How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

We have a high deck. The spaces between the wood are pretty wide (they go across not up and down) and there are stairs. How the heck do we make it safe for kids to be up there??

As for a gate on the steps can I just buy a gate that goes in the house? or do I have to have one made??


old pic - but you can see how the deck is built


closer look at deck/stairs

Message edited 5/25/2008 11:00:46 PM.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck???

We also have a deck however our spaces go up and down. As for the stairs my husband put a wood swinging gate and then I bought a child proof lock for it. As for your spaces I believe they sell some kind of net you might be able to put around it.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck???

Our deck is the same way. But ours is right off the ground, so we didn't put anything there. Just a gate across the stairs...

In your case, I would definitely put something. Made the mesh type stuff you can get from One Step Ahead??

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck???

Can I just buy a gate that goes in the house? or do I have to have one made??

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck???

I personaly would have one made being your deck is so high. At least then you'll feel a little safer if they were to hang/push on it. I know if I had a reg gate on my deck my boys would have it down in less then 5 mins.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

You need to shop for a new railing. We had to do the railings inside our house as soon as we moved in. Then, we built a deck and got a child safe railing all around. There are many styles in many price ranges.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

We also have a high deck. We are going to buy a gate today and we are going to secure it in the wood.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

You can put wood Lattice around the deck and paint it the same color as the deck now. This way a child can not crawl through.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

These are from Onestepahead

Retractable deck guard

No climb deck guard (looks like nylon chicken wire)

I know they sell outdoor gates baby gates but I don't remember where I just saw it. I think if you get an indoor one it might rust. You can also just use plexy glass and screw it into the wood. Eventually though I would replace the railing.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

Stairs:
Gate

Space between railing:
- lattice and paited white like the rest of your deck.
- Bamboo rolling screening material (like they make for window coverings)

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

You can buy one made for inside. Just buy a plan wooden one and stain or paint it to match your deck to protect it from the weather. Check out one step ahead, they sell some kind of mesh thing you could put up since your rails go horizontally instead of vertically and there are large gaps.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

We have the SAME issue, Thank goodness for this post!

ETA- Where can I buy Lattice?

I looked at Home Depot and Walmart and neither had any?

Message edited 5/26/2008 9:01:12 PM.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

Are you sure you looked in the right spot at home depot for lattice? it's just thin wood in a cross-like pattern.

At one step ahead they sell this thin plexi-glass stuff that many people use on decks. You would need to buy a lot of it. You obviously need a top-of-the-stairs gate also. they sell an outdoor one at one step ahead also.

deck gate

retractable deck guard

deck guard

make sure you use a stair gate that is drilled into the banister and NOT the other kind. I saw my cousin's daughter go toppling down the deck stairs because they didn't have the gate drilled on.

Re: How to "baby proof" a deck??? now with pic

That existing railing is not up to code. For any kind of decking, you can't have more than 2" between the slats, to prevent babies from slipping through.

I wouldn't trust the lattice to fill in between the railing. It's a nice decorative material, but not designed to keep a child safe.

I would seriously look into trying to replace the railing, or at least put upright balusters along the railing to make it safe. Then you can get a standard outdoor gate for the top of the stairs.