# How to block off bottom of stairs with wall only on one side



## 4Marmalade

It's too crazy with 14 month old twins who want to crawl up and down the stairs so we need to block off the bottom of the stairs so we can actually enjoy some time downstairs. Problem is, one side is open so a regular baby gate won't work. We need to get creative. Anyone have any ideas?


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## mommy2two babes

Are there stair rungs on the open side?

You could mount a gate on the rungs using a piece of wood and zip ties


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## 4Marmalade

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2two babes* 
Are there stair rungs on the open side?

You could mount a gate on the rungs using a piece of wood and zip ties

No, It's completely open. We thought about installing a wood beam but really don't want to do anything too permanent. Plus there would still be an open section above the gate.


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## mommy2two babes

could you put it un a fe stairs to above wher it is open ( I am assuming there is a wall furthur up?) At least if the climbed and fell down it would only be a few stairs?


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## 4Marmalade

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy2two babes* 
could you put it un a fe stairs to above wher it is open ( I am assuming there is a wall furthur up?) At least if the climbed and fell down it would only be a few stairs?

There is a wall but it's right near the top so it would only save them falling an additional 2 steps out of a total of 8 steps. Plus there would be that one side open where it would be a straight 3-4 foot fall down.

Thanks for bouncing ideas around with me







.


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## Anastasiya

Can you get one of those play pen things that has the ability to configure into different positions, then kind of corral the area off?


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## texmati

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sancta* 
Can you get one of those play pen things that has the ability to configure into different positions, then kind of corral the area off?











we have a similar issue at our house-- except no walls on both sides for about 4 stairs.

The only thing i can come up with is the above solution.


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## moondiapers

I'd get a fireplace gate. You can put the gate together in a way that the part that swings open is in front of the stairs.


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## 4Marmalade

Quote:


Originally Posted by *moondiapers* 
I'd get a fireplace gate. You can put the gate together in a way that the part that swings open is in front of the stairs.

We were actually looking into the fireplace gate because we do have a woodstove. It was going to cost us over $500 to enclose the woodstove. Dh is now constructing something to keep babies and children out of that area instead as that is a lot of money. Maybe it would cost less to enclose the bottom of the stairs. It's really only for a year or two.

I'll have to look into the play yard things and see if that's something that might work. We also have a 6 year old and 4 year old who are up and down all the time so I want something that they don't need to climb over, move, etc...


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## Anastasiya

Something like this? http://www.amazon.com/Regalo-Flexi-E...005876&sr=8-20

Or this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-me...e=UTF8&index=3 (Check these customer images - there's one around a staircase.)


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## mamadelbosque

We have two woodstoves and have gate type things that go around both - one is just three sides that goes around our hearthstone in the family room, and the other is a much more substantial and larger gate that wraps all the way around both the woodstove (cast iron) and the pile of firewood... (whcih is nice, cause' otherwise you have kiddies dragging logs & twigs & sticks all over the house - NOT fun!!)

http://thelograck.com/wood_stove_chi...ty_screen.html - actually the gate at the top is like our little one and the one on the bottom is like our big one - except we don't have the walkthrough gate section and just have to step over it - I think ours actually has an extension section or two (it was Lehman's floor model or something - my dad bought it a couple years ago when he saw it in their store







)


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## Cavy

HI Marmalade,
We have no bannister down one side of our stairs, wall on the other.
We have barricaded the bottom off almost completely; so there is a thick sheet of ply (about 60 cm high and the whole stairs wide) on the second step, screwed into the wall on one side and on the other side into a beam that extends down from the wall above.

We have to climb over the barrier or up hoik up the side of the stairs (straight onto the 3rd step) to get up.

Other people look at the barricade and think it's nuts, but we (age 4-42) are all fit enough to clambour around it easily enough. There's no worrying that someone left the gate open, which is a problem we have a lot at the top of the stairs. It's cheap and cheerful and strong, made from spare materials we already had, completely keeps the toddler off our stairs, and won't leave too many marks on walls when we remove it completely.


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## Ironica

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sancta* 
Or this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-me...e=UTF8&index=3 (Check these customer images - there's one around a staircase.)

That's what I was going to recommend: the ConfigureGate by Kidco. We had one in our old apartment, because the opening between the dining area and the living room was much wider than a doorway and was at a funny diagonal. It's pricey as baby gates go, but has a very nice look and is super-easy to install in all kinds of crazy ways.


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## fizzymom

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sancta* 
Or this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-me...e=UTF8&index=3 (Check these customer images - there's one around a staircase.)

We have this one too. We don't have a railing on one side and the drop-off where the wall starts is about 4 feet. It has worked really well and is very easy to install - much easier than any other gate we have used.


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## 4Marmalade

Thanks everyone! The ConfigureGate looks like it would do the trick. For now we have decided to try the cheapest approach. We will install a beam on the one side and install a regular baby gate. Hopefully that does the trick. If not I have other options.


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