Samantha, a friend of SafeBabyGate, told us that we need to do a review of the Dreambaby Retractable Gate. She praised it as the best retractable gate available. Naturally we made her expand on her claims.

This gate is exactly what I have been looking for. It has all the features that I value. Great design. Easy to use. Relocates without much hassle. Fits just about anywhere and is easy to mount.

Admittedly, it sounds to good to be true. After some research, we discovered that she might have a few points in her statement. Apparently, it is something of an all in one gate. It can be mounted almost anywhere. Even outdoors. Can it compete with the Stairway Special? Let us dive in to find out.

Key Features of Dreambaby Retractable Gate

Versatility

The manufacturer claims that this gate is one of the most versatile available on the market today. Should we take their word for it? Let us have a closer look.

The first thing that catches our eye is that it is possible to mount the brackets at both the in- and outside of an opening. A huge advantage that is not an option for most baby gates.

Even better, we can actually mount brackets at any rotation between 0 and 90 degrees. Again, a great feature. It gives us an opportunity to seal of those weird openings that we never thought we would be able to deal with.

It does not stop there though. As the gate is made from plastic, mesh and galvanized steel (hardware), we can use it outdoors as well. An UV treatment has been added to the mesh so that it does not fade in direct sunlight. Rust shouldn’t be a problem either with galvanized steel parts. It is recommended that you don’t leave the gate outside when it is not in use.

Summarized: we can use the Retractable Gate in doorways, hallways, top and bottom of stairs, indoor and outdoor. You can install it in just about any opening.

Relocation of Gate

How do you best secure a stairway for active children and babies? If you are upstairs, you definitely need a gate to block the entrance so that children do not fall down the stairs. When you are downstairs, you should also have a barrier to keep them from climbing up. So, you would need two gates then? Not with the Dreambaby Retractable gate! The gate is delivered with two sets of mounting brackets that you can mount anywhere you want. Combine this with the fact that the gate is easy to un-clip from the brackets and just as easy to re-clip, you have yourself a mobile baby gate.

Stairways are the obvious example of why this is practical. You seldom have to block both the top and bottom of stairs at the same time. With two mounting sets, you can have one at each end. That way, you only need to move the gate itself between the two bracket sets as needed. Other examples: outdoor/indoor, stairs/kids bedroom and hallway/doorway. We can also avoid leaving the gate outdoors (as recommended by the manufacturer) by simply un-clipping it and store it indoors. If you are interested in finding a gate for outdoors, i recommend that you read my guide about the best outside baby gate.

Features and Specifications

• Baby safe locking system
• One handed operation
• Made from plastic and mesh
• Mesh is UV protected to not fade in sunlight
• Galvanized hardware to prevent rust
• For outdoor and indoor use
• Two sets of mounting hardware included
• Easy to move
• Suitable for doorways, hallways and stairs
• Can be used for openings up to 55”
• Lightweight
• Easy installation
• Hardware mounted
• Spacer kit for adjusting to baseboards (not included)
• Attractive when closed and unobtrusive when open
• Suitable for hallways, doorways, stairways and even angled openings
• Wipe it clean with water and soap
• 1 year manufacturer warranty
• Available in Black, Grey and White

What’s included

• Dreambaby Retractable Gate
• Screws
• Instruction manual
• Mounting templates
• 2 x mounting brackets

Customer Review, Scores and Feedback

At the time of this review, Amazon lists 282 customer reviews for this product. The average score from these reviews is a boring 3.4 out of 5 stars. What do the public have to say in the reviews? Below are a few excerpts from user reviews.

“Allows you to access the full width of doorways…”

“My 2 year old hangs from the gate quite often, and it is still solid”

“after a lot of trial and error i have found the gate that i will stick with!”

All in all, there is a lot of very positive reviews to find. Happy customers have in many cases bought several of the Dreambaby Retractable Gate to install around the house.

Consumer Concerns

With an average score as low as 3.4, there has to be some negative feedback. Let’s take a look at what concerns some of the reviewers have.

The gate makes a loud noise when retracting…

Just about every negative review mentions the loud noise when the gate closes. Yes, we can see that it can be annoying. No, we don’t think that it is big problem. The sound is there to function as an alarm if the gate opens. Holding the button down in the unlocked position while retracting eliminates the noise. Check out the video above to see how you can do it.

I didn’t think 2 inches would be enough room for my 9 month old to crawl under, but I was wrong…

Several people have raised this concern. They have mounted the bottom bracket above the baseboard. Doing this creates a small gap between the floor and the gate. Do not do this as children and pets may be able to get under it.

Here is what you need to do:

• Mount the bottom brackets on the baseboard
• Use the spacer set to make sure the brackets aligns vertically

The spacer set is not included with the gate. You have to buy it separately for some reason.

The product info says “one handed operation”. Let me tell you that opening it with one hand is impossible and opening with two is challenging…

Let us be clear about this: read the manual and learn the technique! When you have opened and closed the gate a few times, it is easy. Take a look at the video above on how to install the gate. It explains how you should open it the correct way.

Conclusion

We do understand what Samantha is talking about. This is, without a doubt a great baby gate. There are two things to keep in mind though. The first is that you need to be precise when installing it to avoid any slack in the mesh material. The second is that you have to learn how to use the open mechanism. If you are capable of these simple things, you should definitely buy the Dreambaby Retractable Gate!

How do it compare to the Stairway Special? These gates are so different that it is hard to compare which is best on a general basis. Our advice would be to consider your needs and choose the gate that fits them best.

If this gate is not exactly what you are looking for, you should check out our huge baby gate guide. In this guide we not only give many recommendations, we also discuss several important issues about baby gates.