Rebecca writes: Help! Play area gate needed! We have devoted a large amount of space in our roomy living room to a play area for our nearly eight-month-old son Franklin. We have the wonderfully colorful Skip Hop blue/gold play mat, a couple of Fatboy chairs, and other baby-friendly furniture and accessories (most purchased used on Craigslist)....
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Now that our little one is starting crawl, we'd like to add a play gate/play pen around the mat so he can't make his way to other parts of the room and the house. It seems the only option at the major retailers for a freestanding gate (i.e. not for a stairway or doorway) is the Superyard XT, which looks a bit like a prison.
The Playzone, which is not terribly attractive either, but at least offers some kid-friendly features like a swinging door opening and some built-in toys and lights, doesn't seem to be for sale anywhere other than Amazon. Add the shipping fees, and it's pricey!
Has anyone found any other options? We want something functional that Frank will also like. Please help, we are days away from buying the XT even though it's hideous.
Can anyone make any suggestions for Rebecca? Let her know in the comments...
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Comments (7)
we used Superyard around a X-mas tree and I would not recommend it, as the whole thing slides on the floor (we had hardwood). It's not secured to the walls, so the child can push it around easily.
I found this one, and they claim that it won't slide (rubber feet): http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534808&cmSource=CrossSell&relatedProductId=488757
We had a super-yard. yeah, it's ugly as heck and it can slide a little, but it's reasonable and multifunctional. Ours went from being a "texagon" for our son Tex, to a christmass tree gate (tree was in a corner so we didn't have the pushing problem I guess) to a fireplace gate (not secured, but a deterrent). I like that you can take it outside in the summer-- and I also like that you can hang toys from the walls with linkadoos. the only thing to consider is whether your little guy will accept being caged. Tex really didn't put up with it for more than a few minutes at a time. What I eventually found more effective was just gating entrance to the room and baby proofing the living heck out of it.
We had the Superyard, but the boys were able to climb up it by sticking their toes in the holes. Then a friend gave us their Playzone (and several extension kits so it's huge) and not only did the boys LOVE playing with it, but they couldn't climb up it. And it has a gate. It may not be attractive, but that really shouldn't be the most important factor. (I do think it's more attractive than the Superyard.)
We have 9 month old twins and I can't recommend the Lil playzone enough. I bought it on sale at Target for $65...so I bought 2. I know it is hideous looking but I know my kids are safe. They can stand and hold onto the walls without any problem as well.
We have the Superyard. I used it closed in just one time - simply too prison like and our baby didn't take to that. We ended up opening it up. We had two. One just shielded the fireplace (and all the scary accessories that go with it) and created a safe haven for our dog; the other blocked our too-wide-for-a-baby-gate doorway to the next room. It worked well. Eventually, she figured out that she could move it by sliding, but by then all she wanted to do was let the dog in and out. Now we rarely have to use it. I do think it was worth it, but I certainly don't miss it.
You might want to check consignment sales before you drop the money. I always see them at the sales here.
We had a small living room when our baby was under 1 yr. old, and I positioned all the couches and soft chairs close to each other, and next to a wall, so there was only a small opening, which could be closed in easily. It didn't make for a very elegant living room, but the area was safe and the furniture was fun for him to hold onto.
...no baby gates in my home. instead, i just taught my boy what was off limits by telling him no and taking him away from it. of course i had to do it over and over but he eventually learned. we he was around 12 months, we started using his play yard (which he hated from day one) for time outs. :>