Do You Need An Extra Wide Baby Gate?

One of the questions new parents often ask in regards to baby gates in their home is what to do with wider than normal openings. How do you know if you buying the right type of gate for a wider room? Let's take a quick look and hopefully help answer this and some other questions.

If you have a doorway or other opening that is bigger than 48 inches, then an extra wide baby gate is the ideal solution. Most standard gates will fit openings up to 40-48 inches, and the last thing you ever want to do is to try and rig together a little extra wiggle room to make it fit the larger opening. It simply is not safe and secure, and could potentially cause accidents.

Instead, you need to look for a wider gate that is specially designed just for these types of situations.

You can find wide safety gates in all styles, models, colors and makes. They are available in both pressure and hardware mounts as well, so there is no place in your home that you won't be able to use a gate in preventing your toddler from being harmed.

Personally, I prefer to use the hardware mount just for added strength and stability, especially in areas of the home where it is needed. Of course, a pressure mounted safety gate gives you much more convenience and portability. So it really comes down to what you like the best, and where you plan on using it the most.

Gates such as the KidCo Configure or ones from Cardinal Gates and other manufacturers can all be used with multiple extensions. Basically, you can purchase enough extensions to make them fit any area you need it in.

These gates are made of both wood and metal, so you can select the design that is appealing to the interior of your home. Both designs are built solid and will hold up to any use over the years. Some prefer the natural beauty of a wood baby gate, while others like the appeal of metal and the various color schemes you can have. Again, it is simply a matter of personal taste.

The biggest key to keep in mind before shopping is in knowing the size of opening you need to fill with the gate. Then it is only a matter of checking to be sure any gate you are considering to purchase will fit that opening. If not, look for ones that are designed for extra wide openings.