RE: Ikea baby gates
We have a KidCo gate at the top of the stairs (one of the ones recommended in BB, I think!), and we put an IKEA one at the bottom. Except for the fact that DH had to rig a way to attach it to the bannister (KidCo had a kit, so he used that as a model for the idea), they are identical! I think the hardware is a different finish, and the plastic connectors, a different color. Other than that, the only difference was price!
I can try to get a picture at home if you want to see how it got attached. We have just a "standard" iron-look bannister.
mommy to three boys: A, 3/04
and identical twins B and D, arrived 9/08