Best stair gates and safety gates for babyproofing your home

It’s recommended that you invest in a high-quality stair gate and child safety locks as soon as your baby starts crawling and/or walking, but when it comes to something as important as your child’s safety, how do you know which is the best stair gate to buy?

While toddlers are often lots of fun to shop for - who doesn't love finding the best toys for 2-year-olds or the best doll for their 3-year-old? - there are also many essential safety purchases to consider once your child starts walking. Babies don’t always know their own limitations - more than happy to explore and attempt stairs on their own, with no idea of the potential dangers or consequences. 

Stair gates can be used at the top of the stairs (to prevent your baby from falling down) and at the bottom (to stop them from climbing up). They can also be used to close off unsafe rooms and to temporarily add additional barriers to your home, whether that’s across a doorway or another narrow opening. When deciding which stair gate is best for you, it helps to work out what’s important to you before you buy. For example:

• Will it fit your space?

• How easy is it to install?

• What safety features does it offer?

• How easy is it to open one-handed? 

To bring you our list of the best stair gates you can buy today, we first tapped into the wealth of knowledge in the Mumsnet forums, seeking tried and tested recommendations on the stair gates they’ve used and would happily recommend to others. Where possible, our parent-testers put each stair gate through its paces, learning more about the key features and benefits of each product via everyday use. 

Here are the best stair gates to buy in 2025.

Best stair gates: at a glance

• Best stair gate overall: BabyDan Guard Me Auto Retractable Safety Guard | £70

• Best budget stair gate: Cuggl Wall Fix Safety Gate | £20

• Best stair gate for top of the stairs: Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate | £45

• Best screw-fit stair gate: Safety 1st Wall Fix Extending Metal Gate | £27

• Best pressure-fit stair gate: Munchkin Lindam Sure Shut Axis Safety Gate | £30

• Best stair gate for wide spaces: BabyDan Flexi Fit | £40 £35

• Best no-trip stair gate: BabyDan No Trip Beechwood Safety Gate | £40

• Best stair gate for awkward spaces: Cuggl Wall Fix Extending Gate | £25

• Best mesh stair gate: YOOFOR Retractable Gate for Babies and Pets | £53

• Best wooden stair gate: Cuggl Natural Wooden Safety Gate | £35

• Best retractable stair gate: Dreambaby Retractable Gate | £50

How we tested the stair gates

The Mumsnet team tested each stair gate at home over a period of several weeks and assessed them in the following six key categories:

1. Safety and stability: Did the gate shift once installed? Were there any sharp corners or edges? Were there any small gaps that might trap a child’s fingers? Is the gate well made?

2. Assembly: How easy was the gate to install? Were the instructions clear? Were any additional tools or fixings required?

3. Day-to-day use: Does the gate do the job it’s supposed to? Does it withstand a toddler’s weight? Is it easy to open and close with one hand?

4. Cleanliness: Does the gate show grubby fingerprints? Is it easy to clean? Is there a bar that gets in the way when vacuuming?

5. Aesthetics: Does the gate look good and fit most interiors?

6. Value for money: Does the price match the product? Would you pay this amount for the gate?

When should I buy a stair gate?

Stair gates are typically used when a child is around six months old. While there’s no harm in buying a stair gate earlier than this, you generally don’t need one until your baby is beginning to move around on their own, whether that's crawling, cruising or walking. Most experts recommend you purchase a safety gate to put at the top and bottom of your stairs as soon as your baby learns to crawl – whatever age that may be

When can you stop using a stair gate?

You can stop using a stair gate when you’re confident that your child can go up and down the stairs safely on their own (which includes the middle of the night). This will depend on the individual child, but this usually happens at around two or three years of age. If your child doesn’t pull or push on the gate, which could cause it to shift or break, and doesn’t attempt to climb over it, you can keep it in place until you feel comfortable removing it.

What are the different types of stair gate?

Stair gates come in three main varieties:

• Pressure-fitted gates, which use the pressure of the frame to ‘stick’ the gate to the doorway

• Screw-fitted gates, which have mounting brackets screwed into the wall

• Travel gates, which function as temporary barriers, and need to be entirely removed each time you want to step through.

Most screw-fit stair gates have a traditional metal or wood framework, but you can now get ‘retractable’ models, which are made of a foldable or rollable material (usually plastic panels or mesh), and can be opened across the space and secured, then retracted back when not required.

You can also find extra-tall stair gates in both pressure-fit and screw-fit varieties, which are good for use with pets as well as children. Indeed, if you are looking for something that doubles as a dog gate for stairs, be aware of the different considerations.

Screw-fit (wall-mounted) stair gates 

Screw-fit stair gates are mounted onto your walls, screwing into your wall, bannister or skirting. The major advantage of this style is that the gate is secure and won’t move around once it’s installed. Their design and the lack of a bottom bar means that screw-fit gates can be used at both the top and bottom of stairs, in uneven doorways (great for older properties) and even outside – and the best models manage all of the above. They should also stay put for longer, giving you more peace of mind.

However the trade-off is that screw-fit gates are almost always more complicated to assemble, requiring a drill or screwdriver and a decent amount of time (and some swearing). You might not be in a position to damage your walls at will if you rent, and if you go to the trouble of installing a screw-fit gate that then doesn’t work for you, there’s an inconvenient mess to sort out.

Pressure-fit stair gates 

Pressure-fit stair gates are ideal for use in rented accommodation as installation requires absolutely no drilling. This type of stair gate comprises a U-shaped metal frame, which squeezes against your wall or bannister, holding the gate in place through pressure alone. It often requires a small cup to be applied to your wall with an adhesive, which the bolts of the gate then sit in, but be aware that these can still be tricky to remove after some time and may leave marks.

While pressure-fit gates can be used at the bottom of a staircase, or in a doorway or other narrow openings, they’re not suitable for the top of a staircase, as the bottom bar of the frame can pose a trip hazard. They also have the potential to loosen over time.

The other major downside is that there’s a great deal of variability in how effective the pressure points are at keeping the gate secure. Some stay really steady; others work their way loose quite easily, and some of that depends on the space you put it in so you won’t know for sure until it’s in situ.

Within these two categories, there are a few other features that can form part of the identity of a stair gate.

Retractable gates

Retractable gates are great in locations where space is at a premium, because the mounting brackets tend to be slimline and discreet, and can often be placed on both the inside and outside of door frames. If you don’t like the look of gates in your doorways, or prefer to have free passage through your house after bedtime, a retractable gate has the advantage: it only blocks the way when you need it to, and stays out of the way when you don’t.

Narrow stair gates

Narrow stair gates can be harder to find (and therefore more expensive) than their standard-size counterparts. If you have extra-narrow or wide spaces, a retractable gate or a screw-fitted all-rounder like Baby Dan stair gate the Flexi Fit might be a more cost-effective option for you.

Which type of stair gate you choose will depend on your home and your needs. Generally, screw-fit gates are more reliable, so if you’re planning to have a stair gate in place for a relatively long time, and you’re able to drill into your walls or bannister, then a screw-fit gate will be the best choice. You’ll be left with a few small holes to fill when you eventually remove the gate, but nothing that a bit of filler can’t fix.

If you’re only planning to have a stair gate in position for a short time, or if you're unable to drill into your walls or bannister, a pressure-fit gate will be an easier option, but will need to be checked regularly to ensure a good fit.

Is it better to put a stair gate at the top or the bottom of the stairs?

Both, if possible. Stair gates should be used to close off dangerous spaces. It’s best to use screw-fit stair gates at the top of the stairs where possible. Safety gates are also useful for keeping toddlers away from hazards like fireplaces, or rooms that you’d like to keep out of bounds, while allowing adults and older children to get through.

Are pressure-fit stair gates safe?

Pressure-fit gates are very safe for use at the bottom of a staircase or in a doorway, as long as they’re installed correctly and regularly tightened as necessary.

However, they are generally not safe for use at the top of a staircase. This is for two main reasons.

Firstly, pressure-fit gates can shift and move around over time. If a child were to push on a gate at the top of a staircase and the gate moved or gave way, they could potentially fall down the stairs.

Secondly, the bar at the bottom of a pressure-fit gate poses a trip hazard for both you and your child. The Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate claims to have eradicated this risk with its flat metal bar, but you must still check the gate daily to ensure that it hasn’t begun to move and tighten it if required.

What safety features should I look out for when buying a stair gate?

While there's no statutory requirement to comply, most commercially sold stair gates will have been tested to meet safety standards BS EN1930:2011. 

To ensure your stair gate is as safe as possible, here are a few things you should consider:

• Pressure-fit gates should not be used at the top of a staircase 

• Gates at the top of a staircase should always open towards the landing, not out across the staircase

• Pressure-fit gates must be checked and tightened regularly

• All gates must be mounted between two strong, solid surfaces, using all the fittings provided

• Make sure your gate is tall enough to stop children from climbing over it

Some stair gates boast specific safety features, which can help to ensure your gate is installed and used in the safest possible way. 

Here are a few features you might like to look out for:

• Indicators that tell you when the gate has been properly installed

• Indicators that tell you when the gate has been properly locked

• An opening mechanism that can be operated with one hand, so that you can safely use the gate while carrying a baby or toddler

• Additional child-proof double locks at the base of the gate

• Self-closing gates, which close themselves behind you after you’ve gone through

• Slam-shut gates, which you can just slam shut behind you

How much do safety gates cost?

Stair gates range from around £25 for something quite basic, to up to £100 and more at the luxury end of the market.

At the top end of the market, gates come in elegant, muted, wood-and-metal combinations with thicker slats, or even clear acrylic. These are aesthetically pleasing in their own right, and might suit your décor if the gate will stay up in a visible area for some time – but they can easily be four times the price of perfectly decent entry-level models and, if they’re not going to be up for long, you might want to look at a more budget model.

It’s worth measuring your doorways carefully first because most manufacturers sell the extensions and banister kits separately, and the cost of fitting a series of gates with full extensions can add up very quickly indeed. If extensions are going to increase the cost enough, it might be worth looking at spending more on a model that will fit without those add-ons.

How do you put up the stair gate?

Almost all manufacturers include videos that demonstrate installation and use. Watch for how many pieces you’ll have to put in place, how thorough the instructions look to be, and whether you’ll need any tools of your own (some require an electric screwdriver or drill).

What else to think about when choosing a safety gate

If you choose a tricky-to-open gate in haste, you’ll repent at your 3am leisure.

Videos from the manufacturer should demonstrate how each gate opens and closes, and almost all reviews mention it. Look carefully at the motion required and see whether you think you and your older child could manage it easily.

It’s also worth considering adults who will need to use it regularly. If grandparents help with childcare but your mother has severe arthritis, that’s obviously something to take into consideration. As much as you don’t want a toddler making off through the gate in the manner of Harry Houdini, you also don’t want your poor mum stuck inside it with the baby.

Check whether it has a bottom bar that could be a trip hazard, and consider whether you’d like a gate that swings shut by itself. This is convenient sometimes, but not always, especially if you have a toddler that might be following you through the gate unnoticed, like a ninja, and could get their fingers trapped.

What type of safety gate is best for the top of the stairs?

Although the Safety 1st SecurTech Flat Step Safety Gate is the only pressure-fit gate that claims to be able to be used at the top of a staircase, we still think it’s preferable to use a screw-fit, wall-mounted gate wherever possible. This leaves far less room for error and, once the gate is installed correctly, it won’t shift even if your child pulls on it. There’s also no ground bar to cause a trip hazard.

The BabyDan Guard Me is the best stair gate to buy overall, but the retractable screen does have a bit of give to it, and it needs to be installed at least 9cm from the top of the staircase.

Although the BabyDan Guard Me is safe for use anywhere in your home, the best stair gate for use at the top of the stairs is the Safety 1st Wall Fix Extending Metal Gate, which is also the best screw-fit stair gate we tested.

The Safety 1st Wall Fix Extending Metal Gate is easy to adjust to fit securely at the top of any staircase, and because you don’t need to use any additional extenders, the full width of the gate will open, leaving no obstruction that could cause you to trip.

Which is the best safety gate to buy? 

We think the BabyDan Guard Me Auto Retractable Satefy Guard gate is the best stair gate available to buy right now. It scored the highest in our product testing and has received many glowing recommendations in the Mumsnet forums. The retractable feature offers a neat option for leaving the gate folded away when not in use and it has a simple opening mechanism.

How we choose our recommendations

Our expert writers and journalists spend hours researching the very best quality products for our Swears By articles.

All the stair gates on this list have been tried and tested by Mumsnet users who have recommended their favourite based on factors including durability, price and performance. We include these so you know that real people are behind our recommendations.

Finally, we collated all that information and then looked at other online reviews to see which stair gates have received the best recommendations among both consumers and experts.

This article is not intended as a countdown of the ‘top 10’ best products, but rather a list of tried-and-trusted recommendations so you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re getting honest and reliable advice when choosing the best stair gates to babyproof your home.

About the author

Lucy Cotterill is a Mum and Content Writer at Mumsnet, specialising in baby/child and lifestyle product reviews and round-ups. Having written product reviews on her own blog Real Mum Reviews since 2012, Lucy loves to research and explore the pros and cons of products, scrutinising reviews and consumer feedback to help people make confident purchases. 

Laura Cooke is a Content Editor at Mumsnet, with a special focus on toddler play, child play and outdoor play. She is a mum of two and lives in Sussex.

Laura is a freelance journalist and has written for a range of publications including The Daily Mirror, the i, Metro, Stylist and Happiful.

Why you should trust us 

Mumsnet has been helping parents make their lives easier since 2000, and, in that time, we've investigated, tried and reviewed thousands of products.

We strive to provide honest and independent advice you can trust, and we spend hours scouring the Mumsnet forums and online bestseller lists to find amazing products that real parents love.

We do sometimes earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. This helps us fund more helpful and independent review pieces like this one. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.