Superyard XT Play Gate

Our nine month old daughter got the Superyard XT Play Gate by North States Industries for Christmas. We've had the gate for three months now, and I'm really impressed with how well it's accommodated us. The play yard comes with six panels, and we got two additional panels so that it would spread out into a large square. This is a great step up from a playpen, since it gives so much room to play. It doesn't feel like we're confining her, instead we're offering her a spacious and secure place where she is free to roam and play.

Having the gate allows me to work in my studio while my daughter plays on the ground with her toys. She's happy because she's on the ground, and I'm happy because I don't have to constantly hawk over her to make sure she's not getting under furniture, or into the cat food, or any of the dozens of other things she is always getting into. It also allows us to see each other while she plays because of the lattice shaped openings in the gate.

One of the great things about this gate is that you can add or remove as many panels as you want. This allows you to conform it to any space you have. The gate also folds up accordion-style and is light weight for travel or storage. It fits easily into the back of the car without being too bulky for a trip to her Nana's, or the park. Even though it is light weight, it's durable, and stands up well to her grabbing onto the sides and shaking it, and climbing.

With eight panels, there is plenty of room for her to crawl and walk around with several different toys. There is also plenty of space for my husband and I to sit in it and play with her. It's really that big! She took her first steps inside her play gate, and we were both able to sit in there while she stumbled excitedly between us.

The one downside I've found about this style of play gate is that she's figured out how to climb it. Since she started walking, she has figured out how to climb on to thing. If I put her in the gate bare foot or in socks, she can easily climb the sides. At first she could only get a few inches off the ground, and the gate stood up remarkably well to her hanging and shaking it. Recently she's figured out how to climb all the way to the top, and nearly fell out. I started putting shoes on her when she's in the gate and it's put a stop to the climbing, so it was an easy fix.

I would suggest this product for anyone with a child beginning to crawl and explore, and with toddlers. It works great on carpeting, though I imagine it would slide around on a wood floor. You may have to put something on the bottom of the play gate to keep it from slipping on wood and tile. This is probably the best baby accessory we've tried, and is worth every penny. I found ours on the Target website, but they do not carry it in their stores.