Easy Step Extra Tall Walk Thru Gate

Regalo's Easy Step Extra Tall is a pressure-fit metal gate that leans on height and reach rather than a fancy locking mechanism to earn its keep. At 91cm tall it's noticeably taller than the standard ~75-76cm gates in this list (BabyDan Guard Me, Lindam Sure Shut Orto), which matters once you have an older, climbing toddler in the house alongside a baby — the extra height buys real time before a determined 3-year-old works out how to scale it. The included 4-inch extension kit also pushes its out-of-the-box fit range wider than most rivals, so it copes with slightly irregular UK doorway and stairwell widths without a separate purchase.

Against the auto-close BabyDan and Dreambaby gates in this category, the trade-off is squarely about convenience versus footprint. This is a manual walk-through gate — you lift the handle and swing it open yourself, and it does not self-close, so there's more scope for someone to leave it ajar than with an auto-close mechanism. What you get in return is a gate that doesn't rely on a spring or hinge assembly to keep working over years of daily slamming, and pressure mounting means no wall damage if you need to move it between properties or rooms.

Installation is genuinely tool-free: rubberised pressure cups tighten against the door frame or wall, with the option to add the supplied wall-mount hardware for extra security at the top of a staircase, which is worth doing given how much force a gate at a stair top can take. It's a reasonable middle ground for anyone who wants a taller-than-average gate without the added moving parts and price of an auto-close model.

Where it falls down slightly is the walk-through action itself — the lever handle needs a firm, deliberate lift, which is by design (so toddlers can't easily replicate it) but can be mildly awkward one-handed while carrying a baby, more so than a smoother auto-close swing gate. For a hallway or internal doorway rather than the very top of a steep staircase, that's a minor niggle rather than a dealbreaker.