Health Tip: Buying a Baby Gate

Suggestions for choosing one that's safe

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(HealthDay News) -- A baby gate is essential for the parent of any toddler who is able to crawl or walk near stairs or other areas that may be unsafe.

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The Nemours Foundation offers these suggestions to help you purchase a safe baby gate:

• Choose a gate that mounts to a door frame with hardware. There mustn't be any gaps where tiny fingers could get stuck.
• Don't use a gate that mounts to the door frame with pressure. A child could push it open and fall down a flight of stairs, for example.
• Never use a gate that swings out at the top of a staircase.
• Make sure there is a maximum gap of 2 inches between the bottom of the gate and the floor.
• Any nonflexible barriers should have a gap of no more than 2 3/8 inches between them.
• Make sure the gate doesn't have any sharp parts that could hurt a child.
• The gate shouldn't have any areas that a child could stick a foot into and attempt to climb.
• When the gate reaches about three-quarters of the infant's height (at about age two years), stop using the gate.

-- Diana Kohnle