https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 27 Jun 2026 21:26:33 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631550 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 09:34:47 +0000 Foodnerd81 2631550@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ValentineMommy: yeah I guess the toddler will adjust. Plus, right now she never leaves her room at night but if she ever starts I definitely would want to gate off the stairs because she can be pretty disoriented. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631473 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 06:35:30 +0000 ValentineMommy 2631473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have an almost 4 year old and a 14m old. We have gates all over the place (the kitchen, the living room, and top of the stairs). DS1 has no idea or interest in trying to open them....he just asks us when he needs one opened. It works fine for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631437 Tue, 04 Oct 2016 00:18:20 +0000 MamaCate 2631437@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: hmmm then that night not work. She might learn without you teaching her too though? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631434 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:49:30 +0000 Foodnerd81 2631434@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: I kind of don't want her to know how to do baby gates! I feel like there are still times I wouldn't want her to be able to </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631394 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 21:17:08 +0000 MamaCate 2631394@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have gates at top and bottom and taught the 4 y.o. how to open them. They are the regalo ones I think? If your 3 yo has decent fine motor skills she might be able to do it? </p> <p>My advice would be to take it out of the box, try teaching her, and then decide from there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631365 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 20:25:13 +0000 ShootingStar 2631365@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When DS was a baby I assumed we needed a gate at the of the stairs...because, stairs. But after we installed it I realized I never let him roam in the hallway unsupervised and it was pretty useless. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631363 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 20:21:41 +0000 oliviaoblivia 2631363@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have gates at two throttle points on the main level, one at the top of the stairs, and another at the bottom of the basement stairs. I don't trust the toddler 100% on the stairs yet, the baby is up the Strauss at every opportunity so the gates are very necessary. The preschooler asks to go upstairs and can let herself into the basement door as I don't keep those latched unless we're in the playroom.<br /> It's really not an issue unless she hastogoupstairsrightnow! and I'm nursing or whatever and can't get to the gate immediately. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631324 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 19:29:44 +0000 PinkElephant 2631324@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: I totally get it! I think what you're describing would work - by the time she learns to turn doorknobs, she may be pretty secure on the stairs. I was REALLY surprised at how quickly DD2 learned to go down our very steep stairs very securely - the benefits of being a second child, I guess! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631322 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 19:27:14 +0000 Foodnerd81 2631322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: right now we have no gate set up- we have one in a box in the landing upstairs. So far I just don't leave the baby unattended upstairs unless she is in her crib (well, pack and play since we haven't even assembled her crib yet!). When we are in one of their rooms I just close the door, like if I'm getting the toddler dressed and let the baby crawl around in toddlers room. And when we are downstairs I mostly keep her in one room and hover when she is near the stairs, or like I said, put her in baby jail or the jumperoo if I need to do something. But this is exhausting of course. So I'm thinking more down the line when she is more mobile. Maybe just a bottom of the stairs gate will suffice since we don't go up that much... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631296 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 19:01:55 +0000 PinkElephant 2631296@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: In the nap situation, where is your gate? Could you put it either (a) on the door of the baby's room or (b) at the bottom of the stairs, rather than the top? Or would one gate in each of those locations perhaps solve the problem - keeping your baby safe while limiting the amount of trekking around you have to do to give the 3 year old freedom of movement?</p> <p>Currently with a 4 and almost 2.5 year old, the only gate we have is at the top of our stairs (going down from the kitchen/living area to the bedrooms). Often it's left open, but I still close it sometimes when I want to limit the area in which the kids are able to make a mess, or block the kids upstairs if I need to do some kind of cleaning downstairs and can't have them underfoot. I realize this is WAY longer than most people probably keep a gate up, but I find it saves me a lot of headaches. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-gates-with-baby-and-toddler#post-2631276 Mon, 03 Oct 2016 18:30:09 +0000 Foodnerd81 2631276@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How have you dealt with baby gates and blocking things off from the baby, when you want or don't mind your toddler having access? </p> <p>In particular right now I'm thinking about our stairs. Our 3 year old is fine on them and likes to go up to her room or whatever, and i am ok with that. In the morning or after nap, she comes downstairs if I'm down there already. This is nice for me to not have to get up and get her. </p> <p>But the 9 month old is getting more mobile and is NOT ok on the stairs. So I'm curious how people have dealt with that. So far the baby has a "baby jail" where she is completely safe when I have to walk away, but I know there will be a decent chunk of time when she's too big for her jail but not old enough to do stairs yet. </p>