I never knew I'd care SO MUCH about kiddie gates until I had crappy ones. You know the ones: 
they only cost $10 and you have to be a wizard to get them to work properly and stay in the doorway. Those cheap gates are basically a hurdle for a mom or dad to hop over. Then when kids start standing up on their own, they learn to put their toes in the little diamonds and climb up the gate. Then when the kids are tall enough, they just reach over and bump the mechanism so it unlocks and the gate falls over. What a pain!
I got a "walk-thru" gate as a gift from my sister. I really loved it. Then the little plastic part that kept it closed broke but we improvised because the idea of going back to the hurdle gate was unappealing. Once the girls got smart enough to figure out how to unlatch that first walk-thru gate, I went in search of a better baby gate. I found the Evenflo Summit.
they only cost $10 and you have to be a wizard to get them to work properly and stay in the doorway. Those cheap gates are basically a hurdle for a mom or dad to hop over. Then when kids start standing up on their own, they learn to put their toes in the little diamonds and climb up the gate. Then when the kids are tall enough, they just reach over and bump the mechanism so it unlocks and the gate falls over. What a pain!I got a "walk-thru" gate as a gift from my sister. I really loved it. Then the little plastic part that kept it closed broke but we improvised because the idea of going back to the hurdle gate was unappealing. Once the girls got smart enough to figure out how to unlatch that first walk-thru gate, I went in search of a better baby gate. I found the Evenflo Summit.
This gate ROCKS! It is so completely awesome, that we have TWO now (one for the kitchen, and one for our bedroom/bathroom). And I'm thinking about getting a third (for Ryan's office). Every time my Dad was in town, we had to re-explain how to get through it. If it's that adult proof, it's for sure twin-proof!
It's a double action deal where you push buttons in on the handle and then cock it back like a gun (or press down the handle on newer models). It's still a one handed operation, but I'm never worried that the kids are gonna figure it out. Maybe when they are 5 or 6 they'll have the coordination to do both actions as needed, but I foresee this gate will be in use at our house for quite a while. I'm very pleased with it!
Realize there is a difference between a baby gate and a toddler gate. Honestly, I STILL want my kids out of certain areas, so I can't imagine dealing with a baby gate that they could get through by the time they turn a year old or so. What a hassle!
You can buy this gate online from Amazon.com for $40 and free shipping. I originally got ours at Target for about $45, but I just saw several at the Hurricane Walmart for $34.
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