Safety gates?

[tash 1]

Hi, in middle of getting house ready for registration visit and was stuck on few safety matters.Have a open plan staircase and will be using down stair loo and only bathroom upstairs.Do I need safety gate at top and bottom of stairs as I have risk assessed and was thinking would always acompany under 5s up the stairs? Also do all square tables in home need safety corners eg coffee table/kitchen???Tash.

[jane5]

It depends on the ages of your lo's.

I have a dd 2.5 and have gates top and bottom for her and I go overboard on safety with her (gates on the kitchen doors, fire guard, radiator cover ect...)
I have taken the gate off the top of the stairs to decorate and have now decided that at her development stage, shuffling down the stairs with supervision, she is actually safer with out the gate there.
With the gate she had to step over the bottom bar, go through the opening and negotiate the top stair and be in position to shuffle down on her bottom.
It is so much easier and safer not having to think about the gate, so I am not putting it back on. I have put a gate on her bedroom so she cannot come out of her bedroom and fall down the stairs and she is never left on the landing alone.

If I had a lo younger I may put it back on but it all depends on their age and ability.

As for gate on the bottom I find it easier to have one to stop them going upstairs as well as the safety issue.

The guards on the table corners are again dependent on the ages. My dd was for ever pulling them off and they were just stuck with sticky pads so useless after a couple of times, but at age 1, I needed them because there was one corner on the tv table that she was forever bumping into. I don't use them now though.

I hope this is of some use and not me just rambling on to much :thumbsup:

[michellethegooner]

I only have a safety gate at the bottom of the stairs, only use bedrooms upstairs for naps with doors closed, children are in travel cots, older children nap downstairs on sleeping mats. Ofsted were fine with this.

I would put it in my risk assessment how you would prevent a child using stairs when you are downstairs, children (as we know) can get up to all sorts in the blink of an eye

I use the roller blinds stair gate,must say it is very good :thumbsup:

http://www.babysecurity.co.uk/products/2003/Lascal-KiddyGuard-Retractable-Safety-Gate-30%252d130cm-.html

[Penny1959]

Agree depends on stages of development of mindees AND the age combinations and layout of house and your ability to supervise the 'risky' areas.

It is uop to you to be able to say WHY you have or have not used pieces of safety equipment.

Penny :)

[tash 1]

Thanks 4 advice guysxx