Reddit reviews North State IND 8666 Grey 6 Panel Play Gate

Here's the thing about parenting that no one likes to admit or talk about - parenting is full of near misses and mistakes, full of things you meant to get around to and just forgot.

My dad nearly ran me over in his Bronco when I was twelve (we had just gotten home from camping -he was tired & forgotten that he had asked me to untie the kayak where we had secured it under the front bumper). He got in the SUV to move it from the yard to the garage - if I hadn't yelled (not enough time to move out of the way) & he hadn't heard me then I could have been really hurt. My dad felt bad about it for weeks & kept apologizing to me, even though nothing happened.

When my daughter was two my ex and I were visiting some friends. They heated their house with a wood stove that was surrounded by this accordion gate thing (like this). They didn't have any children, the gate was meant to keep their puppy away. My daughter got behind the gate & our friends mom saw her and snatched her away just as she was reaching for the stove. Just in time, but not quick enough - my daughter got a small burn on her hand. I took her to the doctor because I was terrified of it being a second or third degree burn (I was twenty & a very anxious first-time parent). The pediatrician gave me a pat on the back and instructions to just put neosporin and a bandaid on it. I still felt crushing guilt for weeks any time I saw that pink shiny mark on her little hand.

Secure the shelf & anything else the little mountain climber might have eyes on. Hold your little girl and be profoundly grateful for what you have. Kiss your wife and appreciate the she-warrior that snatched your daughter from harm. Remember - all of you are okay. You just got a very scary glimpse into another reality where you aren't. Take a breath, learn and move on. The fact that you're feeling this much remorse speaks to the kind of parent you are.

North State SuperYard XT Gate https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00004RA66/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nPPKBbPMD527S

I have this and you can add to it to make it bigger. Works great for a large living room.

So you grab something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/GRY-6-Panel-Play-Gate/dp/B00004RA66/ref=sr_1_14?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1450284486&sr=1-14&keywords=baby+pen
You can buy extensions if its not long enough. Then you just zig zag it, and that could work. We had one for a short (maybe 2 month) period of time to keep the kid away from the fireplace/stereo etc. If one side isnt supported, you can cram a chair behind it so it doesnt flip over - but you'll be there watching them, so they wont go too crazy knocking it over. Without putting holes in the wall, this may be your only solution. As a plus, if its shaped into a giant arc or something, that also helps support it (except at the ends). It could definitely work.

I have recently gotten our babyproofing to a useful state for our 16 month old, and I'm also someone who occasionally works from home. This is what has worked for me...

First, we have several zones that are 100% babyproofed, with doorway gates where needed to keep those rooms/areas locked down. We have a bunch of Regalo gates with the walk-through swinging doors because I'm not keen on stepping over a bunch of gates while trying to hold a toddler. We're also using a play gate (similar to http://www.amazon.com/Northstate-Superyard-Playgate-Light-Gray/dp/B00004RA66 although I bought it for $10 at a yard sale) arranged to cordon off our fireplace. The kitchen is babyproofed with all drawers and cabinets using magnetic locks or drawer latches, stove knob covers, etc. Outlet covers everywhere in the house. All top-heavy furniture is strapped to the wall. Nylon straps with wood screws and washers (6-8" straps screwed into the back of the furniture and into a stud) are a low cost but effective method of doing this.

With that arrangement, we basically have four zones that where we can let our toddler free without worrying that she can get into anything dangerous: the kitchen (with a pack-n-play, to further confine her while cooking), the living room, her bedroom, and the basement family room/play room. There are a generous allotment of toys and books in each of these spaces. That being said, when I am working from home I always stay in the same room with my child. I use a laptop so I'm not chained to a desk. A laptop might be something for you to consider... or maybe a tablet so you can be handling email and other tasks when you are not at your desk.

The real key to getting work done while keeping my toddler entertained is that we change venues every few hours. Inevitably she is going to tire of being in the same room with the same toys for too long. So I tend to start our day in the kitchen, she plays in the pack-n-play while I check email, drink my coffee, and make her breakfast. We move to the dining room (not completely babyproofed) for her breakfast in the high chair, and I can continue to monitor email/chat and do other things that don't require much concentration while she eats. After that we move to the living room where she has a toy box and a ton of books, and she does a reasonably good job of entertaining herself for 20-30 minute stretches, usually until she's ready for her mid-day nap. I'm able to get a good chunk of work done while she plays, and then nap time gives me a solid 2 hours where I can work uninterrupted. When she wakes up, I'll take a break for us to eat lunch together and take a walk if the weather allows for it, and then we will head to her bedroom or the family room for the remainder of the afternoon, where she has different toys to keep her entertained. I'm right there if she needs help with something and I can take a break to ready a story if she requests it, but I can also get a fair amount of work done with her in the room.

Get one of those baby corral things that are 6 or so pieces on hinges, and then put that in front of your TV. I put a couple of eye screws into the halfwall on the right to anchor that side, and what's not shown in the picture on the left is a coffee/side table thing where I anchored the other side. Older/taller kids like my three year old can reach over the gate and touch the TV, but they can't get into the components underneath while the holes in the gate allow IR in and heat out.