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How to Install a Baby Safety Gate

Tap each step to follow along in order.

  1. Know when you'll need one

    Once a baby starts crawling, usually around 6 to 9 months, it's a good time to start planning gates for staircases, kitchens, and other higher-risk areas of the home.

  2. Choose pressure-mounted or hardware-mounted based on location

    A pressure-mounted gate won't leave marks on the wall and works well for a doorway on level ground, while a spot with real fall risk, like the top of a staircase, calls for a hardware-mounted gate that won't shift or come loose.

  3. Always use a hardware-mounted gate at the top of stairs

    A pressure-mounted gate at the top of a staircase can get knocked loose and lead to a serious fall, so use a gate that's screwed securely into the wall or a post at that location.

  4. Check that an adult can open it with one hand

    For a spot you pass through often, check that the latch is one a baby can't manage but an adult can open and close easily with one hand.

  5. Check for wobble and gaps after installing

    Once it's installed, shake the gate to make sure it's firmly secured, and check that there's no gap between the gate and the wall, or between the gate and the floor, that a baby's arm or leg could get caught in.

Choose the mounting method based on location, not just convenience

Rather than using the same type of gate everywhere, it makes more sense to use a hardware-mounted gate at the top of a staircase, where a fall risk is high, and reserve a pressure-mounted gate for a doorway on level ground you pass through briefly β€” matching the method to the location covers both safety and everyday convenience.

This is also the stage when babies get much more mobile

Around the time a baby starts moving more actively is also a good moment to read up more broadly on typical developmental milestones for this age, alongside home safety, since the two go hand in hand as your baby becomes more independent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should a safety gate go first?

Prioritize the top and bottom of any staircase, since that's where the fall risk is highest, and then expand outward to the kitchen, bathroom, and other higher-risk rooms.

Are pressure-mounted gates safe to use?

They work fine on level ground, but for a location like the top of a staircase, where a fall could cause serious injury, a gate that's screwed into the wall is the safer choice over a pressure-mounted one.