Stair gate nightmare!

[MrsPixie]

Hi
I need stair gate advice! Are they essential or will Ofsted flip out if I don't have one at the top of the stairs.
My husband has spent 3 days trying to fit one but it just isn't working! The wall is crumbling. I won't put a pressure fit one at the top because I think that is a bigger risk either you will trip over the bar or you will lean on it and go toppling down!

I'm thinking of saying young children will not be allowed upstairs alone so it is not necessary but I will put one on the nursery door which I may be using for daytime sleeping.

If it is essential I have no idea what to do! We don't own the house so there is a limit on how many holes we can put in the walls! We probably shouldn't put any but big furniture has to be attached to the walls :\

[bunnyjess]

I don't have one at the top of mine and ofsted didn't mention it

[Mouse]

I don't have any stair gates on the stairs & it's never been a problem.

I do have one fitted across the playroom door and I find that more useful that one on the stairs. It's usually open as the children are free to roam, but if someone comes to the door, or if I nip up to the toilet, I will shut the gate behind me so I know the children are contained in one room.

If you aren't planning on children sleeping upstairs I can't see that you would need one. If they will sleep upstairs, would it be easier to put a gate across the bedroom door?

[caz3007]

I don't have any on my stairs either. I think they are a trip hazard at the top. Its never been mentioned at any of my inspections. I do have one between the kitchen and the playroom and actually Mrs O suggested I removed it, but I wont, its easier to have it there and in my view safer

[MrsPixie]

Thank you all. This has made me feel so much better! The woman who did our course has made me completely paranoid she was going over safety stuff in the finest details and saying basically ofsted would say unless we did everything exactly as she said then we were not safe enough to have children! Now just to patch up the mess that is the wall! I think I will put the pressure fit one on the dining room/playroom door so that I can nip to the loo without worrying about children getting up the stairs.

[Tealady]

As long as you can show how you will keep the children safe without one then in theory they should be OK with it.

[maisiemog]

I have never had one at the top of my stairs and I no longer have any at all! I just shut the door to the hallway. Unless we are going out there is no need to be out there anyway. I risk assessed saying that it was safer not having one at the top than it was having one due to the fact it would need to be in the middle of a step! Was fine with ofsted as I could prove I was managing the risk.

[cathtee]

I don't have one at the top, but do at the bottom and one on the kitchen door so that I don't have to have cupboard locks

[AliceK]

I don't have one at the top or bottom of my stairs. I teach the children that they are not allowed to climb up the stairs and it's not been a problem. They happily sit on the bottom step to play sometimes but never go up. Only sleeping babies / young toddlers sleep upstairs with bedroom door closed and monitor on. I don't feel I need a gate up there. I do have one into my kitchen but that's more for keeping the dog in the kitchen than anything else lol. Just write it up in your RA as to how you will keep the children safe without one.

xxxx

[shortstuff]

mindees dont use my upstairs and I have only removed 2 from the stairs. They only got up 2 steps too. It doesnt take children long to learn.

[Dragonfly]

I have a wooden one at the bottom of my stairs, always open so it is not used its flat against the wall , I teach the children, even young crawlers that they are not allowed on the stairs so don't use it.Another roller blind type one between play room and kitchen which is only used if the cooker is on.

[charlottenash]

I don't have one, and don't intend on having one. As long as you can prove their safe it's no problem.

[rickysmiths]

I used to have one when children slept upstairs and were in a bed and not a cot. I don't sleep the children upstairs anymore so I took it down when we redecorated. I do have a roller blind one at the bottom of the stairs but I rarely use it. The area the children play in and sleep in is at the other side of the house now and they don't even come in via the front door which is right by the stairs so they rarely even see them.

I was lucky enough to have an extension built 3 years ago and I had my first ever new kitchen. I vowed I would not put any locks on my new kitchen and I haven't. The children have free access to it but are always supervised. I have two built in ovens and never use the lower one when the children are with me unless I am cooking with them though because the oven was my one extravagance and is a very expensive catering grade the glass does not get more than warm anyway even during the lock down 4.5 hour cleaning cycle when the temp goes way higher than any normal cooking temps.

I am lucky enough to have a small Utility room now so I don't have any cleaning stuff in the cupboard under the sink I keep my Le Cruest in there!

I do have a small battery operated door alarm on the Utility room as it has a folding door so if someone tries to open it a really shrill alarm goes off. They are great because they don't need screwing on they are self adhesive so great for rented houses. They can be turned off when you don't need them activated as well.

White Adhesive Magnetic Sensor Alert Door Window Entry Alarm 105dB 10mm Distance (http://www.sourcingmap.com/white-adhesive-magnetic-sensor-alert-door-window-entry-alarm-105db-10mm-distance-p-344888.html?currency=GBP&utm_source=google&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=ukfroogle&gclid=CKaznMfN7rsCFernwgodPF4A1g)

I have a travel cot up usually and if there is a small child I don't trust if I have to nip to the loo I pop them in the cot.

[hectors house]

I wish I didn't have a stair gate into my kitchen (to keep the dogs in) as I have just crashed into the end of it when it hit on the dog bed (not in right place) and bashed my hip, it then shut as I was walking through it and bashed my ankle - I said ouch, ouch a lot and was very brave not to cry. It wasn't the gates fault, it was mine for not opening it wide enough - we replaced our old one as I kept tripping over it, this one is a babydan no trip one, but clumsy me still attempts to walk through without opening it.

[rickysmiths]

I wish I didn't have a stair gate into my kitchen (to keep the dogs in) as I have just crashed into the end of it when it hit on the dog bed (not in right place) and bashed my hip, it then shut as I was walking through it and bashed my ankle - I said ouch, ouch a lot and was very brave not to cry. It wasn't the gates fault, it was mine for not opening it wide enough - we replaced our old one as I kept tripping over it, this one is a babydan no trip one, but clumsy me still attempts to walk through without opening it.

Ouch!........