KidCo Center Gateway

1). It's pressure mounted so there are no holes in my walls.
2). Each of the pressure mounts can be adjusted individually. What I mean by that is each pressure mount twists forward until it reaches the wall. The reason this was so important for me was because my home has old wood work and the baseboards are almost seven inches high and about an inch thick. If each of the pressure mounts were not separately adjustable, then the gate would meet at the baseboard, but would not be able to touch the wall. This gate handles that dilemma beautifully.
3). It's extremely durable and sturdy. My son grasps onto it and shakes it violently and it doesn't budge. And because it's made of metal, there are no worries about splinters and cracking.
4). It's attractive and comes in different colors. We choose white and it looks great.
5). It was wide enough that I could mount it at the bottom landing of our stairway without an extension. There are extension kits available if you need them though.
6). Finally, I like the swing door feature. I can use the gate with one hand so it's convenient when I have my son in the other hand. The handle is also very easy to open and close with one hand.

I know this is a lot of info but when I was searching for a gate, these are the types of things I wanted to know.

I highly recommend this gate to anyone looking for one for the bottom of their stairs or a doorway.


Best gate I've found   July 24, 2005
 105 out of 106 found this review helpful

After trying 3 different gates (that all had high ratings on Amazon), this is my favorite. I turned my home into my own version of a baby gate showroom to figure out which one I wanted, so here's my take on three different gates.

I think they are all pretty good gates, it just depends on your situation and what features you're looking for. The key features that ended up making a difference to me were 1) the width of the gate opening and 2) the latch mechanism

Kidco Center Gateway:
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cost $85 & extensions $24 / gate is 29.5" Tall / fits 29.25" to 37.5" doorway width / 1" bar to step over / gate opening 22"

- Has the widest gate opening (the space you walk thru, not the doorway that it fits into) of any of them - about 22". (This certainly won points from my 6'2" husband who was pretty irritated when walking thru some of the others). I was surprised after reading so many reviews on all these gates that there wasn't more mention of this feature.
- This one also had the most secure latch feature. You have to push a button to lift the handle and lift the gate over a little ledge to open it and walk thru. I figure this will absolutely be the hardest one for my little one to figure out.
- This gate has the most adjustable widths and therefore would probably be the strongest in most door widths. The gate has about 2.75" pieces on the ends that you can use or not with the optional extensions (more 2.75" spindles as additions - 2 per box) to provide the most width flexibility. Because all the gates become "weaker" if the posts are extended too much, this one seems the sturdiest in my doorways. (ie. if the gate says it fits up to 37" and your door opening is 36.5", it won't seem as sturdy as if the doorway was 34").
- It doesn't have its brand name printed on it anywhere (a plus in my book) so it's totally white.
- It has the lowest bar across the floor that you have to step over at only 1" high (seems less of a tripping risk).
- This is the one that has the highest rating from Consumer Reports. (Child safety gates 08/04)
- Unfortunately, it also is the most expensive of the bunch at about $85 + any extensions you need.
- I do have to say that this one had the most confusing directions, but you can still figure it out ok - none of them took longer than 10 minutes to set up.
- It's the shortest gate and I wish it was a little taller.
- All in all, if you can afford the price of this one, it's definitely worth it!

Summer Infant - Sure & Secure Extra Tall Gate
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cost $60 & extensions included / gate is 36" Tall / fits 28"-48" doorway width / 2" bar to step over / gate opening 19"

- This is the one that I wanted to like because I thought it was the best deal.
- The gate opening is about 19" - which I thought was ok, but hubby wanted wider.
- The latch mechanism is really easy to operate and I thought kids could figure it out easily, but because the gate is so tall, they would probably have a hard time reaching it.
- It does come with its own extensions in 5" and 10" so it more easily fits the wider doorways.
- However, depending on the width of your doorway, this one may or may not fit as well. For example, I had a lot of doorways that are about 33" and this gate didn't end up fitting well in them because the gate without any extensions was too small and the posts had to be extended so far it didn't seem stable. And the 5" extension was too big to add. (vs. the kidco gate's extensions add 2.75" as needed).
- It's by far the tallest and I liked that since my daughter has been in the 95% so far. I also just like the way the taller gate looks.
- It does have the highest bar across the bottom to step over - 2".
- If it fits well in your doorway it is probably the best value for the money.

First Years - Hands-Free Gate
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cost $50 & extensions $15 / gate is 32" Tall / fits 29"-34" doorway width / 1.5" bar to step over / gate opening 17"

- My gripe with this gate was primarily because the gate opening is only 17" wide! I'm 5'8" and I felt like I was going to have to really pay attention walking through it so I wouldn't end up bumping it every time. However...
- The hands-free step pedal is pretty cool and worked pretty easily. I wouldn't worry about a little kid figuring it out and having enough weight to be able to push it down to open it. For me it just wasn't cool enough to overcome my issue with the gate opening width.
- Good height to the gate.
- It was very sturdy in my doorway.
- This one did have a little ramp feature for the bar that goes across the floor that helps minimize the tripping factor.
- Fits only up to 34" doorways so has the best chance of needing an extension.
- All that being said, if you really want a hands free gate, and the width of the gate opening doesn't bug you, try this one.

All three gates seemed to:
- Fit pretty tightly in the doorways after being adjusted properly. Depending on your walls and if you have moldings etc, you might need to take an extra 5-10 minutes to adjust them and get them straight and hanging correctly.
- Had the same type of post for the pressure-mount that is covered with a rubbery material to help it not slip on the wall.
- Were pretty easy to set up.
- All look about the same from a quality point of view - in other words one of them didn't look "cheaper" to me than the others.

Please remember that for safety, only hardware mounted gates are considered stable enough to put at the top of stairs, so don't use any of these for that. Think about how you will use these gates in your house and what features you will value. Good luck with your own purchase!



A great gate!   February 26, 2002
 20 out of 20 found this review helpful

I purchased two and love them. The gate was easy to open and close. Installation was easy, but took some time to get the tension in place correctly. I felt it was very sturdy. I think the people who thought is was not, did not install the gate correctly. My little one was constantly hanging and pulling on them. Another thing I found great was, you can install it on walls that are uneven since the top and bottom screws adjust individually. I also loved the fact that they did not need to be permanently installed which leaves holes in the walls. We were just renting at the time, and I didn't want the hassle of taking them off and repairing the holes when we moved. I would certainly recommend this gate, just take the time to install it correctly and you will not have any trouble. However, like the safety experts say, a permantly installed gate is better for the top of the stairs.


Mother of Twins   September 11, 2001
 15 out of 15 found this review helpful

I am the mother of active 11 month old twin boys. I purchased this gate for the bottom of our stairs. My husband and I had had a difficult time finding a gate to fit the uneven opening of our staircase; the spindles curve inward a great deal. We tried this particular gate and it worked great. My boys both stand up next to it and try to shake it but are unable to even budge it. It is a good, sturdy gate. I recommend it especially for those who have uneven openings. I plan on purchasing another to place upstairs.


Great Gate   March 24, 2004
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

We've been through many gates trying to baby proof the house. Let me tell you, I orginally bought this gate over a year ago for my puppies. I orginally purchased this one because it didn't need to be harware mounted. It works great. It was so easy to open the latch compared to some other gates I've had AND RETURNED! It's by my garage entrance. I can manage the baby, two pups and groceries. Pressure mounted this gate keeps back two percious at 200 pounds each and a 9 month old baby with ease. I, also, like the way it closes, not locked, but closes wihtout being locked. GREAT PURCHASE!!