I know what you are thinking. Few things in life seem as simplistic as picking out a baby gate, why do I need a how to. Two Months ago I would have thought the same thing but three returns and one ruined baby gate later I beg of you to let me help you.

This wasn’t our first baby gate buying rodeo and I guess the first time we got lucky by sheer dumb luck because we didn’t have any issues. It arrived we installed end of story. This time we weren’t as lucky so here is what I learned.

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Actually Measure

Yes you need an accurate measurement 45 inchish just won’t work, especially if you are trying to figure out what size extensions you need. Use a tape measure, a ruler, but whatever you do don’t go by that your boot is about 12 inches (glares at husband).

Account for those baseboards

Our first  baby gate return was due to this “fabulous home feature.” My husband had the gate mostly assembled and was about to pull out the drill when I happened to look over. “Wait! is that where you are going to drill?!” He did a slow look from the gate to me then back to the gate, then hesitantly nodded his head. After a bit more discussion I realized his plan was to drill through the baseboards and at a later date fill in the holes with wood putty. Maybe this would have worked if we had mostly flat baseboards, but of course ours are extremely intricate and since they were custom I can feel a headache coming on at just the thought of one day having to have our home ready to sell.

If you have baseboards don’t even look at drill in gates unless they have movable attachment sites (most don’t). We ended up with a pressure gate this time around and it works perfectly.

Don’t Buy Wood if You Have a Dog

If you have a little furry friend, buying a gate means not only thinking about the baby but also thinking of them. If you have a mischievous and chew happy husky (like us), you’ve just made your situation almost impossible.

I LOVE the look of wooden gates. They look more inviting, rustic and less prison cellesque and really isn’t that what all of us want for our homes? So after returning the failed mounted gate we bought a gate with a wooden door. It worked perfectly for all of two weeks before our  lovely husky realized hey that wood can be chewed through. A bottle of (wasted) bitter apple spray later she managed to decimate the gate. So if you have a dog do yourself (and your wallet) a favor and just buy a fully metal gate the first time around.

In the end we ended up with this black Dream Baby Gate, and so far it has withstood the assaults by our lovable and hyper furry family member.