How to Childproof a Baby Gate

Putting up a baby gate is done for many reasons. However I am going to assume that many of you may have had the same problem as I have. My kids climb the gates. So in this article I will walk you through how to dress up your baby gate so that your children can not climb over it.

Things you will need:

A baby gate, any make and size will be fine, ( I used the large sized gates) scissors, a pencil, some card board, clear packaging tape, an exacto knife, and some shelf paper.

Choose the shelf paper to go with your décor in the area that you wish to put the gate up. I find that the non self adhesive kind works the best. If you need to get the self adhesive kind for some reason, then simply leave the paper on the back. Shelf paper can usually be purchased at your local dollar or hardware store.

The first thing you want to do is take your baby gate and lay it down, it doesn't matter which side is up. Then put a piece of cardboard over the top of the gate and trace with your pencil the area that you want to cut. The area to be covered is only the gate part, not the frame.

Next, make sure to put a piece of cardboard underneath the cardboard that you are going to cut, so that you don't cut a table top or counter. Then using your exacto knife carefully cut the cardboard by tracing the lines you have drawn. Once you have done this for the entire amount you will need for the baby gate, set the cardboard aside.

Remember to reduce chances of cutting yourself or anyone else, put your exacto knife away in a safe place when you're finished with it.

Get out your shelf paper and go through the same motions that you did with the cardboard, only use the scissors instead of the exacto knife. Once you are done with that then place the cardboard onto the gate and cover the cardboard with the shelf paper so that it is entirely hidden.

Take your packaging tape and attach it to the top of the gate on the frame, also making sure that a portion of the tape is covering the side of the frame as well. Attach the end of the tape to the bottom of the frame. Continue attaching the tape so that it overlaps about half of the last piece of tape until you have covered the whole side of the gate. Then, on the frame, cover the end pieces with another piece of tape going sideways. This will keep the children from finding the end pieces and tearing them off.

Repeat this entire process on the other side of the gate. In some cases you may not need to do both sides. Then discard all excess cardboard and shelf paper and you are done.

Look at your gate now. You have created a way to help keep them from climbing it, yet it's decorative too. I tried this with only the shelf paper, by omitting the cardboard and the kids found a way to poke holes in it with their toys. The packaging tape also gives the gate a nice glossy look and it's easy to clean as well.

I know this little trick worked with my curious and determined children, so I hope that it is of some help for you as well.