Looking back and comparing our childhood to that of our children, it becomes apparent that there were many devices used by children that turned out to be very unsafe. When you consider things like lawn darts, it often begs the questions, "What were they thinking?" However, there are many things that seemed like a good idea at the time and were used with the best intentions. One of these devices that turned out to be unsafe is the accordion styled baby gate.
The accordion style baby gate was very popular for many years. Most children growing up prior to the eighties probably remember them. They featured two pieces of wood on either side, which would be attached to the wall or between a doorway. The middle of the device used many smaller strips of wood, which were hinged, so that the two ends could be brought together or spread apart. This gave it flexibility, because it could be fit into different sized areas.
These gates characterized by the diamond shape that the slats would form when it was spread out. At the top of the gate, a series of half diamonds would create a V-shaped zig-zag pattern.
These gates presented several dangers to the child and were a major safety hazard. The child could easily become entrapped in the gate if they stuck their head in one of the diamonds or on the top. If the gate became dislodged or even slightly moved, the diamond could close, catching the child and potentially pinching or causing strangulation.
By February of 1985, companies in the United States had stopped manufacturing these gates. Some gates are still around that use this design though, so it is important to always avoid using these types of gates.
Federal regulations now require that the distance between two sections of a V-shaped gate not exceed 1.5 inches and the diamonds must be smaller than the head of a six month old child.
One of the reasons the accordion gate was popular is because one gate could be used in different areas of the home that had different widths. Today, pressure gates are available, which offer similar functionality.
These usually are made of two pieces of plastic or wood. Some sort of tensioner, commonly a spring, causes the two pieces to be pressed into the edges of the door or the wall. Unlike the earlier version, these usually have a solid edge on top. While a pressure gate is much safer than the diamond shaped accordion gates, they are fairly easy to break free. Even the most well designed pressure gate is going to come loose eventually and an adventurous toddler can knock it down.
You should never rely only on a gate to protect your child from dangers like the stairs, but a pressure gate requires more attention, since they can be knocked down rather easily. Usually a hardware mounted gate is recommended. These come with mounting brackets that are physically secured to the wall. The gate can then be snapped into the brackets where it will be held in place. Most of these will wing open, to provide temporary access or taken down, while leaving the brackets in place.
