Kidco Safeway Gate

by KidCo

Product Features

• Hardware mounted metal gate
• For use at the top of the stairs only
• Constructed of strong tubular steel
• Easy to open with just one hand
• Swings open in either direction

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 29 x 1.5 x 22.4 inches ; 8.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000056JD6
• UPC: 786441080206
• Item model number: G20 SAFEWAY/WHITE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,128 in Baby (See Top 100 in Baby)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)

Product Description

Editorial Review

Although many pressure-mounted gates can provide a good barrier for kids, the safest and most reliable way to block their access to a room or stairwell is with a gate that mounts on a wall. Attaching directly to a wall or stairwell banister, this Safeway Gate combines sturdy steel construction with a simple design that makes it easy for an adult to open the gate with one hand. It takes a bit of work to assemble and mount the gate, but the included illustrated instructions for installation are clear and a total list of parts has also been included so that you can do an inventory before starting an installation. Measuring 30.5 inches tall, the gate can expand from 24.75 to 43.5 inches wide, and you can add an optional 24-inch extension (sold separately) to increase the width to 66 inches. --Chris Burns

Product Description

KidCro Safeway Gate The KidCo Safeway Gate is the top rated baby gate for stairways by a leading consumer organization. It is set apart from other stairway gates because it features easy to adjust hardware. The baby safety gate has a directional feature preventing it from swinging out over the staircase. The child safety gate can be permanently mounted and features hardware which will not damage the home. This Kidco child gate is quick and easy to install at the top or bottom of the stairs. However, the baby gate can also be used in doorways as well. The Kidco Safeway Gate can easily be released from the hardware mounting whenever desired. With additional versatility, hinges can be mounted on most railing and angled walls. The KidCo baby gate is perfect for any household. The baby safety gate also works great with pets.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good choice; installs in some angled locations, May 17, 2007

By 

Snap, Crackle and Pop (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Kidco Safeway Gate (Baby Product)

This is an attractive, sturdy gate. Because it's metal, the pieces are thinner than they would have to be for a wood gate. And the white color will blend in more for some decor.

The design is fairly clever:
- It works easily with one hand, to release the gate latch and open it.
- The gate can be installed to hinge on either side, and to swing either way or both ways.
- Almost the full width is usable, it doesn't narrow the opening down a lot (just by the width of the brackets and gate). That's the benefit of having something permanently installed, vs. pressure mounted.
- It can adapt to various widths. The box says it fits openings of 24-3/4" to 43-1/2".
- It will adjust to slightly uneven widths. All 4 attachment points have an adjustment, with sturdy threaded bolts, that can move in or out a little to fit the space. But you still need to have 2-3" of flat vertical area to attach each of the 4 mounting brackets - 2 on the hinge side and 2 on the latch side.
-It's also easy to remove the gate when you don't want it there - press a release and remove one plastic piece and the spring. It only takes a few seconds, you just have to make sure you don't lose track of the loose pieces as the gate is useless without them.

The gate can also be installed in some angle or other nonstandard locations. Because it swings on the hinged side, the place where you attach the hinge brackets doesn't have to be at right angles to the gate - it can be at an angle or even parallel to the gate. But you'll have to give some thought to whether having the gate swing on that side works for you. And you do need to have the latch side wall at right angles to the gate for it to latch properly. (Unless you use your own latch - see the photo someone uploaded using a garden gate latch. A very creative idea, which might work for dogs but give some thought to whether it works for children.)

The gate itself is about 28-3/4" high, though again the mounting brackets extend a little above and below each of the mounting points; and even a little more above where it latches on the top - about 2-1/2".

It comes with wood screws to attach it to the wall, so that assumes you have a solid wood surface to screw it into. You'll need to do some additional work to mount it if you don't have a wood surface.

Some installation suggestions:

- Don't start by putting on the mounting brackets, as the instructions suggest! Start by putting the big gate parts together and screwing in the hinge and latch bolts. That will give you a much better idea of how it works. Put the gate parts together and hold it up to your space to get an idea of how it works before doing any installation.
- Similarly, before you install anything, hold up both templates to see how they fit - the bracket types and heights vary on either side. That way there won't be too many surprises. Unlike others, I found the templates useful, but I did have to fold over the bottom as I installed it lower than the templates suggested in order to fit my railing. I really can't imagine not using the templates on the hinge side and getting it lined up well enough for the hinges to work right while holding the gate in the air. BUT ...
- Install the hinge side first, and assemble the gate and install it before installing any of the latch side brackets. Because unless your house is perfectly square and level, the latch mounts may need to be moved from where the templates suggest. Once the hinge side is installed, you can easily see where the latch mounts should fit. Just be sure they are set so they bolts fit all the way into the latch.

Installation isn't all that hard, but the instructions make it harder than it has to be. There are tiny diagrams of the parts at the front, with tiny letters indicating which is which; the pictures are in the back; and the text is on the pages in between. There are numbers on the text paragraphs that correspond to the images in the back foldout. But it would help a lot if they'd put the images and the instructions on the same pages. And have larger images of the various pieces.

A few things I'd add about installing it:

- The dimpled areas around the holes where you attach the two parts of the gate go out, so the bolts can set in there. However, it does seem to work fine the other way, if that works better for your installation. (It changes the way the latch is offset relative to the hinge.)
- If I had it to do over, I'd install the brackets on each side slightly offset (about 3/8" either side of center), since the way the gate works the hinge side and the latch side are offset because of the two-part gate design.
- Use a level if you have one to check to see if the area you're installing it is level. It's easy to raise or lower the bracket heights before you install them so the gate is level, a little ugly to move them after the fact and leave extra holes.
- The kit includes a little wrench for tightening, but use a real wrench if you have one. Other than that, all you really need is a screwdriver, though a drill might help because stair post wood is sometimes chosen to be extra-solid wood.
- You can't really tighten the hinge side nuts that hold the mounting bolts at the right distance out, because tightening twists the bolts so they jam onto the hinge mounts and the gate won't work. So just hand tighten the nuts, that should be OK given that the bolts can't work loose given the way the hinges keep the bolts from turning.

I'm wondering how the latch will wear, as the plastic piece gets knocked by the end of the bolt every time you open and close it, but only time will tell. I also hope the tiny little pieces that keep the gate from swinging the wrong way work better than they look like they will!

100 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best gate on the market for staircases!!!!!!, October 18, 2002

By 

Laura Foster (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kidco Safeway Gate (Baby Product)

I can't express just how much I love this gate! I searched high and low to find a suitable gate for the top of my staircase and after trying several gates I purchased the Safeway Gate from kidco...and couldn't be more thrilled with my decision! There are not many gates on the market designed for a wall to banister mount, I thought the only choice I had was a presure mount gate but, after my son took a spill I decided there must be something better. The Safeway gate was so easy to install! Granted, I needed to buy a installation kit so the gate would mount to the banister. But, to my delight there was no need to drill holes into the banister, it mounted securily with plastic tie straps. I could seriously put all my weight against the gate without it budging! I know some people have expressed that the gate is not easy to open but I would disagree, I can easily open it with one hand. Do yourself a favor and don't bother with other gates! This is the only one you need to buy!

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gate, solid mount - NOT the same as IKEA's version, September 10, 2004

By 

Scott Clark (Meridian, ID United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kidco Safeway Gate (Baby Product)

I just installed this gate and it took me about 45 minutes. The mounting hardware is sturdy and the instructions are clear. From what I can see it appears to be a pretty nice gate and gives me a little more piece of mind than the #1 and #2 gates (according to Consumer Reports - see below). Really, I don't think you could go wrong with the Safety First - Simple and Secure or this one.

To clear up a few things that have been mistated by others:

1. This is not the same gate available from IKEA. The Patrull Fast gate may have the same hardware but the gate from IKEA is one piece and it's width is only adjustable for openings 28 1/2" to 31 1/8" (that's about three inches!). The Kidco version is for openings 24.75 to 43.5. That's a big difference.

2. This is not the #1 baby gate. It is actually #3. For hardware mounted gates, it goes (as of 08/04)
- 1 The First Years Simple & Secure Stair Gate 3620 $70
- 2 Evenflo Secure Solutions Swing Gate 1050 $35
- 3 KidCo Safeway Gate G20 $65
- 4 Cardinal Gate Stairway Special SS-30A $80
- 5 Safety 1st Swing 'N Lock Gate 41780 $30