Leah Holloway, BABYGO® team
They've started crawling, and the stairs have stopped being part of the house and become the most interesting thing in it. You've measured the gap at the bottom, roughly, with a tape measure in one hand and a baby on the other hip, and now every gate you look at says "no drilling" and "fits most doorways" and not one of them says which one you actually need.
The answer depends on where the gate is going, not on which gate looks nicest. That's the bit the boxes leave out.
Short version first, then the detail.
Quick answer: Pressure-fit gates are for doorways and the bottom of the stairs. The top of the stairs needs a screw-fit gate fixed into the wall, with no bar across the floor to trip on. Measure the opening at the height the gate will sit, look for BS EN 1930 on the box, and put the gates up when your baby starts moving.
Key facts
- The NHS says to fit gates that comply with BS EN 1930:2011 once your baby is crawling, and to keep using them at the top and bottom of the stairs until they're at least 2.
- BS EN 1930 is the British and European standard for child safety barriers. It covers gates designed to stop children up to 24 months getting through.
- Pressure-fit gates suit doorways and the bottom of the stairs. For the top, RoSPA says wall-mounted, and nidirect says screw-fixed gates are the only type suitable there.
- Our gate is pressure-fit, fits openings from 76cm to 83cm and goes up in around five minutes without drilling.
- Falls are the most common cause of children's accidents at home, 44 per cent of them according to RoSPA.
When to put stair gates up
Before you think you need them. The NHS puts it at the crawling stage: once they can crawl, fit gates that comply with BS EN 1930:2011 to stop them getting onto the stairs. In practice the week they start moving is the week they head for the stairs, because the stairs are where you keep disappearing to.
For most babies that's somewhere between 7 and 10 months. If yours is an early roller, sort the gates at six months and have done with it. A gate in its box in the hall is no use to anyone.
Then keep them up longer than feels necessary. The NHS says carry on using gates at the top and bottom of the stairs until your child is at least 2, and to start teaching them the stairs rather than letting them go up and down alone (even 4 year olds may need some help). Our gate is designed for children up to 24 months, which lines up with that.
Pressure-fit or screw-fit stair gate
There are two ways a gate stays in an opening, and they're not interchangeable.
A pressure-fit gate has four adjustable bumpers, one at each corner, that you wind out until they press hard against the wall or the newel post. No holes, no screws, up in around five minutes. The catch is that it stays put through tension alone, so it loosens gradually with daily use and needs checking, and most have a bar across the bottom of the frame that you step over.
A screw-fit gate is fixed to the wall with brackets and screws. You're drilling, so it's a bigger job and it leaves holes, but it can't work loose and there's usually nothing at floor level.
You'll also see retractable mesh gates and extra-wide gates for open-plan rooms. Same rule: if it's guarding the top of the stairs, it's screwed in.
Baby gate for the top of the stairs
Screw-fit. Only screw-fit.
The Northern Ireland government's advice site, nidirect, puts it plainly: screw-fixed gates are the only gates suitable for the top of the stairs, because pressure-mounted gates can work loose and cause an accident. RoSPA says the same thing a different way: for children under 24 months, fit wall-mounted gates at the top and the bottom.
There's a second reason. That bar across the bottom of a pressure-fit frame is fine at the bottom of the stairs. At the top you're stepping over it with a baby in your arms, in the dark, after a 3am feed.
Our gate is pressure-fit, so it isn't the one for the top of your stairs. We'd rather say that here than have you find out on the landing.
Baby gate for the bottom of the stairs and doorways
This is where pressure-fit earns its keep. At the bottom of the stairs the bar sits against the first step, out of the way of feet. In a doorway it keeps them out of the kitchen while you're cooking.
What a pressure-fit gate needs is two flat, solid, parallel surfaces to push against. A door frame is ideal. A wall and a square newel post are fine. Skirting boards, a curved bannister spindle or a plasterboard wall that gives when you lean on it all make the fit less certain, so look at what the bumpers will land on before you order, not after.
The things people tell us they didn't expect to care about: it closes itself, with a click you can hear, so it's never left open the one time it matters. It opens both ways and with one hand, which sounds small until you're carrying a baby and a washing basket. One reviewer wrote: "The gate feels solid and the latch can be opened one-handed once you get used to it."
BABYGO® Baby Gate
Pressure-fit metal gate for doorways and the bottom of the stairs. Fits openings from 76cm to 83cm, self-closing, opens both ways with one hand, tested to EN 1930:2011. No drilling.
What size stair gate do I need
Measure the opening at the height the gate will sit, not at the floor. Skirting boards push the bottom of the opening inwards, so a floor measurement usually comes out narrower than the real gap, and the bumpers sit higher up anyway.
Measure wall to wall, or wall to newel post, where the top and bottom bumpers will touch. Two different numbers means your walls aren't square (most aren't), and the gate has to fit the narrower one.
| Where it's going | Fitting type | Measure between | Our gate (76cm to 83cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom of the stairs | Pressure-fit | Wall and newel post, at bumper height | Fits if the opening is 76cm to 83cm and both sides are flat and solid |
| Top of the stairs | Screw-fit only | Wall and newel post, where the brackets will go | Ours is the bottom of the stairs and doorway gate. For the top step, RoSPA and nidirect advise a screw-fixed gate |
| Doorway or hallway | Pressure-fit | Inside the door frame, at bumper height | Fits if the opening is 76cm to 83cm |
| Wider than 83cm or open plan | Pressure-fit with extensions, or an extra-wide gate | The full opening, at bumper height | Needs an extension or a wider gate |
Our gate covers 76cm to 83cm, which is a standard British doorway or stairway. Measure before you order.
Baby proofing soon? Get 10% off your first BABYGO® order, plus the room by room list sent when they start moving.
How to fit a pressure-fit stair gate
Around five minutes, no tools beyond the one in the box. The full walkthrough with pictures is on the gate fitting page; this is the short form.
- Leave the security strap on until the end. It holds the frame square, and it's what keeps a return possible if the opening turns out to be the wrong size.
- Push the four adjustable bumpers into the holes at each corner of the frame.
- Stand the gate in the opening and wind the top and bottom bumpers out until they touch both sides. Tighten with the tool in the box.
- Check it's level, then give each bumper two full turns.
- Shake it, firmly. If the frame moves, loosen off and go again.
- Now cut the strap.
Every week after that, push against the top and the bottom of the gate. No movement, no gap at either side. Any give at all, re-tighten.
That weekly push is the price of no drilling, and it's a fair one.
What BS EN 1930 means on the box
It's the British and European standard for child safety barriers, published by BSI as BS EN 1930:2011. It sets out the safety requirements and the tests a gate has to pass, and it applies to gates for indoor use designed to stop children up to 24 months getting through. The NHS and RoSPA both tell you to look for it. Ours is tested to EN 1930:2011.
It doesn't tell you where to fit the gate. A gate can pass the standard and still be the wrong type for the top of your stairs.
Where to put baby gates in the house
Top and bottom of the stairs, both, because one gate does half the job, and the table above says which type goes where. Then the kitchen doorway if your kitchen has one, since that's where the oven and the knife drawer live. After that, the rooms you can't make safe: the home office, the utility room.
Indoors only, and never across a window.
If you're doing the whole house at once, the Baby Proofing Kit covers the cupboards, drawers, corners, doors and the oven, and the Home Safety Kit puts the kit and the gate in one order, with one gate or two. Two if you have a staircase. The rest of the house, room by room and age by age, is in the baby proofing checklist.
Questions we get asked
Can you use a pressure-fit stair gate at the top of the stairs?
No. The top of the stairs needs a screw-fit gate fixed into the wall. Pressure-fit gates can work loose, and most have a bar at floor level to step over. Use them at the bottom of the stairs and in doorways.
When can I take the stair gate down?
The NHS says keep using gates at the top and bottom of the stairs until your child is at least 2. Ours is designed for children up to 24 months. After that, teach them the stairs with you alongside rather than trusting the gate, because even 4 year olds may need some help.
Is a stair gate with no drilling safe?
Yes, in a doorway or at the bottom of the stairs, provided it's tested to BS EN 1930, the bumpers are pressing on flat solid surfaces, and you check the tension every week. It isn't the right gate for the top of the stairs, where the advice is screw-fit only.
Do I need a gate at the top and the bottom of the stairs?
Both. The one at the bottom stops them climbing up. The one at the top stops them falling down. RoSPA and the NHS both say top and bottom, and the Home Safety Kit has a two gate option for that reason.
How do I know the gate is fitted securely?
Push firmly against the top and the bottom. No movement in the frame, no gap opening at either side. Check the bumpers are sitting flat on the wall rather than on skirting or a curved spindle, and repeat the push once a week.
Next step: measure the opening at bumper height, check it against the size guide, and if it's 76cm to 83cm the gate is in the baby proofing collection.
