This gate also has the rare ability to be installed at an angle, so it can accommodate odd situations where the gate isn’t perfectly perpendicular to the walls. The gate of the Deluxe Decor is 25½ inches wide, which is significantly larger than the others we tested. There are sets available in several widths that run up to 53 inches, making this a great purchase if you have a wide, non-standard doorway to cover. So to learn more about the ins and outs of baby gates, we turned to the people who install them every day—experts in babyproofing.

The unique difference with this model is that it comes in so many difference widths to suit door openings or corridors up to 147. This gate is constructed from bronze painted steel and pressure mounts at the base of your stairs or in doorways. However, a baby gate certainly has its uses and it can definitely make a home safer for a baby when they started to crawl and definitely when they start to walk. Another model we tested, the KidCo G3010, has only a 17½-inch gate opening, which was very tight to maneuver through. With the single-handed open and auto-close features, it’s a breeze to move through the gate with a baby in your arms.Indeed, this gate has a very solid frame and a secure lock which is impossible for a baby and easy for an adult.

However, it does have some issues with the material bunching up when used in an opening shorter than 37 inches, which might be a concern for some people. Yes, the handle on the door has the At-A-Glance Lock Indicator which shows Green if the gate is securely locked and Red if it is not properly locked. With two colours available and a wide range of sizes the dream baby gate is a product which can suit a wide variety of spacial needs in the home.Schecter pointed out that added height also adds weight to the gate, which can mean the need for more or larger screws to attach it securely to the walls and ultimately make the gate harder to open one-handed. We tested our finalists by installing them in a few real-world doorways at home to see how they held up over a couple of weeks of routine use. The latch mechanism is simple for an adult to use, yet confounding to a toddler, and the gate can be easily opened midstride. Parents are likely to program themselves to lock the gate after each use (Wirecutter employees who use the Retract-A-Gate confirm this), but we have concerns about siblings or those unfamiliar with the gate, like a babysitter. The locking mechanism on the Retract-A-Gate is functional, but it's fussy when compared with the simplicity of the more traditional Cardinal or North States gates.

You can use it to keep your toddler away from the fireplace or out of the kitchen, or configure it as a 19-square-foot playpen. It’s made out of the metal you’d expect and it’s rather strong even though it’s only pressure mounted. My experience with this high-quality gate has been mostly positive, as it effectively keeps my dog out of certain areas and blends well with my home's natural wood color.This doesn’t mean that the cheapest is always the best or that an expensive product will never be recommended! The gate swing opens fully, so you don’t need to worry that the load you’re carrying won’t fit when you’re walking through. I appreciate that it's sturdy enough to withstand daily use and even the occasional dog poking at it, but I do wish it came in a lightweight aluminum version for added durability. This is one of the safest baby gates on the market and perfect for those who want the peace of mind that no child shall pass this gate! For a tight space without room for a swinging gate, or if you just prefer a discreet look, we like the Retract-A-Gate by Smart Retract.

Jennifer Schlette MSN, RN, is a pediatric intensive care nurse at Children's Hospital of New York for the past 14 years. On the bright side, the need to manually close it naturally lets you check that it’s fully secured each time.If you’re like me and have fur babies and a toddler who hasn’t yet got the hang of “handle with care ,”you might have to think about how to keep little hands away from little paws. In our testing, some gates took as little as 15 minutes to install while others cost us nearly an hour.