Hands free on something at least…every little bit helps!
We have a new puppy and a baby so it was finally time to get some baby gates in the house! Keeping both of the little ones out of the rest of the house is extremely important at this stage and out of all the gates we tried, we liked The First Years Hands Free Gate 3600 the best.
Recent improvements to note when making a decision -
Redesigned foot pedal, improved hinge, and improved pressure mounting pad are among the items mentioned that have had recent improvements. Hopefully all of these items will go a long way in extending the life of this product because with only a 90 day warranty from the manufacturer and historical problems with all of these items, I am a bit worried. That being said, I have looked at the strength for each of these items and they seem to be pretty sturdy.
Installation -
I will say that husband put both of our gates in, but I watched him while feeding little guy and found the installation to be super easy (looking). He agreed that this gate has a nice design. It is extremely sturdy and made of quality parts from what we could tell. The bars on it are metallic and painted white and the overall color is white with some gray plastic accents. It is roughly two and a half feet tall which seems to be higher than other gates we looked at. The gate is installed with a pressure mounted system which allows it to be installed in a non permanent fashion. I love not having to put holes in my wall and having the freedom to move it when our needs change. I also like the fact that it does not leave marks on my walls even though it is tightly mounted.
This gate fits openings between 29 and 34 inches and can accommodate a larger door way with the addition of separately purchased gate extensions. We have a newer house with wider doorways, so we really liked the fact that there are extension kits available for this gate. Each extension retails for around $15 and can add up to another five inches of width for a larger doorway. According to the manufacturer, you can add two extensions to each gate for a total of up to 44 inches of width. We only need one. They are easy to install and look seamless when combined with the gate.
So, how does it work?
It took me a few times to get used to this one, but it truly is a hands free gate! I have no patience for trying to figure out all of these different baby safety gadgets, so I was thrilled to have something that would not require me to empty my hands and bend down to try and undo it each time. You can leave it open if you don’t need it closed and it stays out of the way. You can also kick it closed and it locks in place without having to manually lock it closed. The gate makes a nice clicking sound so that I know it is shut as I am leaving. This gate is so sturdy and I love that it swings both ways. This is nice no matter what direction I am going for easy truly hands free action.
Some notes and cautions -
I don’t think this would be a safe gate on top of stairs at all. It is just not that kind of design, and doorways and hallways seem to be the best place for it.
Care should also be taken when purchasing this gate. Don’t pick up one that looks like it has been opened. We went through three before we found one that had not been bent or warped. Improper installation seems to be the culprit for warping problems and the gate will not be sturdy if it is out of shape.
Final say -
I really like this gate! I would expect that at a retail price around fifty dollars, the warranty would be much longer. I think this has been one of the nicest safety features we have had to add in the house so far, and I like that they have addressed some of the past problems the gate has had.
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