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Best Extra Wide Baby Gate
Baby gates are often one of the most important and convenient baby proofing items on the market.
And they’re often a foremost concern for new parents. But while baby gates for a standard size door frame are very readily available, extra wide baby gates are a little more difficult to get hold of.
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But you don’t need to worry about that because we’ve been looking into it, and we’ve handpicked some really good extra wide baby gates for you to check out – that’s coming up very shortly.
And after that we’ve also got a super handy buying guide for you on the subject, which runs through everything that you might want to think about before you buy.
But that’s not all, we’ve also got another handy section where we answer some of your most frequently asked questions.
In a hurry? This is our winner!
Our rating:
Evenflo Expansion Walk Thru Room Divider Gate
- Extra-Wide Width: Fits a Broad Range of Openings 24"-60" (71cm - 152cm) 32" (81cm) Tall. a Must-Have for Great Rooms or Open Floor Plans.Closure Type:Retractable
- Hardware Mount: For Extra Safety, Installs in Minutes. Materials Made With Plastic & Wood
- One Hand Latch: is Easy to Operate. the Telescoping Safety Rail Keeps Fingers Safe From Pinching During Use
- Great for Children and Pets: Maintain a Safe Home Environment for Children and Pets
- Convenient for High Traffic Areas Allowing for Quick and Easy Pass Through
$39.99
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Best Extra Wide Baby Gate – Comparison Table
Best Extra Wide Baby Gate – Reviews
Our Pick
Our rating:
We just love this baby gate – with it’s wooden tessellated diamond look it’s not just something that serves a function but it actually enhances the appearance of a room.
It’s an expandable fence that can be set according to the size of your opening anywhere between 24 inches up to a staggering 60 inches. That’s certainly extra wide if you ask us! And it’s also very tall, with a height of 32 inches – there’s no way your toddler could get over it.
The safety latch is situated on the top of the fence, and it can swing open in either direction, so it’s very easy to come in and out of the baby’s designated area. And better yet, the latch can be opened with just one hand, which is exactly what you need, if you happen to be carrying the baby in the other arm.
When your baby approaches the gate, you don’t have to worry about anyone’s fingers getting pinched by it, thanks to the telescopic safety rail. Such a reassuring safety feature.
All the hardware you will need to install the baby gate comes included in the price, and the installation is a breeze and is usually done in a couple of minutes.
For such a large baby gate, t’s very reasonably priced too, coming in at under $40
Pros
- Looks just great
- Good price
- High & secure
- One Hand opening
Cons
- Not suitable for the top of the stairs
Our rating:
Regalo is everyone’s go-to brand when it comes to baby safety. Not only do their baby safety products make huge sales out performing all their competitors, but the customer feedback is fantastic too.
If you look on the Amazon page for this baby gate for example, there have been well over 23,000 individual customer ratings and the average customer rating still comes out at a whopping 4 and a half stars out of a possible 5 stars.
This gate is basically pretty much a standard 29 to 34 inch baby gate BUT with a 6 inch extension kit to make it extra wide. And if you need it to be wider still, you can buy additional extensions separately.
It comes with all of the hardware you need to install it, including that for the extension, plus there’s a handy video on the Amazon page which shows you how easy it is to install.
You can open it with one hand which is fantastic, because you will often have the baby in one arm, or be carrying something for the baby.
When the gate is unlocked it will only swing in one direction, but we think that can be a good thing.
It has a durable all steel design, and is in all white with grey accents, so would look nice in any home.
You can use it in doorways, or hallways, or for the bottom of the stairs.
It is certified to both JPMA and ASTM standards, which is very reassuring.
Pros
- Top best selling brand
- Very easy to install & use
- Amazing customer response
- Can be opened one handed
Cons
- Will not fit an opening between 34-35 Inch.
Our rating:
This baby gate may be marketed as being extra tall, but we can assure you that it’s also extra wide, with a width of 48 inches. Well, that’s the width of the mid width one anyway.
Amazon also has one that’s the same height, 36 inches, but just 38.25 inches wide, and one that’s a little taller at 38 inches, but is also noticeably wider still at 53 inches wide.
The tricky thing is that all 3 are on the same Amazon page, so if you decide to buy this one, you’ll need to make sure you select the one you need.
Visually it’s much more appealing than your more standard square shaped baby gate, and it’s available in more color options than just your standard white. You can get beige, bronze, light grey or dark grey, and have your baby gate tally with your home’s decor.
But what we really love about it is that you can use it at the top of stairs, which is thanks to it’s no-drill doorway mount. This is great because it means you can supervise your little toddler learning to crawl up one or two stairs instead of having the whole stairs blocked off or inaccessible.
And of course, it’s great if the baby’s usual play area isn’t on a ground floor.
It’s very safe and secure, and once you’ve opened the safety latch, you can either use the hold open feature, or you can simply allow the gate to close and lock behind you, all hands free.
It’s super easy to install – you don’t even need a drill. At first we were quite cautious about including a no drill safety gate, but we find it to be just as safe and secure as a drilled gate.
It also comes complete with a 12 month warranty, which should further add to your peace of mind.
Pros
- Beautiful gate
- Auto-close feature
- Hold open feature
- 12 month warranty
Cons
- Premium product at a premium price
- Be careful to select the size you need
- Gate only swings one way
Our rating:
Retractable baby gates like this one are great – you can hold baby with one arm, and with you free arm you can unlock the gate and open it just enough to let you two through, and if you have a bet following closely behind, you simply don’t open the gate wide enough to let the pet through.
The gate doesn’t have to be fully opened every time you want to use it.
The other great thing about retractable baby gates is that they don’t swing open at all, so if you’re leaving one area and the baby is following you very close behind, you don’t have to worry about the gate hitting the baby at all.
What’s great about this gate is that you can even use it outdoors, since it’s made of a durable UV, rust proof and claw resistant mesh, so it’s great if you’ve got steps in your backyard and don’t want the baby to get down them.
This baby gate can be used for openings up to as wide as 71 inches. It’s available in 2 different sizes, they are both 71 inches in maximum width, but you can choose whether you want it 33 inches high or 41 inches high. And it’s in 3 different colors, black, grey or white.
The package comes with all the hardware that you need to install it and you can install it either into wood, or into a hard wall.
All the instructions you need will also be included, but for a brief overview, you can check out the instructions on the Amazon page via our link.
You get a full year’s warranty with the gate, and there’s great after sales support, should you ever need it.
Pros
- Retractable
- Open one handed
- Indoor/outdoor
- 1 year warranty
Cons
- Even at the shortest height it’s too tall for most adults to easily step over
Our rating:
Regalo has done it again with another great extra wide baby gate.
But this one is very different from the other one we’ve shown you. There are two main stand out features. First off this gate is plastic and not steel, so the baby won’t get quite as hurt if they were to bump their head on it, which is great because the whole point of the gate is for the baby’s safety.
And because it’s plastic rather than steel, it costs less money to buy. In fact at the time we checked the price, there was a deal on and it came to less than $20, which is a bargain.
The safety lock is however all steel, which is reassuring, and it meets all the safety standards.
It’s super easy to install and you get all the hardware you need. Better yet it’s easy on your walls too, thanks to its soft rubber bumper.
It stands 23 inches tall, which is short enough for an adult to step over, but there’s no way a toddler could get over it.
As for the width, that’s expandable, you can have it at just 28 inches, or set as wide as 42 inches. So it’s not just for doorways but for any opening within that width, like the bottom of the stairs.
It’s more of a barrier than a gate as such, you have to step over it rather than open it out, but we think that’s a good thing because it means you can have both hands free rather than one or none.
Pros
- Plastic not steel
- Affordable option
- Easy to step over
- Easy to install
- Kind on your walls
Cons
- It’s a barrier not a gate
Best Extra Wide Baby Gate – Buyers Guide
If you’ve had a good look at the product reviews we’ve shown you, then you may already have an idea about what you need to think about before you buy.
But please read on if you want to check that you’ve thought of everything.
Location
If you’re specifically interested in a baby gate for stairs, then you may be more interested in one of our other articles, Best Baby Gate for Stairs, which is available on this link.
Measurement & Sizing
The measurements that you need should be at the forefront of your mind. Especially if you’re in the market for an extra wide baby gate. Once you’ve decided where you want to place your extra wide baby gate, you will need to measure the width of the opening.
Then come back to this article with the required widths written down, and see which of the baby gates we’ve reviewed will fit the area.
Height measurements are also important. In the US, there’s a safety gate height requirement for baby gates which is a minimum of 22 inches. Don’t go for anything shorter than that. Any height above that is fine.
Construction
Most baby gates are made out of steel, and this gives them real durability and guarantees they won’t get worn down over time. And our top 5 picks reflect that.
However your baby may hurt themselves notably worse on a steel baby gate than they would with a plastic one, which is why we like the Regalo Plastic Extra Wide Baby Gate that we showed you earlier.
One Hand Opening
We’re suckers for one handed opening. I mean who wants to drop everything everytime they go from one room to another. It’s nice to be able to pick up the baby, open the baby fence with your free hand, and carefully place them down on their side of the gate, since most toddlers would rather be held or carried and aren’t always going to walk into their play area of their own accord. One hand opening is soo handy!
Retractable vs Swing Open
The large majority of baby gates that are out on the market today, including the extra wide ones, are ones that swing open.
Some people like swinging baby gates, and in particular ones that you can swing either way, or in a direction away from the baby.
But this does cause concern for some parents who may worry that the gate will swing and hit the baby. And it’s no surprise to us that retractable baby gates are also now selling very well. With a retractable gate, there is no danger whatsoever of the gate swinging out and hitting the baby.
Easy to Install
It is your responsibility to fit the baby gate into place and make it secure. And that makes installation sound scary, but it’s actually quite easy to install most baby gates.
In all of the extra wide baby gates in our top 5 picks, we chose ones that were a breeze to install and can be fitted within minutes.
All of them come with all the hardware that you need, and you will only need a couple of other items such as a pencil, a measuring tape, a cordless drill, and a screwdriver.
Sometimes a baby gate will have installation instructions right on the Amazon page – often in video format. If you’re nervous about installing a baby gate, having such clear instructions to look at before you start should help to put you at ease.
Appearance
It’s hardly the most important consideration, but you might want to think about getting a baby gate that you actually like the look of rather than one that looks like a little baby prison.
In our top 5 picks we tried to pick baby gates that were not only safe and secure your baby, but also ones that would look good in your home.
Customer Reviews
It’s always worth checking out a few customer reviews before you buy something new. And this becomes all the more important when it’s related to your baby’s safety and security. You don’t need to read every single review you come across, that could take forever.
But you should at least get a feel for what customers have said about a product.
Amazon is quite good for customer reviews, especially when it comes to baby gates, due to the sheer number of people who buy through them.
Plus you can count on Amazon reviews to be more critical than the reviews you tend to find on manufacturer websites which are usually carefully selected for inclusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the widest baby gate?
Baby gates can really vary in size, with some manufacturers offering extensions on a standard size baby gate, while other manufacturers offer an adjustable baby gate that can be installed and used according to the size of the opening. These are usually the retractable ones.
The widest gate in our top 5 picks being the 71 inch wide one, which is the Perma Retractable Baby Gate.
If you need something wider than 71 inches, then what you’re really looking for is a fence.
If you want some advice on buying a baby fence then we can recommend one of our other articles, Best Baby Fence, which is available on this link.
