Baby gates are not as safe as many parents think. A new study from the journal Academic Pediatrics found that the number of injuries from gates have more than tripled in the past 20 years.
Most of the injuries, which climbed to 13 per 100,000 children in 2010 compared to 4 per 100,000 children in 1990, were not serious. Experts recommend parents use bolted gates on the top of steps not pressure mounted ones which are more likely to fail if not properly closed. They also suggest parents avoid accordion style gates which have since become outdated in the baby market anyway.
The data was gathered from children up to 6 years old at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.