Features of the Retractable Baby Gate

Intended for use with children between 6 and 24 months of age, the Retract-A-Gate retractable baby gate was designed to be safe and durable, along with being the easiest gate to install and use. Though you will no doubt find cheaper gates on the market, none of them come close to the quality of Retract-A-Gate. Other manufacturers don’t offer nearly the level of service and support that we do, and coupled with the cost of having to replace inferior gates when they break down, it is clear that Retract-A-Gate has exceptional value. So don’t be lured by an inexpensive and second-rate product, and make the choice to select a gate that will be a lasting fixture in your home, and an investment in your family. Our confidence in Retract-A-Gate is bolstered by our extensive testing of retractable gates manufactured by our competitors. The differences between their products and ours are highlighted in the following list – which illustrates why using the Original Retract-A-Gate is the superior choice to babyproof your home.

Style

• While some gates can get hung up or make a distracting noise when retracted, Retract-A-Gate has a quiet, smooth operation.
• The mounting brackets for Retract-A-Gate are not only strong and durable, but are also clear in colour, so they will complement any décor. Most mounting hardware of other gates is less sturdy and unsightly.
• No other certified baby gate is wider – the Retract-A-Gate is 183cm wide and is the widest available baby gate on the market.
• In certain cases where use is not critical, two or more Retract-A-Gates can be connected together when covering larger openings is desired. No competing gates on the market have this capability.
• When not in use, Retract-A-Gate fully retracts into a compact roll approximately 8cm in diameter. Simple to keep out of your way on top of being safe for your toddler!

Security and Safety

• With Retract-A-Gate’s certification for top and bottom of stair use with children 6 months to 24 months of age, you’ll have peace of mind with your babies safely and securely prevented from using the stairway.
• We ensure that all of our products are up-to-date with safety standards – Retract-A-Gate undergoes annual safety testing and recertification through the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA).
• Even though Retract-A-Gate is designed for easy, one-handed operation by adults, its push and turn locking mechanism is childproof and safe for young children. Competing gates on the market have locking systems that are difficult and not easily maneuvered, even for adults.
• At 86cm high, our safety gate is one of the tallest available, an added bonus when considering security for taller children.

Easy to Use

• Unlike some other gates, Retract-A-Gate features automatic retraction, without the trouble of having to rewind it manually.
• You can view the one-handed use of Retract-A-Gate in YouTube videos on our Videos and Reviews Page. Though there are some other safety gates claiming to have one-hand operation, their cumbersome design actually requires both hands to operate them.
• If you pause while retracting some of the other baby gates, they will jam. To combat this, the engineering of Retract-A-Gate was done specifically to avoid catching or jamming, allowing operation of the gate without opening it completely.
• With our universal mounting hardware, one Retract-A-Gate can be relocated easily for use in multiple home or office areas. This simple relocation feature isn’t found in any other competitor’s baby gate.

Simplicity and Durability

• The mounting hardware used for the Retract-A-Gate is not only very strong and sturdy, it is easy to install and use, without the many difficult installation parts of other baby safety gates.
• The components of Retract-A-Gate are also sturdy and quick to install. After installation, the gate and its mounting hardware can hold up to a push out force of 100kg.
• Thanks to the durability of the Retract-A-Gate retractable gate, it can be used both indoors and outdoors, and in almost any climate.

Trust

• Unlike most other gates, which are often made cheaply in China with low-quality parts, Retract-A-Gate is the only retractable safety gate that is manufactured entirely in the United States.
• The award-winning Retract-A-Gate has been recognized with the Parent Tested Parent Approved Award and the iParenting Media Award.
• The Retract-A-Gate can be used for many purposes. While many gates are designed only for use with children. Retract-A-Gate was engineered with both children AND pets in mind.

How to install the Retract-A-Gate

Designed for simple, easy installation and use, the Retract-A-Gate is adaptable to many different areas of the home or office. Here are some typical locations where Retract-A-Gate can work well:

• At the top and/or bottom of the stairs
• Within a doorway or opening
• Between two banisters, two walls, or a wall and a banister
• Around the corner of a doorway or walkway
• Stair posts or railings, including wrought iron, metal or wood
• At any angle
• Both indoors and outdoors

We are confident that there is no retractable safety gate on the market that offers our superior combination of quality, durability and easy installation and use.

When installing the gate, two brackets will be attached to either side of the desired opening. Because our mounting brackets are universal, they can be used with every style of Retract-A-Gate. The brackets mount at about 8cm and 77.5cm from the floor on both sides of the opening. So that the installation is properly fitted, the distance between the two lower and two upper brackets, along with the horizontal distance across the area or opening that will be blocked, must be exactly equal. After installation, the safety gate is simply snapped into the brackets, and you are ready to use your baby gate. For more details on installation, click here to go to the Install & Specs page.

Measurements of the Baby Gate

• Width: Fits within openings up to 132cm or 183cm wide (this includes the distance of the brackets when the gate is installed within an opening)
• Height of mesh: 86cm high
• Height to the top of the locking knob: 97cm
• Retracted gate: Compact roll is about 8cm in diameter
• Brackets mount at about 8cm and 77.5cm from the floor
• Brackets: Measure 6cm wide by 3cm high

Optional Installation Accessories

Discussed here are the main points of the optional and additional accessories that are offered to help make the installation of your Retract-A-Gate as easy and consistent as can be. To get additional information about our products and installation accessories or to make a purchase, go to our Online Store.

Wall Spacer Set: This accessory is used between the wall and the mounting brackets in cases where the installation surface is uneven or not level. During installation of the Retract-A-Gate brackets, it is important that the gate is vertically plumb when the gate is snapped into the brackets. With an uneven surface or one that is not level, the spacers can be used to place the brackets equally across the opening, keeping the gate square. Sometimes a skirting board or molding may interfere with the gate, so spacers may be required in this instance as well. This is so the gate can be attached to the brackets without hitting the skirting board or moulding.

Stair Banister Adapter Kit: Sometimes, you may want to attach the gate to a stairway spindle or post but want to avoid drilling holes in the post itself. In those cases, the stair banister adaptor can be attached with a strap to a railing, spindle, post or baluster, making a flat surface where the brackets can then be installed. We recommend installing the gate on the very top or bottom step for the safest installation.

Additional Universal Mounting Bracket Kit: Because our mounting brackets are universal, any of our gates use the same mounting brackets. This allows for more flexible use of the gate, since several sets of brackets can be installed in multiple indoor and outdoor locations, permitting the gate to be moved to another area as needed.

Plasterboard Anchor Kit: For mounting the gate on plasterboard, this kit will be needed to install the brackets to plasterboard surfaces. For more details on this type of installation, see our Install & Specs page.

How Does Retract-A-Gate Work?

The Retract-A-Gate’s reel side snaps into one pair of the mounting brackets that are installed on both sides of the doorway or opening. The handle side, which is the side that is pulled out, hooks into the second pair of brackets. Simply unroll the baby safety gate by pulling the handle to extend the mesh across an opening and attach the handle to the opposite mounting brackets. The maximum width of the gate includes the contribution of the brackets when the gate is installed within a doorway or opening.

The gate can then be locked securely into place. Adults will easily be able to operate the simple push-and-turn feature of the lock, but it is child safe. We are proud to state that Retract-A-Gate is the only baby gate in its class with one-handed operation that is as easy as A, B, C…

1. Using the handle from the reel, pull the mesh across the opening and hook the handle into the opposite brackets.
2. Push and turn the locking mechanism to securely lock the gate in place.
3. Dispose of any other baby gates you have!