Use Of Play Yards And Baby Gates, How Many Use Them?

[caregiver]

There was a thread on the parents site and it said it had moved to the providers site, but I don't see it so I will start a new thread. It was about using gates and super yards for kids and if you use them and for what reasons.
I do use them myself for safety reasons, not to pen a child up all day. I will use them if I have to leave the room for whatever reason, like to use the bathroom or make lunch. If the child is young, under 2 years of age I use them because I can't trust that the kids will behave while I am gone for a few seconds and don't want them to get hurt or into something they know that they shouldn't be playing with. There is nothing wrong with using gates or play yards for this reason and my parents really appreciate that I do this as they don't want their child getting hurt or into something either.

How many of you use them? I just believe myself that it is just being careful and being a responsible provider.

[caregiver]

Found the thread on this subject just now, but oh well, a new thread is started.

[Rachel]

I gate my living room and that whole area is the daycare room. Everything in there is baby safe and the kids stay there unless we are washing our hands, going outside or using the bathroom (only have babies now, so not relevant)

[MyAngels]

I don't use any gates but I do have a super yard I use at times when I've got younger babies. Mostly just for safety, but I did have one little guy who needed it quite a bit for awhile because I couldn't keep him out if anything ::. Thankfully he outgrew that phase quickly.

[craftymissbeth]

My group is all under 2.

I use baby gates on the top & bottom of the stairs and to close off the kitchen. Our daycare playroom is the entire former living room and a portion of the dining room which are connected. There is no gate between these two rooms, but I expect my toddlers to stay in the playroom unless given permission to be in the dining room.

I use a super yard on top of a blanket with some soft infant toys as a small infant area. I use it a few minutes at a time throughout the day... for when I'm busy with things like feeding an infant, using the restroom, preparing meals... pretty much only for children who are too young to understand that they have to stay in the playroom or when everyone needs to be separated while I'm busy. It's not used for discipline.

[MsLaura529]

I do not have one right now, but will be getting a superyard later this week. I start an infant next week (2 days a week) and will be using it as a place for her to be safe while I cook meals or go to the bathroom, etc. She is a crawler, so I can't bank on her staying in one spot while I need to be out of sight for a minute. I will also be using it (on the days she is not here) to help block of half of the playroom while the kids wait for lunch, after cleaning up, during quiet reading time right after lunch, etc ... as a way to keep them all in on spot and keep the mess down while I need to be preoccupied with something else.

[melilley]

I only have a gate that separates my living room, turned child proofed playroom, from the rest of the house. Every once in a while (honestly have only done it a couple of times) I will separate my aggressive child from the rest if he's in a mood, if I have to change a diaper, cook, what have you, but I always tell the other kids to tell me when they want to come out or if they cry I will open the gate and I will have him stand by me and play right there. I don't have a super yard. When my 2 youngest children were younger, I just brought them with me wherever I went (my ds was 6 mo. when I opened and I had a 6 mo. old dcb). My group is 2.5 and under

[mema]

The only gates I have are at the top and bottom of stairs. Rooms that are off our area that I don't want the kids in (laundry, ds room, etc), I just close the doors. I do have a play yard that I use for littles when I'm using the bathroom, changing diapers, feeding another little, etc. so it is really only used a few minutes at a time, a few times a day.

[Blackcat31]

I have a 2 bedroom daycare house with a separate entry way.

ALL the rooms have either gates (with walk through doors) or half doors so that each room can be closed off or used to separate kids during small group or whatever.

The gates are permanent.

I use them for a variety of reasons.

[Angelsj]

We have mounted ones at the bottom of stairs, a locking door at the top of a flight of stairs, and a pressure gate that can be used to gate a specific room if needed. As much as I supervise them, I like that second barrier, just in case. Kids are quick.
We also have locking gates on the front porch/deck on both sets of stairs. One of my two year olds managed to open the front door a while back, so I wanted a second barrier against the front yard.
I don't see them as a problem. Actually, I am pretty sure they were part of the initial inspection and required.

[Angelsj]

I have a 2 bedroom daycare house with a separate entry way.

ALL the rooms have either gates (with walk through doors) or half doors so that each room can be closed off or used to separate kids during small group or whatever.

The gates are permanent.

I use them for a variety of reasons.

I hear you. I use the portable one occasionally to gate the littles with me, so the older kids can have some private time to play with things like marbles or little legos.

[Blackcat31]

I hear you. I use the portable one occasionally to gate the littles with me, so the older kids can have some private time to play with things like marbles or little legos.

Yes! The older ones often need some private time, especially if the things they are playing have tiny pieces/parts.

I do have a portable one that I use while we are outside. I have to put it at the bottom of my steps leading into the house because for some reason, I have two toddlers who only want to climb up to the deck but have no idea how to get back down and I tire quickly of taking them down repeatedly.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I live in a gated community
My childcare area is gated from the rest of my house. I also have a gate for the playroom so kids aren't under my feet in the kitchen. I want one more extra-large gate to block breakfast nook from rest of kitchen.
I have a play yard to use for infants. I use 4 panels to block off the steps to my patio all the time though! I have ornery ones that won't stay off the steps right now. There is no good way to put a permanent gate there.

The bigger issue I think you want addressed though is "is it okay to plop a child into a play yard or pack n play etc?" "should kids be blocked?" Yes. I think it is perfectly fine to limit children from getting into trouble. Young children need to be protected from older children. Sometimes with 6 little ones they can't all be in the same place. In my case it would be dangerous to allow kids to run a muck through my house. I no longer have small children of my own and I have no desire to have the rest of my house childproof.

[MotherNature]

I have access to the stairs gated off, as well as the kitchen. The dog stays in the kitche n, & my basement door is in there as well. We don't keep the basement door closed b/c the cat's litter box, food & water is down there, so we just gate off the entire kitchen w/ a very secure permanent gate.

[Blackcat31]

I live in a gated community

:: :: :: that's funny!