Banister attachment for Baby Safety Gate

We recently had to upgrade our baby gate to fit the new house.  There are a lot more of them out there than there were a few years ago.  Unfortunately, the one that worked best for our odd set-up didn't come with a banister adapter.  I could barely afford the gate, let alone another $20 for a banister kit!

So we made our own - using only materials we already had on hand.

View from downstairs, with gate open

First, I found a sturdy, attractive board that was tall enough to reach from floor to the top of the banister rail. It was also wide enough to cover the distance between two posts.

Close-up, lower banister side

Close-up, upper board side

Next, I marked to board at the bottom and top inside of each post.  Then I put the board down and drilled a hole at each of these markings, just big enough for the black heavy duty zip-ties that I happened have left over from a previous project.



To keep from damaging the banister, I cut out scraps of black fleece material for each place the board or the zip-ties would contact the banister.  Holding these in place, I put a zip-tie through the hole, around the banister post and back through itself, cutting off the extra once everything was tight.  Now I had a good solid surface to attach the gate to.

Finished adapter board

You may notice in the pictures that I actually attached the gate to a couple of small wooden blocks attached to the adapter board - this was to provide enough clearance for the gate to swing flat against the banister when not in use.  Depending on the model gate you use, you probably won't need to do this!

Finished gate, open

Finished gate, closed

If you don't have heavy-duty zip ties on hand - bolts from the adapter board to another small board placed on the other side of the banister would fill the same function.  Even rope might work, provided it was sturdy enough, and you trust your knot-tying skills:)