Fool proof baby gate

[bethben]

I have a 15 year old "toddler" in a wheelchair.  He has no sense of personal safety.  In a month we will be moving to a home with an open basement staircase.  I also have other children who forget often.  If I put a traditional safety gate at the top of the stairs, I can see a sibling opening the gate to go downstairs and forgetting to close it.  That is a serious safety issue. Are there any automatically locking safety gates?  I have thought about putting a piece of furniture at the top of the stairs, but logistically, that doesn't work at all since I would constantly be having to move the piece of furniture to get past it for bathroom access.

 

 

Beth

[BarbecueMom]

We just bought a new stair gate yesterday at Lowe's and saw several "auto close" gates nearby. Amazon has some that look well reviewed and are suitable for stairs, but I've never tried one. I can't link on the phone, but try searching "auto close baby gate" to find them.

[wendyroo]

I've never tried it, but the Dreambaby Auto Close Security Gate seems to be well reviewed.

 

Wendy

[Eagle]

You might want to consider installing a half-height door that automatically closes. A door would be more sturdy than a gate.

[purpleowl]

I don't have any advice, but I just had to say that I misread the thread title as "foot proof baby gate," and I thought you were looking for one that wouldn't hurt your feet when you ran into it.  I was totally going to commiserate!  :lol:

 

But I do hope you are able to find a solution that works well for your family.

[Laurel]

Search for "walk thru" gates. A good friend has this gate:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JJDI0G/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1427036915&sr=8-4Ï€=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=walk+thru+gate&dpPl=1&dpID=51QYcmrwZkL&ref=plSrch

(Sorry for the awful link; I'm on my phone...)

The opening is small enough that even if your other kids forget to close it, a wheelchair wouldn't fit through. You may not need the pet door part, but there are other "walk thru" gates that may work.

I would worry about a safety gate being sturdy enough to hold up against a wheelchair, though.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

You can also put an alarm on the gate to remind others to close it. Something that would only stop beeping when closed.

[Lanny]

I believe you need far more than a baby gate. I believe this is a potential catastrophe and that something far more capable is required for what you described. GL

[amo_mea_filiis.]

What if you had a creative contractor come in and design something for it?

[AK_Mom4]

I second the idea of a half-height door.  Then put these types of pins on the hinges so that the door self-closes

 

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Hardware-755885-Automatic-Closer/dp/B00004Z0YC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427040021&sr=8-2&keywords=auto+close+hinges

 

 

[bethben]

What if you had a creative contractor come in and design something for it?

 

I may wind up doing that.  I was just hoping for an easy solution.  I do like the alarm thing.  Those are fairly easy to install.  Maybe I have to do a combo thing - specialty door/gate along with an alarm.  Right now I have a door to the basement with special hinges that make the door close automatically.  We bought a house that had most of our requirements with the thought we could make changes as needed.  This is our biggest concern overall.  I like to give ds freedom to roam the house, but I have to make it secure first.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

The alarm would also serve to "train" everyone else to keep the door/gate/furniture closed.

[bethben]

For anyone who may search for this later...I found these:  http://www.gatekeepersafe.com/baby-gates-gallery.php

 

They look like they're much safer.  I'm sure there's a nice price tag with them.  Since they are custom made, I am seeing if they can add a spring hinge to them.  If not, I think one of those springs to have garden gates close automatically should do the trick.  I googled elder care and safety gate and got a whole different range of options.