As a new father I’m always trying to make sure I’m doing everything right for my daughter and her health. One of the unwritten rules of parenting is that if you have a baby you have to install baby gates. Baby gates are meant to keep your toddler safe from injury in places such as at the top and bottom of stairs and in the kitchen, but a new study suggests that the gates may be causing as many injuries as they prevent.
The journal Academic Pediatrics says that around 2000 kids get a visit to the emergency room every year because of safety gate related injuries. The majority was minor bumps and bruises rather than anything overly serious but the injuries came about because the children tried to climb or push on them. The main culprits appear to be gates that are pressured mounted, which might stop crawling babies from falling down the stairs but make for a hazardous perch in the case of wobbly toddlers who attempt to use them to assist them to stand, resulting in the gate toppling over.
Experts recommend the use of bolted baby safety gates wherever possible, especially around stairs.
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