Tips on how to choose a baby gate with pet door

Are you a parent of a young child and an owner of a pet? Do you want your child to be safe and your dog or cat go where it wants? Then you definitely need a baby gate with a pet door. If you own a small dog or a cat, they probably won't pay much attention to your baby, but if you own a big and playful dog it can send your baby or toddler flying across the living room. 

That is why a baby gate with a built-in pet door is ideal for this kind of situation. The built-in pet door would allow your little pet through and it will keep your big dog on the other side just staring at your baby.

The needs of those who use this type of gates are so diverse, that finding the one that's right for you is kind of a challenge because there's a wide variety in the market. Having the right baby gate with a pet door in your home could make a huge difference in regards to pet and baby safety.

So before you run to buy a gate, considered these tips so you can choose the best, and the one that fits your needs.

Of course, this kind of gate is for a niche market, so look for it if you fill these criteria: you have a small or medium pet in addition to a large pet and a baby or toddler.
 

Take a good look at your space, do you have places in your home where you don't want your pet wondering? Maybe the kitchen? Or you want to protect your child and create a safe space where he can play? Then when choosing the baby gate with pet door, considered carefully if it meets your specific needs.

Take into consideration the type and size of the pets you want to keep contained, as well as the ones you want to allow in and out of the built-in gate.

Babies and pets make an odd mix, so you have a decision to make regarding a mix up between them :) Are you going to let your small dog or cat have access to your baby's space or room?

You're going to have to do a lot of measuring, before going to the store or going online and choosing the baby gate that fits. Size up your dog or cat or any pet you have at home; take into account how big is your baby or toddler, and make use of your measuring tape to have the exact size of the walls or space where you plan to put the gate.

You need to consider your toddler and pet heights and choose accordingly, so you don't have to worry about either of them trying to jump it.

There's one more thing you need to do, you have to double check and cross-check the information you just gathered with the size of openings and widths of the gates you have pre-selected.

Now that you have all this information it's time to go online and do some research of what's available in the market. We can help you in this stage, as we did a little research ourselves. You would think there would be a lot of choices to pick from, but there is not.

There's only one brand that has all these features and the durability to meet your expectations: Carlson Brand. Actually, they are the only company in the U.S allowed to sell this type of gate. They have managed to have multiple patents on the simple idea: a small gate within a gate.

When choosing the best baby gate with pet door, you have another decision to make and that's if you want a mounted baby gate. There are two styles of this type of gate: Pressure mounted and hardware mounted.

Have you chosen the space where you want to install the baby gate? If you have, then take a look at these two options. Which one fits your specific needs?

The Carlson Extra Wide and Tall Walk Through Gate. These models are two of the most popular ones. Both of these models are pressure mounted. If you want to avoid putting holes in your drywall due to the screws and anchors, then you should choose this type of baby gate with a pet door.

However, this type of model is not ideal if you have a large dog who likes to knock things down. To avoid this you can get a pressure gate wall protector, this goes in between the pressure spindles and your wall, it tightens the connection and protects your wall and paint from damage. 

If you want a more permanent baby gate with pet door then go with the Flexi Walk-Thu Gate With Pet Door as this model is hardware mounted. You will have maximum stability and security in your gate as this model is designed to be installed directly into your wall or woodwork. To ensure that it stays in place you have to screw the mounting bracket into the installation location.

Cats are dynamic animals, so if you have a mix of cats, dogs, and baby at home you should consider choosing a baby gate with a cat door. Look for a reliable gate so you can control the movements of your cat and other pets so they are not all over the place. 

You would need a baby gate with a small opening for your cat. The Carlson Extra Wide Through Gate with Pet Door is pressure mounted with four- strong point grips that stick to your walls and that avoids the gate from tripping.

The pet door on this gate is 10 inches by 7 inches, so it's ideal for your cat as it can move around with freedom undisturbed with the presence of the baby gate, at the same time keeping your baby safe.

One section of your house that definitely needs baby proofing is the top of the stairs. So you need to find a baby gate with a pet door that fits this need. The best choice is a hardware mounted baby gate because otherwise your baby, or your pet (if he's rambunctious), could be in serious risk of injury if he or she goes tumbling down the stair.

There are some brands that offer baby gates for top of the stairs but they don't have the feature of the small built-in pet door. So our recommendation would be to look into the existing baby gates with a pet door and adapt them to this space. 

For the bottom of the stairs, you can use the same model you chose for the top. It is recommended to use a hardware mounted baby gate at the bottom but if you have a flat surface to mount, you can use the pressure mounted one. 

If you have a wide space at the bottom of the stairs or want to extend the protection a little more, you can use an extra wide model. Because of the width of this model, it doesn't hold with a pressure mount, it has to be hardware mount.

All these baby gates with pet door are walk-through gates this means you can pass through the gate using the one-hand-operable doors. 

The great thing about the baby gate with pet door is that in one single item you get to enjoy the full function of both. 

This type of gate is design primarily to separate your big dogs, while you let the little ones (like small dogs or cats) roam around, at the same time keeping your baby or toddler safe.

Take into consideration that if you have a small and curious baby, the gate with the small built-in door for pets, may not be a good choice because your child could try crawl through it and could potentially get stuck.
 

You can choose the same model of the baby gate with a pet door for the top or bottom of the stairs, it works in both spaces. Be sure to choose the hardware mounted model as this is the one that'll give you maximum security and stability.

I hope this tips on choosing the best baby gate with pet door were helpful and that you find the one that's going to fit your household needs.