Customer Reviews

North States Superyard 3 in 1 Wood Gate

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The only problem with this product is that you don't have a lot of control over how many panels you want to use. We wanted to remove just one panel to create a wall across an alcove off our kitchen. But only certain panels work with the mounting hardware - the minimum number we could remove was two panels, which would have been way too short. As a result, we had to zig-zag the fence in order to install it for our space. This works OK, and now that my daughter is cruising on it, it gives her a more interesting "course" to navigate. However, it has a lot of give in that it slides a bit when my daughter pulls up on it. Also be aware that there are plastic pieces that sit under the frame of the gate, and these pieces managed to rub the varnish off our hardwood floor.

This play yard is a good buy, it is good quality, heavy and sound. We also purchased the extension kit, it would have been very small without that. It is large enough to get in with our son and he loves "cruising" around the edges holding on to the bars. No danger of him climbing out with the vertical bars. Overall, a good buy.
The only complaint I have is that the latch on the gate is a little difficult, requires both hands most of the time.

I looked at so many playards for my little one. I almost bought one of the plastic playards with toys and music until my husband noticed in the photos that there were places that could act as little footholds for a curious climbing baby. And I also read reviews to that effect--that their little one were able to climb over their playpens. With that in mind, this is the only playard I found that was truly baby proof. They also make this same playard in metal for a little cheaper. We went for the wood because we thought it would be more forgiving should our daughter fall into it while playing. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:
1.STURDY
2. very well-made and nice smooth wood. very much like her crib.
3. it is extra tall so when she is standing she has to reach over her head to touch the top railing which is wonderful! most playards and her crib included--she is a head taller than the top which always worries me that she is going to climb over the top
4. VERTICAL BARS -- theres no place for her to get a foothold to climb out
5. You do not have to put it in a circle formation--you can attach it to walls. You can also get 2 panel extenders for $50.
6. Arrives assembled

Cons
1. Gate is cumbersome but not terribly--def not a deterrent from buying.
2. If you plan to do the circle formation, you many need to buy the extenders because otherwise it could be a little small--maybe not much bigger than a pack n play
3. You cannot remove panels to shorten the playard--you can only add to the playard in 2 panel or 6 panel extensions.

All in all, this was worth every penny. Definitely spend a little more and get something that will last and keep baby safe. The fact that it's extra tall, sturdy, and that my daughter is unable to get out or hurt herself on this playard is well worth it. Just like with cribs, children have been seriously injured with faulty playards so finding a good one is important.

I ordered this gate sight unseen (unusual for me) because it would fit nicely around a ladder-stair that was proving to be a bit treacherous for our one-year-old. When it arrived, I was blown away by the quality.

It arrives assembled (surprise!) and ready to use. Removing panels is pretty simple, although it took me reading the manual to get a nuance that made it easier. The bars and slats are a mix of wood and metal but at a fairly close distance it's not easy to tell the difference. The plastic parts are very sturdy and will survive many years of use. The gate has a self-closing mechanism that works but is easy to "disable" if you want it propped open.

The only complaint I have is the number of safety stickers on it. I'm sure they're required by some regulation or nervous lawyer or other, but they take away from the beauty of the gate and are a pain to get off.

well ... it does what it's suppose to do ... but ... if you are buying a gate for well over 150 bucks you are expecting more.

The gate is not easy to open (the click is too hard for adults and the motion of opening it is awkward)
but the most annoying thing is that you can not install it on the wall with an uneven amount of panels. you have to use 2, 4 or 6. which in our case is a problem as the space is perfect for 3 panels.
this would have been possible if they were not so cheap and would have included in the package 2 more plastic pieces....

i will try to contact them to see if they are willing to send me the pieces - but it should be included by default ...

buy this only if you need a very long wooden separator in your house. and be aware that its not easy to open...

We were looking for something to wall off a large (78" wide) brick fireplace with a stone hearth that extends 18" into our living room. This works perfectly for us. We attached one side of the gate to one end of the fireplace, and then ran it all the way across to our wall, which happens to serve a dual purpose in walling off our adjoining tv/entertainment cabinets. I set it up right out of the box - it's super easy to use - just unfold it and "lock" the panels into place by twisting those black plastic things you see in the photo. It made it sturdy enough to leave it standing (in a u-shape) until my husband found the time to mount it to the wall a few days later. I could pull on it without it tipping over, but it's obviously not a long term solution to leave it unmounted. The wood is a honey color. It's darker than our natural maple cabinets, but blends in closely enough. Given that it's in our living room where we spend a lot of time, it's nice to have something that isn't black or white or plastic stretching the length of our wall. We didn't need to buy the expansion pack. It was hard to figure out how to order - but if you take in to account that each of the 6 panels is 24" wide, you should be able to determine if you need the extra panels or if the 6 that it comes with work for you (144"). I haven't used the gate feature on this yard. We just step over it. My husband easily installed the mounting hardware - it was very straightforward.

I spent over 35 minutes trying to put this together today. The first 10 minutes were just normal assembly / reading instructions but the remainder of the time was spent trying to remove a part referred to in Step 2 of the instructions as a "mounting part". I turned and turned and turned until my hand was literally so swollen I needed to take my ring off. Reading 1 other review that hinted at a similar issue, I'm unsure if this part is supposed to be already attached or if I received a superyard that had been returned with this piece assembled from a prior buyer. What I do know is that I can't for the life of me imagine it's supposed to be this difficult to put together. I don't really understand why the part would be pre-attached if only to be instructed to remove it in order to assemble the playard. On the plus side, it's very nice looking and appears to be sturdy however as is, it's completely non-functional. I called the customer support at North State and was transferred twice directly to voicemail. No return call as of yet. I've never experienced such a physically frustrating assembly process and am totally disappointed with this product. With two very young children, I had debated for a long time and read several reviews - I had high hopes that I'd found a somewhat attractive, not-junkie playard option.


UPDATE:

I originally gave this 1 star however have been able to resolve my issue with assembly. North State customer service called and despite my initial negativity and frustration - the representative was very pleasant and helpful. She had the same playard accessible and attempted to recreate the problem I was describing. In her first attempt, she reported that the mounting part was not supposed to be attached upon delivery however it should be easily removed. When she realized that wasn't the case, she asked to call me back and went to look at her model again. It was then that she explained that the model had changed, the part did (now) come pre-attached yet should still be removable without much effort. Since mine could not be, she offered to send a replacement piece free of charge and explained how I could set the playard up in the meantime using the extension piece I already had on hand. (VERY NICE!).

After the phone call I figured I didn't have anything to lose and took a screwdriver and used force to pry the part off. Worst case was I'd break it but with a new part on the way - that was no matter (I wasn't asked to return anything). Anyway, the part came off and the playard assembled nicely afterward and looks great. I'm giving it 4 stars because I think the part shouldn't be pre-attached if it needs to be removed regardless AND if it is the case that you have to pry it off (though it's on a screw) - then the instructions should be more clear.

I do think it's a quality piece and I was really pleased with the way North State handled the issue. I felt strongly enough about it so I followed up with a thank you phone call, told her no need to send the replacement and thought I absolutely needed to update my review.

This is a great gate and so much better than white metal. The wood is a nice oak finish and matches our wood furniture perfectly. Once we figured out how to get the interlocking bars out it was very easy to assemble and makes a great wall around our bookshelves and we got another for our fireplace. It seems very sturdy and our baby likes to use the rails to walk around.

I bought this to keep my greyhound out of certain areas that are too awkward for a standard baby gate, and because most pet gates are only 20" tall (pooch can easily step over those!). This folds and bends into every area we need and is light enough to move around throughout the day. If you purchase the wooden version, you can cut out a single spindle from any of the segments and the space is too small for most dogs, but plenty big enough for kitties to pass through unhindered. I did this to 3 segments, and it is just as sturdy as before. This is great since our 2 cats are allowed free rein throughout the house and they're never cut off from their litter box or favorite windows.

Very pleased with this product. It is solid construction, heavy enough so our toddler cannot tip it over like with many plastic models. It is also an attractive piece, and the joints are well made, weather proof, and have a twist lock to keep a formation. IMPORTANT - purchase the 2 panel expansion. This almost DOUBLES the surface area of the play area. (Area of a circle is pi * radius ^2, so increasing the circumference by two panels makes a big difference.)