The Best Baby Gate Features to Look For
Indoor & Outdoor Use
Some baby gates re able to be indoors and outdoors. They are great for protecting areas of the home such as fireplaces, and are also able to be converted into baby play pens that can be used in your home or backyard. They often feature solid plastic spikes that can be extended at the bottom of the panels to enable them to be pushed into the grass outside to prevent tipping.
Open/Close Indicators
The best baby gates have indicators that are built-in to to indicate when the gate is open or closed, and are great for showing when the gate is not closed properly. Some baby gates have an alert sound when the gate is not shut properly or have a small red light shine on the baby gate door that. These features are important with gates that are used often and can sometimes be left ajar due to oversight.
Dual-Swing
We love baby gates with dual-swinging doors, as it does not matter which way you’re going, the door will swing either way to allow you to easily open the door and enter while carrying your child or other things. Many include a dual-lock feature to look the door securely. You’ll won't need to be concerned about your baby pulling or pushing the door open.
Self-Closing Baby Gates
We often find ourselves wondering whether we have left the baby gate door open. Self-closing baby gates alleviate this concern. Once you have walked through the baby gate, the gate door will automatically shut securely behind you.
Extensions
Baby gate extensions are add-ons that allow you to increase the width of the gate for areas that require an extra wide baby gate. These baby gate extensions are easily attached to your standard baby gate (make sure to buy the extension from the same supplier and same model). The extensions will allow you to protect wider ares of the home such as fireplaces and entertainment areas.
Walk-Through Baby Gates
Many gates are made to simply step over, and while these designs are often much less expensive, they are also not as secure or stable for yourself or your baby due to risk of tripping or falling as you step over the baby gate. You should try and find a baby gate with a baby gate door that can be easily opened by yourself, but not your child. Most walk-through baby gate doors have easy, secure locking mechanisms to prevent your baby from opening the door.
Multi-Use
Some baby gates are designed for more than one single use. These 3-in-1 baby gates will keep your baby safe in a multitude of ways. Many act as fireplace barriers. They are also designed to be made into a play pen for your baby to play in a safe space both indoors and outdoors. When shopping for multi-use baby gates, make sure to clarify and check the areas of the home that the baby gate can and cannot be installed for your baby’s safety,
