When your baby starts to become mobile, whether crawling or walking, you need to ensure that your home is as baby proof as possible. In a nutshell, all this means is that you need to make sure your child can’t get into trouble, generally between the ages of six months and two years. And baby gates are a great solution!
Baby gates are manufactured to keep babies, toddlers, and even slightly older children safe. Installed to prevent them gaining access to stairs or to openings that allow access to decks, swimming pools and ponds, even just the backyard, they are designed to be a life saver!
Responsible mothers and fathers do all they can to ensure their little ones don’t crawl or toddle out of sight, but it can take a split second for something to go wrong. Installing baby gates and ensuring they don’t get access to areas where they can fall (like steps or decks) or reach items that might be dangerous (from medicine cupboards for instance) gives peace of mind.
But how do you know when it is safe to take down baby gates?
Reasons to Remove Baby Safety Gates
A very vague rule of thumb is that kids up to the age of two years need extra protection. Another rule of thumb is that once the child’s chin is at the same level as the top of the gate the gate should be removed.
But the reality is that not all children are the same. They develop at different rates mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. So the issue is, if your child can climb over the baby gate, or has worked out a way to open it, it will undoubtedly be better to remove it. If you don’t, you will be living with a false reassurance that your baby gates are keeping him or her safe.
In essence, if a baby safety gate isn’t invincible to the person it is there to protect you might as well remove it. In reality, if a child is able to push a baby gate over, or climb over the top of it, it could become more of a hazard than a help.
What Happens After You Have Removed Baby Gates?
Just as nothing is a substitute for adult supervision (not even the best baby gates in the world) when you remove them you need to be 100 percent proactive. Make sure your little ones can climb up and down stairs safely, and teach them the dangers of heights.
That doesn’t mean you need to discard your baby gates. If you have invested in a good-quality product you can keep it and use it when the next child comes along. Alternatively, you might consider selling it, or possibly using it during family social occasions when you need to prevent access to certain areas for other youngsters. Baby gates can often also be used to contain pets and stop them either harming themselves or going places in your home where they might do damage.
Cardinal Gates Baby Gates
Cardinal Gates has a range of baby gates that will keep your baby safe at its most vulnerable time in life. Contact us to discuss your needs.
