Baby Gates -- When to Remove?

[OrionGrad]

How old were your kids when you stopping using baby gates at the top & bottom of stairs, and how did you decide it was time to take them down?

[ladymoreta]

I took mine down when I realized it'd been months since I'd shut them and that both kids could open them on their own. So probably before you get to that point. I'd say once they can walk up and down the stairs reliably without falling.

[OrionGrad]

We had gates all over the place in our last house, but it was a 1920s house where the stairs were super steep, all wood, limited rails, etc. Our current rental is just one story, so we haven't needed baby gates at all. Now with the boys being almost 2 and 4, so I'm trying to decide whether it's worth investing in a bunch of gates for the new house when they can already walk up/down stairs on their own. The new stairs are carpeted, but it would still be a LONG fall if they tripped.

[SuzySunshine]

Baby Gates -- When to Remove?

When we moved into our current house R was 2. The only gate we had was at the top of the stairs and it was screwed into the wall and had actually been left by the previous owners. Once they both started opening it we removed it. I really only left it because it was right outside of his doorway and I was afraid he'd fall down the stairs trying to get to our room in the middle of the night. I still keep a few tension gates in the house for when we have guests or need to contain the dog.


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[MrsK]

We removed our bottom a couple weeks ago because lambie (2.5yo) has been climbing up the outside of the staircase and slipping between the spindles to circumvent the gate. We will probably remove the top one soon because I saw her open it herself last week. But I'm keeping it for now in case someone is wandering around at night or sleepwalking. I wouldn't want the kids to fall on the way to our room which is at the top of the stairs.

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[fluffhead]

I'd say around 2 YO. We tried hard to remove any mystique associated with the stairs by having them climb them with us a bunch when able. We moved into a new old house when our youngest was just a couple months, and we never even installed them there.

[Pollyanna]

We never installed baby gates. If you have taught your kiddo how to safely slide down you should be good. The only caveat to this is if they come down to you in the middle of the night you should be confident that said kiddo can manage that while sleepy. There really isn't a "right age" just a "what is safe for your kiddo" and only mom and dad can determine that.

[diggitydot]

Um, we never baby proofed for the kids, but we still have baby gates up to keep the dogs out of rooms we don't want them in.

Sorry, I'm no help.

[ladymoreta]

We had gates all over the place in our last house, but it was a 1920s house where the stairs were super steep, all wood, limited rails, etc. Our current rental is just one story, so we haven't needed baby gates at all. Now with the boys being almost 2 and 4, so I'm trying to decide whether it's worth investing in a bunch of gates for the new house when they can already walk up/down stairs on their own. The new stairs are carpeted, but it would still be a LONG fall if they tripped.

In that case, I'd skip the gates since they're already pretty comfortable with stairs, unless you want it for containment. I liked the one at the bottom of the stairs so I could keep a closer watch on them during the day.

[MrsC]

We have one at the top and bottom but they stay open during the day now. I would be concerned about DS (2.5) going walkabout at night so I would probably keep one at the top. The one we have would be very hard for a kid to open.

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[civilspouse]

We took them down when our youngest was about 2.5. She had been able to open them herself for a while but like others said I was worried about her walking around at night. The top of the stairs is right by our bedroom. So far so good though. I think you should be ok without them or only in limited places.


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