Baby Prison
Just shy of Alcatraz, this brilliant stroke of parenting was created by my sister-in-law for her daughter, Tatter Tot. I think it is genius! Enough space to move and explore, but enough containment so Mommy and Daddy can get something done – like going to the bathroom in peace! – without worrying what the little one suddenly has in her mouth.
It is composed of eight brightly colored, inter-locking baby gates. What I like most about these is their height – she will not soon be scaling this gate – and their sturdiness – they have stood up to my bigger kiddos and even me leaning against it. The foam play mat underneath makes the whole shebang easy on little mover’s knees. Parental win!
Dear Crazy Kids, 
We had something very similar with Stella, only my husband actually screwed the bloody things into the wall so we could extend the pen as much as possible. We still have gaping holes in the sheetrock. I guess it’s our acknowledgment that we have children therefore our home is perpetually destroyed and will need to be completely renovated in 3-5 years. And with Felix? I think we figure if he can survive the first 8-9 months without being able to ambulate with his sister around, no lack of gate can hurt him.
True! We used less baby gates with Buddy mostly because Kitten is a fabulous tattle tale. That poor kid gets away with very little – no gate needed!