Stair Gates

We have a large collection of high-quality, safety and stair gates to fit almost anywhere in the home which have been designed to offer protection and peace of mind.

 

What is a Stair Gate?

A child safety gate or stair gate is a protective barrier usually put in place indoors to prevent children or animals coming into contact with any hazards. They are typically placed at the bottom and top of staircases, the entrance to the kitchen and anywhere a child could potentially come to harm. Stair gates can be made from a variety of materials including retractable mesh, metal and wood and can be both permanent or temporary depending on your needs.

 

Benefits of a Stair Gate

All parents know babies, toddlers and even pets don’t know when they are taking risks and can be completely unaware of any danger. The stairs are one of the most hazardous places in the home, especially once babies start to become more mobile, but by installing a stair gate or safety gate you can ease the worry of your little ones taking a tumble.

 

Our wide selection of stair gates means you can not only choose a gate that gives you security but also matches the décor of your home. We have a range of stair gates including pressure fitted safety gates and screw fitted stair gates so you can create a sturdy barrier that will prevent children and pets from climbing the stairs or accessing dangerous areas in the home.

 

How to Buy a Safety Gate

Before buying a safety or stair gate, it is important to know where your gate will go and what purpose it will serve.

 

LOCATION/TYPE

The first thing you should decide is where the gate is going to go. If you are looking to block access to the top of a staircase, Safetots strongly recommend that you choose a screw fitted stair gate rather than a pressure fitted option.  This is because a screw fitted gate does not have a horizontal bar along the base, which could present a potential trip hazard.

 

OPENING

Sounds like an obvious one but you must make sure that the gate you purchase is difficult enough for your toddler to open but you must be able to open it with relative ease. Easier said than done with a wriggling child under your arm!

 

SIZE & ADJUSTABILITY

Most pressure fit gates fit widths ranging from 70-85 cm without the need for an extension. If you have a wider space, a gate extension is required. Safetots has a width calculator to make sure you get the correct safety or stair gate for your home. Although a pressure fit gate can be moved around different areas of the home, this is not advisable if the gates are going to be used daily. Over a period, by installing and uninstalling a gate, it may become less stable. If a pressure fit gate was to be used in a grandparent’s home for example, with visiting grandchildren coming once a week, then putting up the stair gate in preparation for the visit and removing afterwards would be perfectly safe. However, Safetots would still recommend checking the stability of the gate after each installation and the purchase of a gate with an ‘installation indicator’ may be a suitable option.

 

CERTIFICATION

It is important to make sure that your safety or stair gate conforms to correct EU legislation EN 1930:2011 and that the gaps between the bars on the gate do not exceed 6cm. All Safetots stair gates and safety gates conform to current European legislation.

 

Different Types of Safety and Stair Gates

 

SCREW FITTING

Commonly used for stairs and doorways, screw fitted stair gates are easy to install but must be fixed to a wall. They are ideal for the top of the stairs and do not have a bottom bar which can often be a tripping hazard. If you have a wider space, then stair gate extensions are available.

 

PRESSURE FITTING

Pressure fitting safety gates are easy to set up and can expand to fit a range of doorways. Due to the trip bar included on a pressure fit gate, it is not advisable to install at the top of a flight of stairs where a screw fitted gate would be our recommendation.

 

AUTO CLOSE

Auto close safety gates will close behind you to keep your hands free and can be easily installed with pressure fittings.

 

RETRACTABLE

Retractable gates are suitable for children up to 24 months and feature a roller-blind like mechanism.

 

EXTENSIONS

Stair gate extensions are additional pieces you can add to your gate to extend the span and provide extra protection. There is a large range to choose from, just make sure you get the correct extensions for your gate.

 

ACCESSORIES

Stair gate accessories are available at Safetots and include items such as extensions, no-trip step plates, extra fixings, spindles and gate spacers.

How do I use the Safetots Stair Gate finder?

Follow these simple step by step instructions to finding the right safety gate for your home:

1. WALL TO WALL - To establish the ‘wall to wall’ measurement, measure from wall to wall where you estimate the top edge of the safety gate to fit. (Standard height gates are approximately 75cm and extra tall gates are 100cm in height. Key in this measurement in centimeters in the ‘wall to wall’ box.

2. FLOOR LEVEL – To establish the ‘floor level’ measurement, measure the estimated floor space, taking into account any skirting boards. It’s important to measure within the skirting boards as this may alter the gate we recommend for you. Key in this measurement in centimeters in the ‘floor level’ box. If there is no difference between the floor level and the wall to wall measurement there is no need to fill in both.

3. Once you have entered ‘wall to wall’ measurements and ‘Floor level’ measurements select the blue GO button. You will now have a list of all suitable and compatible safety gates for your space. Your measurements have now been automatically and accurately calculated.

4. To narrow your search further, select TYPE. Establish the type of safety gate you would prefer and select/click on that option. For example, if you are looking for a Pressure Fit Stair Gate, click on ‘Pressure fit Stair Gates’. You will now have a list of pressure fit stair gates (only) that are compatible with the measurements you have already entered. You can select more than one gate type if required.

5. To narrow your search further, select COLOUR. Click on the preferred gate colour or colours. At this point you will have a list of gates in your chosen TYPE and COLOUR that will fit your exact measurements.

6. Continue to follow the process of points 4 and 5 for GATE MATERIAL, BRAND and GATE FEATURES.

7. Once you have completed your selections, you will now be left with a list of safety gates compatible with your space in your preferred brand, colour and style with any particular gate features required.

8. To start the process again, simply click the blue x in the top right corner of the finder, this will take you to a fresh stair gate finder page.

The space in my home is unique?

If the Safetots stair gate finder is not working for you due to an unusual or awkward space, contact the safety gate experts at Safetots who will aim to make recommendations to you based on your requirements.

Where to fit or put your stair gate?

Stair gates provide instant safety for active toddlers and young children in the home, they allow you to create an immediate divide between rooms, enabling your child to play freely in a designated area free from harm. Safety gates can be fitted in your child’s bedroom door frame, keeping them safe from entering other areas of the home, giving you peace of mind should they wake in the night and climb out of bed. Most parents fit baby stair gates to the top and bottom of their stairs to keep their children free from potential hazardous falls. Screw fitted safety gates have no trip bar, frequently making them the preferred choice for the top of stairs, for many parents they are considered the best stair gate for the top of the stairs. Pressure fitted safety gates are often the more popular choice for the bottom of the stairs. A pressure fitted stair gate relies purely on pressure for installation, there are no tools or drilling required, these safety gates are particularly popular with people in rented properties and families who would prefer not to drill into walls or bannisters. Safety gates provide the perfect room divide between kitchens and living areas, preventing children from entering the kitchen and being exposed to potential dangers in the kitchen. Safety gates are available in a range of sizes to fit most doorways, they can be used as a divide between any room upstairs and downstairs in the home. Baby gates are also used in nurseries throughout the UK, a popular option for keeping children safe whilst they learn and play.

How many stair gates do I need?

The number of stair gates required will depend on the size of your home and the number of rooms/areas you want to prevent your child from entering. Safety gates are frequently bought for both the top and bottom of each flight of stairs, kitchen and bathroom doorways. Baby gates are also a popular option in creating a divide between a toddler’s bedroom and the stairwell. Baby stair gates are often purchased for other family members such as grandparents, ensuring their home, for family visits is also a safe place for your child to play. Safety gates can also be installed on external doors to create a divide between the inside and outside of the home.

What age are stair gates for?

Stair gates are designed and safety tested up to 24 months, however, many families continue to have safety gates in their home once their child is beyond the age of 24 months. Stair gate safety is imperative for young children and baby gates are frequently kept in place for longer to keep babies and toddlers safer in the home for longer. Safety gates are frequently used as a room divide between young children (of all ages) and pets. Stair gates can remain in place for as long as deemed necessary by a parent or carer, there is no set rule as to when a baby gate should be taken down. The development of each child is different and some parents may feel the need to keep their baby gates in place for a longer duration than others.

What stair gates are best?

There is a wide choice of stair gates from which to choose, each available in a range of sizes. Safety gates are available in metal, wood and mesh and can be pressure fitted, screw fitted or retractable. For stair gate safety, many parents prefer to install a screw fitted baby gate to the top of the stairs, screw fitted baby gates benefit from having no trip bar, making them an ultra-safe option as there is no bar to physically step over and potentially fall over. Retractable baby gates are a great safety gate option for parents looking for a lightweight, contemporary stair gate in their home. Fitted with wall mounted brackets, retractable baby gates can be fully retracted and neatly tucked away when not in use and quickly and simply pulled into place when needed. Auto close stair gates are a great option for busy homes, the auto close system ensures a safety gate with this feature closes slowly and securely behind you. The auto close stair gate is a popular choice for families with older siblings, with a guaranteed close system that doesn’t slam behind you, it gives peace of mind that the safety gate has closed securely. For families looking for a less-permanent stair gate, there are several options. Screw fitted safety gates benefit from fixed wall mounted brackets, enabling a gate to be slotted in when needed and removed when no longer needed. By keeping the bracket in place, grandparents and carers can pop the safety gate into the brackets when needed and simply remove the gate when children are no longer in their care. Retractable gates are another great less permanent option.

Why are stair gates important?

With parents and carers becoming increasingly aware and educated on the potential dangers for young children in the home, stair gates are now the popular purchase for nearly all new parents with active young babies and toddlers. Stair gates create an instant room divider, allowing you to control where your child can and can’t play. By restricting access to kitchens, bathrooms and stairs with the installation of safety gates, parents can have peace of mind that their child is playing in a room free from potential dangers whilst they go about their day. Stair gate safety is exceptionally important for families with active babies and young toddlers where children are still to learn how to use the stairs safely. Stair gates prevent children from accessing the stairs both at the top and bottom and prevent potential life-threatening incidents from happening. Safety gates provide the ultimate divider between two areas, they keep children safe from pets, act as a divide between the indoors and outdoors and enable you to create a designated area for your child to play safely.

How to buy stair gates?

Stair gates and safety gates can be purchased online with Safetots, the UKs largest shopping destination for child safety products. Safetots supply pressure fitted, retractable and screw fit stair gates in a range of brands, sizes, colours, and material. Safetots also has a unique stair gate finder that enables customers to key in their exact measurements, the type of safety gate they are looking to purchase, the brand, the gate material and any specific features. This unique stair gate finder narrows down the search for customers, enabling them to see a comprehensive list of compatible safety gates. Safetots supply stair gates for most budgets, measurements and other specific requirements. With expert knowledge in the industry, Safetots are in a unique position to help and guide customers with their stair gate purchase.
If you have any further questions on stair gates, safety gates or other child safety essentials, please contact us.

Once your baby starts to become mobile, ensuring they can only crawl and toddle within safe areas of your home becomes a priority. Your inquisitive little ones will appear to have an inbuilt sat nav directing them to all the high-risk places such as kitchens and stairwells or maybe through the cat flap to explore the great outdoors! Even the most alert and hands on parent/carer will at times need to attend to more than one thing at once, and times of distraction are often when accidents happen in the home.

 

A safety gate provides the ideal solution by creating a protective barrier between child and potential hazards, whilst still giving the space to learn through exploration of the remaining child friendly environment. They allow the adult to continue to pay attention to their child when they also need to carry out a task at the same time as supervising, by reducing the risk of harm or accident. For example, a parent can be cooking in the kitchen and singing nursery rhymes, whilst their child is joining in on the other side of the safety barrier out of reach of hot stoves, sharp knives and the odd dropped chilli pepper.

 

It is worth planning the positioning of your baby safety gate well in advance of needing it. In this way, you can carry out thorough research on the type of gate that best suits the chosen location, match it to your décor even, and install it before your baby crawls. This gives family and visitors time to practice using it because it is notable that many accidents involving safety barriers are due to the user not ensuring the gate is properly closed. This is also the ideal opportunity to include any older siblings in the care of their little brother or sister by educating them on how to operate the gate safely and the importance of keeping the gate shut. Some gates have a colour indicator which shows green or red, depending on whether the gate has been shut properly – a simple feature which assists children as well as adults to operate the gate safely.

 

Most families opt to purchase at least 2 stair gates, and this is to protect their child from falling down the stairs. Safetots would only ever recommend a screw fit gate at the top of the stairwell with the door opening away from the stair treads. No other type of gate provides the same level of security on impact should your toddler accidentally run into it during a fun game of chase for example. These gates are secured into position using screw fixings into a wall or woodwork and have no trip bar at the base when the door is opened. As there is no danger of falling at the bottom of the stairs and the gate’s purpose here is to stop a child climbing up the treads, the gate chosen for this position may be any style including pressure fit gates which do not require a permanent fixing.

 

When installing a gate on a staircase make sure that surfaces for any assembly fixings are secure and in good repair. General stair safety would include repair of unstable bannister rails or spindles and ensuring any floor coverings are in good condition, non-slip and clutter free. If your staircase has spindles, it is advisable to think about the size of gap in between them and whether your child could squeeze through – many parents or carers choose to board them in during these early years as an extra precaution. As your crawler develops into a toddler, start to teach them how to walk up and down the stairs in a safe manner – safe would include using a bannister rail if there is one, walking slowly and holding an adult’s hand, and not carrying anything in their hands. As an adult, remember to use the stairs in this way as your child will learn through observation, and when carrying a child on a stairwell, always have one hand on a bannister rail or secure surface to help avoid tripping.

 

Common areas to position further gates would be entrances to kitchens and other rooms with heat sources such as an open fire or log burner. Some people select gates with an optional stay open feature for lounge areas as this doorway tends to be a high traffic area, whilst gates with an auto close feature are very suited to kitchens which most parents/carers would wish to permanently restrict access to. Many families also choose to place a safety barrier across the doorway of the child’s bedroom to create a safe space for them whilst baths are being run or nap time is being taken for instance. Retractable gates are a popular choice here as they can be neatly tucked away when not in use.

 

Having selected the right safety gate for your needs, there are some general safety aspects to consider.

 

Important Information

 

The safety standard EN1930:2011 gives the following important warnings:

“WARNING – Read the instructions before installation as incorrect installation can be dangerous”.

“WARNING – This safety barrier must not be fitted across windows”.

In addition, if the safety barrier requires wall cups (pressure fitted gates): WARNING – Never use without wall cups.

 

Children’s safety barriers are designed and tested for domestic use only, being suitable for children up to the age of 24 months.

 

Fit your gate in a strong and secure opening and ensure the surfaces are dry, solid and clean. Safetots recommends the use of appropriate types of fixings depending on the surface available: wooden screws for wooden surface, multi-use plug and concrete screw for concrete surface, plasterboard wall plug and screw for plasterboard surface, metal screw for metal surface

 

Safetots recommends that the space around the gate’s location is checked for anything which could be used to assist climbing; nappy boxes make great steps for example and your tot will quickly get them stacked against the gate ready for their grand adventure. As tempting as it may be to dangle and tie toys to the bars of the safety barrier to stimulate play, these pose strangulation and entrapment dangers, and nothing should ever be attached to the gates that is not part of the assembly fittings. Finally, even the most securely installed gate is going to take some bashing in the general course of home life. Safetots recommends that all gates installed, and surrounding surfaces, are routinely checked for any damage, loose fittings, and that the open/close mechanism is sound. Damaged gates should be replaced.

 

All Safetots’ safety barriers designed for children up to the age of 24 months have been tested and comply with the safety standard EN 1930:2011 when fitted in accordance with the instructions.

 

Safety Testing

 

When buying a product to help keep your child out of harm’s way, Safetots believe it is worth investing in one that has been tested to a professionally approved level of safety using rigorous testing methods.

 

For this reason and where applicable, our products are tested to a British Standards Institution (BSI) standard and/or equivalent international standard. Each standard that our products complies with has been drawn up by a group of experts in the field. Not only do they have extensive knowledge about their product and credibility in the child safety product industry, they are also fully aware of the potential hazards posed by poor quality items being used in the home where children are involved.

 

The British and European Standard for safety barriers is BS EN 1930:2011. You can be reassured that all Safetots’ safety gates designed for use with babies and toddlers up to age 2 comply with this standard and are retested whenever design upgrades are made, or components changed.

 

The title of the safety standard, EN 1930:2011 will be marked on your purchased safety barrier next to Safetots’ contact details.

 

What types of tests are carried out and why?

 

The tests carried out are designed to mimic the actions of a small child exploring a gate and its surroundings. For example, a child left to explore would attempt to climb over, through or under it, stick their fingers, arms, legs, head and toys through it, push and pull it very vigorously. Budding musicians will give it a good bash with anything to hand to make a great noise and next generation’s engineers will focus on prying apart the opening mechanism. Some children will use it as a teething aid by biting or mouthing it and all would probably love to hang onto the swinging part of the gate for a ride if given the opportunity.

 

The standard includes tests to check for parts of the gate which could be used as a foothold to assist climbing, finger and limb entrapment risks and stability of the gate when rattled for a lengthy period. The resilience of the opening/closing mechanism is tested, as is the durability of any paints or varnishes that the barrier has been coated in (and the safety of the chemicals within these). In short, every effort has been made to ensure that a gate complying with EN 1930:2011 will be a safe and hazard free product.