Bettercare Auto-close Stair Gate

Product Tested By Lisa Bowyer – Baby Edward 8 Months

Lisa Awarded Bettacare Auto-close Stair Gate 4.5/5

This is a very good product with clear instructions on the outside of the box and attractive pictures. The website has Lots of choice and very useful products – not always the cheapest price though. The packaging couldn’t really be better it tells you everything you need to know about gate’s installment, use and further products you can get. I’m a bit DIY challenged, but the instructions were quite easy to follow. It was quite easy to install and felt secure once in place. The gate is self closing and you can open it with one hand (with a little practice). Seems like a very high-quality, well-designed product. Perhaps a tad expensive but overall it is probably worth it to ensure safety of babies and young children. I already have recommended it to several friends. High-quality and well designed product that has excellent safety features. Lisa Bowyer – Baby Edward 8 Months

Product Tested By Lorna Nolan – Baby Tilley 8 Months

Lorna Awarded The Bettacare Auto-close Stair Gate 3.9/5

The product is solid and contemporary looking. The company website is modern and clean looking, however I think there is a lot of information on the one page.  It is however, quick simple to use. Basic practical packaging and the stair gate well protected. You couldn’t get straight into installing the product, but after spending a few minutes familiarizing myself with the instructions they were clear enough. It wasn’t too complicated getting the stair gate up, but there were many components which were a little fiddly putting together. It would be better using the screw fittings but living in a new house I didn’t want to damage the walls.  The cups held the gate in place well but needed to be used with sticker fixings.  I was disappointed that there were only two sticker fixings though, which prevent the user from moving the gate to another stair/doorway. The door needed a firm hand but this was simple enough, even when holding a small child. The stair gate is auto close which is a great help as you do not have to struggle to close the gate whilst carrying a child.  It also had a childproof lock which prevents a child from opening the gate. Both worked well. Very sturdy and modern looking. I am happy to have it in my home. Don’t know how this could be improved upon. It appears to be a long lasting product. It blends in really well into the modern home. I have a three storey house and would definitely consider buying this. The product came with an extender which made it a perfect fit in my home. Sturdy, modern and practical, simple and easy to use. Lorna Nolan – Baby Tilley 8 Months

Product Tested By Stephanie Miller – Lucie 1 Year

Stephanie Awarded The Bettacare Auto-close Stair Gate 4.1/5

A simple looking design, plain white that will not look unnecessarily out of place in the home. The fact that it claims to be auto closing is an interesting and appealing feature, as is the fact that the gate does not need to be screwed into the wall but has fixings that mean it can easily be removed if need be. Website is very user friendly, set out in a clear way, easy to read and navigate around. There is a huge range of products available starting from pregnancy.  I particularly like the feature which helps you find the right product for your needs and the Safetots articles are well written and full of useful information especially good for new parents. Pricing of products seems to be fairly competitive and next day delivery is on offer. A basic white box with a big, clear picture of the gate in use, also smaller pictures of finer details, i.e. fixings. The label also lists the features of the gate and the various dimensions it can be purchased in, making it easy to see which is best for your needs. Clear written instructions, not too wordy just the necessary information.  I would have liked pictures to be a little bigger, maybe photos rather than drawings but the instructions gave me all the information I needed to fit the gate relatively easily. I fitted the gate at the bottom of our stairs as our house is open plan so we are unable to shut doors to block off our stairs.  The gate had to be fitted between a textured wall and a solid wooden post.  As we are due to move house soon I did not want to screw the fixing cups to the wall as this would leave holes when we have to remove it.  Instead I chose to fit it using the sticky pads, unfortunately as our wall is textured the pads would not stick to this side but they did adhere to the wood with no problem.  Fitting the gate on my own was rather tricky, as it kept swinging open so I needed some help to hold it in place.  The screw in handles and spindles were easy to position although one was very stiff and needed quite a bit of force to screw it in sufficiently.  Once the bottom handles were tightened up the gate was more secure and I was able to finish the job by myself. The gate at first did seem to be a good fit and secure but after a few days it came loose and had to be tightened up again.  This has happened regularly since then which is rather annoying and not particularly safe as if my daughter were to pull herself up on it when it was a bit loose I think her weight would probably be enough to make it fall.  I do not know if this is a common problem with stair gates.  In this case though it maybe because I was unable to use the screw fixings which I think would probably help. Very easy to open, you simply slide the button on the handle and lift the gate slightly.  As the name says the gate is ‘auto close’ and just slowly swings closed.  You know if it has closed properly as you will hear a click. the gate is self closing and the hand wheels are supposed to be child proof but they do seem to work themselves loose over time. The auto close feature was a benefit as you don’t have to stop on the stairs to turn around and close the gate, plus if you forget to close it, it does it for you.  But the auto close feature only worked properly if the hand wheels were screwed tightly so when they did work loose the gate just swung freely which is obviously a hazard. The gate is well built and solid whilst at the same time being light and if fitted correctly works well and is easy to use. I think the design of the product is a good one and it just depends on the style and location of your stairs as to whether the gate will be suitable for you. I would not buy this product for the house I live in now as the walls are very old and bumpy so I think this affected how the gate functioned.  If I lived somewhere with more solid, smooth walls or I was willing to drill into the walls to fix the gate then I would buy it as I feel that when fitted properly it is a good product. I do appreciate that the problems I encountered are probably due more to our house than the gate itself. The gate is a good, simple design that seems to do what it promises.  I was disappointed with the way it performed in our house but we are due to move house soon so I will definitely try the gate in our future home hopefully with better results. Stephanie Miller – Lucie 1 Year