I read the reviews and thought...hoped this product would be adequate for my simple needs: holding back a handicapped housecat. Well, it can do that, however it is remarkably weak and poorly designed. I had low expectations for the price and was willing to take the chance, but in hindsight I would have paid twice as much for something twice as strong and more secure in closing and opening. Really...I don't see this gate holding back a rambunctious cockerspaniel let alone a toddler. To say I would not trust this at the top of a stair for a child would be an epic understatement! I'm sorry...wish I had a kind word here, but if I owned the company I'd rename and remarket this as an "economy small pet gate."