A safety gate is the single most important home safety device when it comes to babies and toddlers. With the ability to keep your little one out of harm’s way, a well fitted safety gate can literally be a life saver.

One of the most common mistakes when it comes to fitting a safety gate, relates to pressure fitted safety gates. As the rigidity of the gate is based on the tightness of the fasteners that keep the gate in place, poorly tightened fasteners can mean the safety gate could potentially slip or fall out of place. This means rather than being a safety gate, if it is not secured correctly, as per the manufacturer’s instructions it could actually be a hazard. You can easily avoid a hazard by checking your safety gate is secure regularly and re-tightening the fastenings. No permanent fixing or DIY is required with pressure fitting gates.

A screw mounted safety gate requires a little bit of DIY as it fastens directly into the wall – but don’t despair as you’ll only need to drill a few holes into the wall with most modern safety gates. All of the fastenings are including with most modern gates. Screw fitted safety gates do not have a floor bar so are always recommended for places such as the top of the stairs, they are also a more permanent solution that doesn’t require much ongoing thought.

Choosing the right stair gate in the correct size will make fitting a safety gate easier, so take a look at our safety gate finder to get the ideal size. You can also browse the full range of safety gates or contact a child safety expert for more information.