If you are a parent, you know how difficult it is to keep your little one out of trouble. One of those troubles are the stairs. But not to worry... these days, there are a lot of options to close that path using very ugly devices called baby gates. You rather put chicken wire on it and I guarantee it will look better than any of the options that Babies R Us offer. That's why I decided to take matters in my own hands. Using regular 1x2 poplar wood slabs that you can get at the local Home Depot and some nails/screws and a latch from an outside patio door, I was able to fashion a not so hideous device that swings open like a dream due to the fact that the end (opposite to the full size door hinges) is resting on a ball bearing 360 degree caster. I still have to baby proof the latch mechanism, as lab test shows, that small primates can figure it out how to activate the latch... and Isabella at this point (18 months) knows how to pause and play a quicktime movie on a mac.