Weekend Project: Install the right safety gate

If you have infants, toddlers, or young children between the ages of 6 and 24 months at home or who visit you on a regular basis—that's all you grandparents and other family members out there—it's crucial to get the right type of safety gate for the different locations in your home. For instance, at the top of stairs indoors or outside, you must use only hardware-mounted safety gates. At the bottom of stairs and between rooms, it's okay to use pressure-mounted models like the one shown.

You can hire a company to do the work for you, but putting in gates is not that difficult or time consuming. So in between your 4th of July celebrations next weekend, install the right kinds of safety gates at your home.

For more information on using safety gates, read "Safety Gates: Where You Need Them, How to Install Them" on the Consumer Reports Baby blog, which also features this expert buying advice for gates. You'll find more details, including ratings, on safety gates and tons of other essential gear in the latest edition of Consumer Reports Best Baby Products. e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook