[Malibucdl]

I know I don't post on here very often, but I figured this was a question you guys would be able to answer for sure.

My daughter is trying to climb the stairs, well, actually she is climbing the stairs. The problem is, she s only 1 year old. We need a way to mount a gate to the bottom of the stairshe problem we are running into is that the banister doesn't start until the second step, leaving the first step still exposed for her to climb on, then fall onto the tile floor behind her.

I thought of bolting a 2x4 to the first step and using that to mount a gate, but since this place is a rental I want to try to avoid that until a last resort.

Do you guys have any thoughts? If you need I can get a pic of the stairway if you want.

Thanks guys.

Chris

[poncho62]

Tie her to the couch..........................

Seriouslly, you dont really want to bolt something to the bannister....might damage it. Could you clamp or tape a 2x4 to it to mount your gate on....Put something in between, as not to damage the finish. Needs to be fairly strong....Those rugrats can get through almost anything.

[cboy]

I believe some of those gates are made to "pressure fit". The width of the gate can be adjusted to fit the opening and then you press a small lever to place enough pressue on the unit to hold it in place. Might be pricey...but worth a look.

[dinger]

Crime scene tape. traumatize the lil feller early in life.

[home brew]

Build a big heavy plywood box to place on the first and if need be the second step. She won't be tall enough to climb over it for awhile yet. Make sure it is heavy enough that she can't pull it on top of her.

[MI2600]

Ok, I go with Poncho's couch idea.

[powerrodsmike]

We used one of those expandable type gates that put pressure on either side. Like what cboy wrote about.

You would expand it to the approximate size and then spring pressure would keep it in place. It was good for us because we could take it with us to other folks houses, (if we were invited), and it also was adaptable to the other doors in the house.

There was one doorway that I wanted to make sure that it didn't slip out of place so I made some boards with recesses in them for the rubber feet to locate in and screwed it to the wall.

We bought ours 22 years ago and we still have it. I use it to corral my dog.


The one we bought was a fisher price. The blue handle in the center is the release, pretty handy really because you only need one hand to release the gate from the doorway and refitting it back in place was a one handed operation as well.


Later, mikey

[Malibucdl]

Thanks for the suggestions fellas, I really like Poncho's. I got hit when I tried it, LOL.

We tried using the expandable gate we have, but it doesn't work because of the design of the stairs. We have to put it one the first step so that she doesn't climb up and fall, but the banister/hand rail doesn't start until the second step. That leaves the first step still exposed for her to climb on.

We did find a solution though. Went to Target and bought a fence type gate. It screws to the walls at both ends and has a gate in the middle. Wound up fencing off the foyer. Works great, and looks good to boot.

Here's a quick cell phone pic.


Chris

[Nightfire]

Good to see you post again Hows the g/f doing, you guys decided to move in after all?


Mike

[Malibucdl]

Originally Posted by Nightfire

Good to see you post again Hows the g/f doing, you guys decided to move in after all?


Mike

Thanks Mike, well, the g/f has been a fiance` since Mother's Day '06. The wedding is in exactly one month from today.

We moved in to an apartment together about 4 months ago after a failed attempt at buying a house. So far, it has been great. We are loving it. It makes raising the girls a little easier now that we are in the same place. No more driving 45 miles a day to and from her moms house to my moms house.

The wedding plans are just about complete, now we just have to wait for the big day. I personally can't wait for it to get here, to get it over with. The stress is killing me, the guest lists, theflowers, the DJ, the reception hall etc., etc. The good thing about getting married is THE SHOWERS!! We got some cool stuff. I had a Honey Do shower, got some tools that I needed to keep me occupied! Over all life is going good.

Chris