3-storey house and toddler can open the gate...

[lovelycate]

has anybody any experience of this? Zac is almost 2, and a big boy (strong too). We found out this morning that he can open the stair gate by doing the 'jailhouse rock' (holding on to the bars and shaking back and forth)

My main worry is that the landings are really small and narrow, and are also the connecting bit between the rooms of the house, so I'm worried that if I take the gates down, he will slip and fall down the stairs as he rampages around...

I'm not really sure what to do. I mean, if he can open the gates, then I've kinda got no option really, but I am worried about his safety!

[Catastrophic]

I would leave the gates up and teach him not to touch them.

[black_rose]

Leave the gates, our girls can open ours too but I figure it slows them down before heading down them. We have taught them no playing on the stairs and to walk down but the gates help, before they were in at the bottom the girls would want to play on them it was too tempting.

[Pandora]

Can you attach (safely) a bell or something that will make a noise so you know if it's being opened?

[Ginger]

i think you need to get a better gate!

[Marnikat]

Is it a swing open gate? Cause if it is my only suggestion would be to swap to the old fashioned wooden ones that don't have a door to open. Otherwise I don't know. Hope you find something that works though cause it would be a bit scary!

[Roryrory]

My DH built a wooden gate at the top of the stairs that locks with a "pool gate" lock, worked a treat. That said, from about 18 months of age our boys were shown how to safely get up and down the stairs....

[melbel]

you could do what my sister did and put a doona on the landing so if they did slip they had a soft landing...eventually he has to learn to negotiate the stairs and you can only save them from so much! If you teach him how to use the stairs safely maybe and pop the doona there just in case......