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Safety expert shares the one place she will never put a pressure-mounted baby gate

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A child safety expert has shared the one place she would never put a pressure-mounted baby gate, and it might come as a surprise to parents.

She said the top of the staircase was the most dangerous place you could install this type of safety gate because it poses a tripping hazard when open, and can be “easily” dislodged from the wall.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Expert shares the one place she would never put a baby gate.

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Safe Beginnings First Aid co-owner Holly Choi said: “I see this all the time in people’s homes and it’s really something that you don’t want to do.”

“Pressure-mounted gates can easily be knocked down, even by small babies, and if they knock them down the first place they’re going is with the gate down the stairs.

“They work because they’re held together by this bar at the bottom, and that is a huge tripping hazard, and that is the last thing you want to do when you’re carrying a child down the stairs.

“At the top of the stairs you really want a hardware mount gate that is screwed into the home.”

If a hardware mounted gate is out of the question, Choi suggests mounting the gate several feet back from the staircase it self, “like, somewhere in the hallway”.

Safety expert Holly Choi warns that pressure-mounted gates should always be set back three feet from the stairs, if a wall-mounted gate is not possible. Credit: TikTok

Choi shared the baby-proofing advice on TikTok, where parents who had experienced accidents with pressure-mounted gates were quick to applaud her suggestions.

“We had to learn this the hard way, my husband and toddler came down the stairs with the gate. Luckily they were both okay,” one parent wrote.

“I can confirm you are correct. My 13-month-old went with the stair gate. Thankfully he was fine but I wish I knew this before,” another wrote.

Choi said the pressure-mounted gates are perfect for dividing two rooms on the same level. “If you need to block access to a kitchen or a bathroom, that is a great option.”

She also said: “Gates should always swing out and away from the stairs, not over them.”

‘Ever heard of a rental property?’

However, the suggestion to drill safety gates into the wall, rather than using pressure-mounted alternatives came under fire from parents unable to own home yet.

“Have you ever heard of a rental property? Not everyone can drill into the wall,” one person said.

But Choi advised tenants to look to their local tenancy board, as some modifications to homes can not be legally refused.

In NSW, for example, the request is considered unreasonable to refuse, according to NSW Fair Trading.

“If the tenant’s request is considered ‘minor’ then the landlord must not unreasonably withhold consent,” NSW Fair Trading said.

Requests considered “minor” include “installing child safety gates inside the property”, “installing window safety devices for child safety”, “securing furniture to a non-tiled wall for safety reasons”, and “fitting a childproof latch to an outdoor gate of a single dwelling”.

Choi advises that renting parents check their local tenancy board if they believe they’re not permitted to install a wall-mounted gate. Credit: Johner Images/Getty Images/Johner RF

Even if the change is considered minor and “unreasonable for the landlord to say no to”, tenants “must still get the landlord’s written permission”.

If your local tenancy board does not have any laws protecting the modification, Choi suggests the tenant ask their landlord in writing whether they can install a safety measure in the house.

If refused, the tenant should request the landlord put in writing that they are not permitting the tenant to install a safety device for their child, Choi said.

“That works 95 per cent of the time,” she said. “Most landlords don’t want this kind of liability on their hands.”

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