Penny is now 16 months and the countdown until those little jelly legs actually start walking is definitely on. To be honest, I can’t believe how much mischief she can already get herself into. Even though our living room floor is littered with every toy, musical instrument and teether in existence, she’d much rather rearrange all our DVDs, rummage around my handbag, climb onto every surface and go searching for remotes, cables, plug sockets and sharp corners. It’s like she knows she’s not allowed to touch the radiator or door hinges and that’s what makes them even more fun! Honestly, I never realised how dangerous my home is and how surprisingly realistic the film ‘Baby’s Day Out’ is. Thankfully, the team at Safety 1st got in touch about trying their range of stair gates and, unsurprisingly, we jumped at the chance!
Safety 1st is the leader in child safety products, including car seats, travel system strollers, baby gear and safeguarding solutions for more than 30 years. They specialise in helping new parents to create a safe space that nurture’s their child’s curious nature and allows them to explore and learn through whilst minimising potential risks around the home. Their collection of safety gates, extensions and accessories, including finger pinch preventers, soft corner guards and socket covers, are available at Argos, Mothercare, Very, Amazon and their official online store which also provides a lot of useful advice and tips about baby safety in the home.
We were kindly sent the Safety 1st Wall-fix Extending Metal Safety Gate (recommended for 6m+ to 24 months) with a retail value of around £20. It’s suitable for spaces from 62cm to 102cm, opens in both directions and can be removed quickly with the simple release mechanism. It can also be used at the top or bottom of the stairs (I had no idea that this isn’t always the case with baby gates) and there’s even a step-by-step video on YouTube to show you how to instal the gate safely here. The gate comes with a set of very basic instructions with pictures but no words which we found frustrating, so we relied heavily on the video. Unfortunately, this gate just didn’t work for us as the wooden railings up the stairs got in the way and we were unable to drill through them. Instead, we ordered the Safety 1st Secure Tech Simply Close Metal Gate from Amazon (here).
We took about an hour to get it just perfect, however, this might be down to our bickering and generally getting in one another’s way, but I guess that’s part of the process, right? You will need a tape measure, pencil and screwdriver so I’d have them ready before you begin. The Safety 1st Safety Gate is incredibly sturdy and hasn’t budged since we installed it. It gives us reassurance that Penny can explore without the risk of falling, but we still have a lot to do! The next thing on our list is dealing with all the cables around the skirting boards! A parent’s work is never done but that chocolate-covered smile makes it 100% worth it in the end.
Enjoyed today’s post? You might also be interested in my Gro-egg Digital Thermometer review available to read here.
