Question about the latch on the KidCo Beechwood Gate

[nigele]

I was interested in purchasing the KidCo Beechwood Gate for the top of my stairs until I saw the demo models at my local USA Baby and Baby Depot. It seemed like it was a tedious process to latch the gate - which didn't seem practical or safe to do standing on the stairs with a baby in my arms. I tried closing it several times and half of the time, it was not latched properly. Also, at USA Baby, the bottom of the gate did not latch without having to bend over and cram it into the slot. When I asked the salesman about this, he told me it was due to the fact that "an idiot installed it wrong."

I am wondering if both stores had it installed improperly or is it just a problematic gate? I would like to know if anyone who has purchased this gate has had any good or bad experiences they can share.

Thanks!

We have the gate installed in the doorway to my son's room. We had some trouble after a week, but it seems to have "straightened" itself out, or I figured out how to do it right, or it had something to do with the expansion/contraction of the wood doorframe and the seasons changing. We have had no problems since then.

I wouldn't be surprised if both places had their floor models installed by "idiots." All you really have to do is lift up on the gate so that the "bolt" clears the plastic, drop the bolt into the plastic latch, and press down a little on the gate until it "clicks." You shouldn't have to do anything with the bottom part of the gate.

[nigele]

Thanks for your help!