford you the luxury of installing the gates, as mentioned, with the wrought iron railings. But, it also allows you to put on these door sockets that adhere to your wall or doorway and you slide the ‘bumpers’ or little rubber or plastic suction type things into these door “cups” as I call them and it gives you added protection. But, you will want to be aware that these sockets or u-shaped cups will be fastened to your door way or wall with a sticky tape which could ruin your paint, wallpaper, or finish.
We just chose to use the friction fit of the bumpers or suction cups and did not have any trouble. But, again, we were constantly with our child, playing and she did not work on the gate to try to get somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be. I never used this to keep her there when I was working here, making her want to be where I was. It was more a buffer in case I turned my back briefly and she made a break for it.
We have a family friend whose child had been walking in their sleep, briefly, and to protect him, they would put this up in his doorway. If he tried to get up and walk out of his room, they would hear him before he would get out of the room because he would be stopped by the gate. This gave them ample warning and time to get to his room to protect him from getting in the bathroom or walking outside without their knowledge.
These gates do have rounded corners and overall it feels very smooth. We never noticed any rough edges or spots where the plastic was rough. The actual gate itself is a light grey color and is a neutral one that should fit almost anywhere. The gate portion (not the outer boundaries or edges) has a triangular pattern. Therefore, if you must leave the room briefly and your baby is up at the gate, they can look through the triangle and hopefully still see you so they don’t get scared (until they realize that you will come back and don’t get scared when you leave their sight).
Overall Impressions
This gate is very nice to have, inexpensive and durable. We never had any issues using our gates for many uses, including outside on the deck. The only wear and tear we have had over the past number of years was the rain water making some of the instructions printed by the lever start curling up along the edges. But, even then, the instructions are still legible and stuck on the gate very firmly!
The gates have served their purpose in my in-laws home and our home for a few years. When my daughter first started walking, we used them to keep her safe and out of the bathroom and then when she transitioned from her crib to her bed we used it at her doorway to ensure that she did not walk out in the middle of the night without our knowledge. Now, she’s way too old for us to use these and they have went to another home where they will help a grandma keep her 8 month old contained should she need to and not have to worry that her little grandbaby might sneak into some place that it should not go!
These gates, for the price are very strong, durable and the suction cups and alternative uses (wall mounting for stairways, wrought iron mounting) make these gates a great option. If you are in the market for something like this, check this product out.
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