Hellobee Boards

Thank you everyone for giving me some good gates to research and things to think about!

@erinbaderin: I've seen people do this and I think you're right that it's probably one of the best/easiest solutions there is. I probably could stain the 2x4's to blend in with the woodwork a little bit better.

@Ms. RV: I totally agree with you on gating DD's room! It is the door all the way to the left; the one in the middle leads to the ensuite bathroom attached to her room. I'm already planning to gate off her room with a door-gate, and the door from her room to the bathroom with a basic tension gate in preparation for the time when she can reach/turn doorknobs. I think I still need to gate the stairs because our upstairs hallway is kind of an L/C shape, and I'd like DD to be able to follow me and her sisters around during bedtime and not be confined to her room. You can't tell from the picture, but the walkways of the hallway are about 6 ft wide, and her two sisters bedrooms have a jack and jill bathroom between them (no access from the main hall), so she could still sneak around any gate I put across the hallway anyway if someone leaves a door open (which my 4 and 6 year olds almost always do!)..Plus I would always want her to be able to access me, and we're at opposite ends of the C. We were able to gate the hallway in other places we lived with our older kids when they were babies, and it was sooo much easier that way, you're right!

@superkate: Thanks! I'm glad to hear another vote that this method does work. If you had to guess, how many zip ties did you need to use per side for the boards to feel secure?

@babybean404: That's a good point considering I've got other kids (and a clumsy hubby) to think about. Do you think the retractable gates are too fragile for (ie., likely to be broken by) young children?

@MrsBucky: Thank you! A local friend told me a family member has them and that while they were $$$, they seemed really nice. Do you feel like it's pretty sturdy? I don't mind spending for a good (and easy! key point, easy!) solution - but I also don't want to set myself up for my older kids breaking the gate in the first week!

@Foodnerd81: Now that you say that, I remember you're right - I think the concern is just that at the top, they could lean on the gate and pop it out of place, then tumble down with it - there's not the same leverage on the bottom. Like you were, I'm also terrified of the falling backwards thing. Prior to this weekend climbing incident, she'd just go up maybe 2 stairs - but she'd tip her head back to look up the rest of the staircase, and I was sure she was going to topple backwards onto the marble. Ouch! Our foyer is super open (our whole downstairs is) - I originally thought I could gate off the sides of the playroom (what should be a formal living room), but that has an 8ft or so opening on two sides (foyer and dining portion of the kitchen)...so not as easy of a fix as it should be.

I'm quickly realizing it was waaay easier to baby proof an apartment and a brownstone with narrow doorways than it is to figure out how to limit a baby's access in modern, open-plan houses!

@superkate: thank you, that’s helpful! You did an awesome job making it look tidy and hidibgvthe zip ties - that wouldn’t bother me at all!