baby gate problems

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Liahona

Guest
We have spent over $100 - $200 on baby gates. We are trying to keep Buster in the living room. He is a climber and anything makeshift he launches himself over. (Don't know how he does it but I sure hear about the landings. Head first, big bump on the head landings) There are 2 spaces that need to be gated both are unusual in size. The problem comes from the difficult children tearing the gates apart. I think we have one space gated well. husband had to get different hardware than came with it but after a few days its still standing and doesn't show any sign of breaking down.

The other gate is on its last leg. difficult child 2 stands on it, drapes himself over it, sits on it, chews on it, jumps over it, and climbs over it. difficult child 3 just climbs over it and launches himself into the living room off it. No amount of scolding or punishment is stopping them. :rollingpin:The size we need a gate for is huge; well over 100 inches. Not very many gates out there to fit the size and I'm afraid not one that will stand up to difficult children. Anyone know of any really big gates that are very sturdy?
 

flutterby

Fly away!
Try looking for dog gates - they tend to be taller. I'm currently looking up Supergate products for you. I got them in the kid section - it's for kids or pets - but it's 36" tall which is why I'm looking to see if they have one bigger (mine only go to 38"). I think if you get taller without footholds (which these don't have - horizontal bars - you might have better luck.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Hmmm. Check JC Penny's or Sears maybe? They used to carry a wide variety.

Nichole bought some rather expensive steel ones when Aubrey was a baby. We hated climbing over the things but we needed to keep her out of the kitchen and bath downstairs. These had a door (that locks) but I'm not sure how wide their largest size is. The gate looks like cell bars, harder to climb too. Not impossible.....but not so easy either.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I was thinking of the pet baby gates myself too! LOL. Does this have to look nice? Does husband have any handman skills? You might be able to get a regular house door at some second hand place for rather cheap and then cut it in half and put hinges on it. attach to wall at each end. I would get the widest wall possible. Say a 38 to 40 inch wide door.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Build your own. We had to... because we didn't even have a "doorway" to block off... but it really works. You make a half-wall out of 2x4s (all sanded sliver-free and painted with safe paint), at least 4 ft high. Space the "posts" really close - like whatever the current crib-spacing is... we did ours at 3.5 inch gaps (which makes it easy to build, because a 2x4 width-wise is... 3.5 inches... just use a scrap piece for a spacer). You build the gate the same way, and use outdoor gate hardware - 3 hinges, two latches (top and bottom)... Ya, it's a pain, but it worked so well that we didn't take it down between the two kids, 'cause we knew we'd need it soon.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Thats called a knee wall and would be quite easy to do too. The door would just get her to a faster place than if someone wasnt as blessed in the construction field but if you want to learn how to do one, go to the DYI channel and put that in and it should show you how in quick order.
 
L

Liahona

Guest
Thanks for all the replies and ideas.

What is funny is that first pet gate is the one we've got.

I think the last one might work but when I talked about it to husband (and told him the price...) He went straight into denial. "Oh, the one we've got is good. We just need to put a few more screws in. We just need to keep the kids off it." Translation - you just need to keep the kids off it, because I'm not home enough. It might last another week. He didn't even listen to the idea of building our own. Doubt he will even remember I brought it up.

husband is awful about anything fix-it-ish. It normally takes forever, turns out very ugly, and not very usable. Putting up the baby gate took hours and much frustration. He gets offended if I try to do it. I have to admit that I'm not experienced in that department'; mostly because he considers it his department.

I'm going to save the link for the 3rd one and after this one bites the dust bring it up again.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
husband used to get offended when it came to me doing anything fix it up. (depended on what it was, if it offended his man skills or not) But he really got offended when I started asking sister in law to do stuff he knew how but I had neither the muscle or know how to do myself.

But when it came to things I had to have now, not some odd years from now if he ever got around to it..........I asked sister in law and to heck with his being offended. When it came to safety things......or things that made my life harder because they weren't done, I didn't hesitate.

As for husband? It only took him 8 yrs to build the new basement door. Know what I mean?? LOL It's a good door, solidly built. But husband was the king of procrastination. Which is why either I or someone else often did what needed to be done.

If safety really becomes an issue...........(Travis could escape anything/anytime, been there done that) look for someone to build that half wall thing that's been suggested.......seems like your best bet. I know that would've kept Travis contained, where baby gates never did work on him, he was scaling his crib by 8 months.......up and over plop.

Hugs
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
This is what we have to keep the monster-tots at bay when they were smaller.

We bought the wall-anchor extensions and blocked off half of the family room with it. We anchored it into wall studs in an L-shape so that they had room to play. Now, we have it free-standing, in a figure-eight shape (clamped with electrical tie-wraps) so that when the twins are attempting to kill each other, we can "jail" them in their own separate play areas.

Both of them are very tall and strong, and Tyrannosaur is an escape artist, but so far he has never been able to get out of the baby-jail.
 
L

Liahona

Guest
That looks great Trinity! Its also a very good suggestion to have someone else build the half-wall. Yes, it'll step on his toes, but it'll get done. I've got some relatives that are very handy that could do it. What ever I do is going to have to wait until this one bites the dust. I really like the way that one is attached to the wall studs. A big problem with the others is that difficult child 2 pulls them out of the wall.
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
A big problem with the others is that difficult child 2 pulls them out of the wall.

Well so far the Baby-Jail has withstood my tripping over it when trying to step over rather than opening the gate AND (not so) Little easy child -- all 5'3" 130-odd lbs of him -- leaning, swinging, pulling and otherwise roughing it up. We only had to re-anchor it once.
 
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