The Ultimate and Modern Styled Safety gate - The Metro Gate from Kidco

As the mother of two small children in a two-story house, I know just how important safety gates are. And I’ll say, for one thing, that anywhere you use them on a regular basis—the top of the stairs, for instance, or the kitchen—go ahead and install the permanent type. I spent a few weeks trying to make do with the easily removable tension rod type, and quickly realized that a) I was wasting precious time adjusting it and getting it set up right each time, and b) they’re too easy for a larger child to dislodge.

This was back when my son was small and I was pregnant with my daughter, and we were in the process of selling our house, so not attaching a safety gate to the wall was a priority. We also lived in a single-story house at the time, so things like stairs weren’t an issue.

When I was first shopping for gates, we had several choices in terms of the functionality and appearance of safety gates—some are wood, some are plastic, some are metal, and there are numerous ways that they can open (you’ll soon notice this when you go to a friend’s house with a different model of gate and find that to the novice, they’re not only child-proof but adult-proof as well). But none of them have been very, well…attractive. Now, don’t get me wrong here—safety gates will always be a utilitarian product first and foremost. They’re there to serve a purpose, and that’s to keep your small children (or pets) from areas that may not be safe for them.

But let’s face it, ladies—the kids stuff is already encroaching on our sense of style, right? The toys, at least, can be picked up and put away to make room for a dinner party, but the gates…well, they’re attached to the wall, and often right in the middle of our gorgeous kitchens that we spent all that money remodeling!

So I wanted to share with you this new sleek, modern gate from Kidco. The Metro blends effortlessly with today’s décor, especially for those of us who’ve redone our kitchens in all stainless steel. The two-way door features a built-in pressure indicator and tension lever, and installs in minutes. Kidco has spent a lot of time coming up with all sorts of baby items to make life easier and safer for today’s parents, from feeding ideas to safety to travel beds, but this is one of my most favorites. Why shouldn’t we have a choice in how our safety gates look? Just because we’re concerned about safety doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice style—car seat manufacturers have that figured out already, and it’s nice that safety gates are finally catching up!

Jane