Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought four different baby gates from amazon and made a table comparing them--north states is my favorite but the most expensive (pls see attached picture) Overall, the Regalo brand is the least expensive of the four but it's not my favorite. This product (the Extra Tall one) is better than the standard size Regalo. Here's why: ***A toddler can open the standard size gate by lifting the handle. Yes there is a red latch to prevent this, but when the latch is engaged, now you as a parent (with your hands full) can't easily open the gate with one hand. If you buy this gate, buy the EXTRA TALL one so your toddler can't reach the handle and open the gate but you can still easily open it. ***The Regalo gate (normal and extra tall size) don't open both ways. SOME OVERALL BABY GATE POINTERS BELOW: Questions to figure out what baby gate to buy: ***How wide do you need the gate to be? Most gates are built for a standard door frame--many come with extensions to fit larger spaces but some DON'T (ie you have to order them separately and pay more…). ***Do you want the gate to be normal height or tall? Normal height is good to step over easily. Tall is good if you DON'T want any kids to climb over it or you have a large/tall dog. ***Do you want it to open both ways? I like this feature a lot. SAFETY ***All of these "tension mount" baby gates have four posts that screw outward until they reach the wall. They also have cups that you can install on the wall to make them more secure. You don't HAVE to install the cups to secure the gate against the wall, but you really must if the gate is in a high risk area--e.g. top and bottom of stairs or any rooms you would put them in where they are unsupervised (ie childproofed bedroom while you shower for example). A toddler can shimmy-shake a tension mounted gate away from the door frame. Or I imagine that a heavy/persistent toddler could lean enough times on a gate on top of the stairs to bring it down--basically, don't underestimate how strong or persistent your toddler is if it's your first kiddo and err on the side of safety by INSTALLING the MOUNTING CUPS.