sleeping upstairs

**skyblue** · 26-11-2015, 11:30 AM

I have some babies who sleep upstairs I travel cots. At my old house I had a safety gate at the top of the stairs (more for my own child at the time). I don't use one upstairs now. Should I have one? I use baby monitors and check on them and close the doors of the rooms they are in. Is it enough to say that if they were able to climb out of the cot I would change their sleeping arrangements to downstairs?

**AliceK** · 26-11-2015, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by skyblue

I have some babies who sleep upstairs I travel cots. At my old house I had a safety gate at the top of the stairs (more for my own child at the time). I don't use one upstairs now. Should I have one? I use baby monitors and check on them and close the doors of the rooms they are in. Is it enough to say that if they were able to climb out of the cot I would change their sleeping arrangements to downstairs?

I don't use baby gates at all on the stairs. If you have RA'd things and can justify things to an inspector then that should be fine. I took down all my stair gates nearly 5 years ago and have never put them back up, my last inspector was fine about it. Personally I think stair gates at the top of the stairs are a hazard anyway.

xx

**BallyH** · 26-11-2015, 02:14 PM

I also have no stairgates. Remember you are the one who knows what your mindees are capable off or not off and will have to answer to any accidents.
I have a risk assessment in place to say why I don't use stairgates.
Do one to cover yourself in case on inspection day you forget to mention it before they do.
However, up till now no one has escaped from a travel cot. If I had budding athlete I may reconsider the risks.

**skyblue** · 26-11-2015, 03:58 PM

Great! I have risk assessed in my head but will put it on paper too. Thank you :-)

**AliceK** · 26-11-2015, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by moh

I also have no stairgates. Remember you are the one who knows what your mindees are capable off or not off and will have to answer to any accidents.
I have a risk assessment in place to say why I don't use stairgates.
Do one to cover yourself in case on inspection day you forget to mention it before they do.
However, up till now no one has escaped from a travel cot. If I had budding athlete I may reconsider the risks.

I've had 1 child who was managing to almost successfully climb out of the cot. I started to use a grobag on her to stop the climbing and also put a hook and eye on the door just in case but with the monitor I could hear when she was up to something lol. I have also before now set a tablet up in a room when I've been curious as to what a LO is doing and recorded them.

xx

**mumofone** · 26-11-2015, 06:49 PM

Originally Posted by AliceK

I don't use baby gates at all on the stairs. If you have RA'd things and can justify things to an inspector then that should be fine. I took down all my stair gates nearly 5 years ago and have never put them back up, my last inspector was fine about it. Personally I think stair gates at the top of the stairs are a hazard anyway. xx

I don't mean to sound dumb but what is hazardous about stair gates at the top of the stairs? Sorry, fairly new mum and hadn't considered this...!!

**mumofone** · 26-11-2015, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by skyblue

I have some babies who sleep upstairs I travel cots. At my old house I had a safety gate at the top of the stairs (more for my own child at the time). I don't use one upstairs now. Should I have one? I use baby monitors and check on them and close the doors of the rooms they are in. Is it enough to say that if they were able to climb out of the cot I would change their sleeping arrangements to downstairs?

How old are the babies?

**skyblue** · 26-11-2015, 07:33 PM

They have just turned 1. :-)

**AliceK** · 26-11-2015, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by mumofone

I don't mean to sound dumb but what is hazardous about stair gates at the top of the stairs? Sorry, fairly new mum and hadn't considered this...!!

I'm a very safety conscious and slightly overly cautious person lol. So, to me it could be a trip hazard if there is a bar at the bottom, children also tend to lean and pull on stairgates so it could become loose, a child could try and climb over it, if the gate opens the wrong direction it could lead to falls.
Like I said I am probably just overly cautious

. When my 2 were young I had a gate on their bedroom door rather than a gate on the stairs. You need to do what makes you happy and confident though

xx

**mumofone** · 26-11-2015, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by AliceK

I'm a very safety conscious and slightly overly cautious person lol. So, to me it could be a trip hazard if there is a bar at the bottom, children also tend to lean and pull on stairgates so it could become loose, a child could try and climb over it, if the gate opens the wrong direction it could lead to falls.
Like I said I am probably just overly cautious

. When my 2 were young I had a gate on their bedroom door rather than a gate on the stairs. You need to do what makes you happy and confident though

xx

That's what I figure I would do too is put a stair gate on my childs room, to be honest by the time he reached the top of the stairs if there was agate he would have already reaped enough damage! ;-0

**mumofone** · 26-11-2015, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by skyblue

I have some babies who sleep upstairs I travel cots. At my old house I had a safety gate at the top of the stairs (more for my own child at the time). I don't use one upstairs now. Should I have one? I use baby monitors and check on them and close the doors of the rooms they are in. Is it enough to say that if they were able to climb out of the cot I would change their sleeping arrangements to downstairs?

At the age they are I would imagine they are way too young to be able to climb out of the cot anyway??

this has made me think whether i should put a sleeping child policy in place or do a risk assessment for a sleeping child, ive not really done this....