Regalo Easy Step vs Safety 1st Easy Install: Which Walk-Thru Baby Gate? (2026)
Two pressure-mounted walk-thru gates, two very different jobs. We summarised 217,203 verified parent reviews across the Regalo Easy Step 36" Extra Tall and the Safety 1st Easy Install Walk Thru — here is which one fits your doorway, your budget and your climber, and what buyers say goes wrong with each.
The short version, if you only want one sentence: measure the opening before you choose — the Regalo Easy Step is the buy if you need height (36", for a climber or a tall dog) and your gap lands in 29–31.5" or 34–36.5", and the Safety 1st Easy Install is the buy for anything wider or awkwardly in between, or if the gate is coming down and going back up often.
Quick verdict at a glance
| What matters | Regalo Easy Step 36" | Safety 1st Easy Install |
|---|---|---|
| Parent verdict | 8.3 / 10 | 8.4 / 10 |
| Price (Amazon.ca) | $59.97 CAD | $89.99 CAD |
| Amazon.ca rating | 4.2 ★ · 196,603 reviews | 4.5 ★ · 20,600 reviews |
| Gate height | 36" (extra tall) | 28" |
| Fits openings | 29–31.5" and 34–36.5" | 29–38" (two extensions included) |
| Mounting | Pressure mount + wall cups | Pressure mount, tool-free |
| Swing | One direction, stays open | Two-way, with swing stop |
| Locked indicator | No | Yes — red-to-green SecureTech |
| Weight | 5.44 kg | 4.42 kg |
| Self-closing? | No | No |
| Top of stairs? | No — pressure-mounted | No — pressure-mounted |
| Best at | Height, and price | Wide or awkward openings |
Regalo Easy Step 36" Extra Tall — 8.3/10
4.2★ from 196,603 reviews · $59.97 CAD. The most-reviewed baby gate on Amazon Canada by a very long way, and the tall one: 36" of powder-coated steel, roughly eight inches higher than a standard walk-thru gate. It ships with a 4" extension kit, four pressure-mount pads and four wall cups. Buyers describe a 15-minute install, a gate that "looks clean and tidy", and a lift latch that stays open rather than swinging shut behind you. A large share of the five-star reviews are from dog owners — the height is the reason. Read the full breakdown in our Regalo Easy Step review.
Safety 1st Easy Install Walk Thru — 8.4/10
4.5★ from 20,600 reviews · $89.99 CAD. A tenth of the review volume, but the higher rating — 79% of buyers leave five stars. It is a 28" metal gate that covers a much wider span (32" on its own, 35" with one extension, 38" with both — and both are in the box), swings in either direction with an optional one-way swing stop, and carries a red-to-green indicator so you can see from across the room whether it actually latched. Installation is tool-free, which is why so many reviews come from grandparents who put it up when the kids visit and take it down after. Read the full breakdown in our Safety 1st Easy Install review.
Head-to-head: what parents say
Measure the opening first — that is most of the decision
This is the single thing buyers get wrong. The Regalo covers 29–31.5" bare and 34–36.5" with its extension — and there is a real gap in between. A three-star reviewer spells it out: at a 32–33" opening the gate will not tighten securely without the extension, and will not comfortably fit with it. If your doorway measures in that band, the Regalo is the wrong gate no matter how good the price looks. The Safety 1st covers 29" to 38" continuously across its two included extensions, so awkward widths are exactly where it earns the extra $30.
Height runs the other way. At 36" the Regalo is eight inches taller than the Safety 1st, and that is the whole reason it exists — buyers pick it for climbers and for large dogs, and note it costs about half what other extra-tall gates do. If your toddler is not yet a climber and you have no tall dog, 28" is enough gate.
Installing it — and taking it down again
Both are pressure-mounted, and both take longer the first time than the second. Regalo buyers report roughly 15 minutes from box to walking through it. Safety 1st buyers report a first install that is "a little challenging" — 30 to 45 minutes for some — and then trivially quick every time after, which is the point for anyone moving the gate between doorways or storing it between visits.
One thing neither listing shouts about: both gates want wall cups, and wall cups mean drilling. Regalo’s own instructions say the wall cups must be used to keep the gate in place. Safety 1st buyers who skipped them report scuffed paint and dented drywall from the pressure pads. If you are in a rental and cannot drill, budget for adhesive wall protectors — several reviewers of both gates recommend them unprompted.
Everyday use
The Safety 1st wins the small daily things. It opens one-handed — reviewers specifically praise doing it with a baby on one hip — swings both ways, and the red-to-green indicator removes the "did that actually latch?" doubt. Buyers report it staying firm with a baby hanging off it and shaking it.
The Regalo trades convenience for solidity and price. Its lift latch is stiff enough that one buyer joked some adults cannot open it, which is a compliment for a gate and a nuisance when your hands are full. Its walk-through opening is narrow — one reviewer measured 16" — so a laundry basket does not go through it. Neither gate self-closes. Both stay wherever you leave them, which several parents actually prefer, but it means a gate left open is a gate that is doing nothing.
The safety line neither gate crosses
⚠️ Neither of these belongs at the top of a staircase. Both are pressure-mounted, and Regalo’s own instructions say so outright: never use at the top of stairs. A pressure gate holds by friction, and friction can be pushed out of place. The top of stairs needs a hardware-mounted gate that screws into studs and self-closes. Doorways, room dividers and the bottom of the stairs are what both of these are for.
The watch-outs we will not hide
Our rule: if a complaint shows up in the helpful-vote-weighted critical reviews, it goes in the writeup.
| Gate | What you should know going in |
|---|---|
| Regalo Easy Step | 11% of its 196,603 ratings sit at one or two stars. The dead zone at 32–33" openings is the most actionable complaint. The most-helpful critical review on the listing (27 helpful votes) describes the gate turning wobbly once the screw mounts are wound out near their maximum — that buyer names a wider Regalo model, but the mechanism is the same one the fit complaints point at, so do not run the mounts near full extension. There are also scattered reports of missing extension pieces on arrival. Walk-through opening is narrow, the latch is stiff, and it does not self-close. |
| Safety 1st Easy Install | 6% of its 20,600 ratings sit at one star — our banked sample of top reviews did not capture that band’s text, so treat this list as the complaints we can document rather than the complete set. What buyers do report: a fiddly first installation (30–45 minutes), no self-closing, a hard 38" width ceiling even with both extensions, and 28" of height that a determined climber will eventually beat. Use the wall cups or expect marks on the paint. |
Who should buy the Regalo Easy Step
Parents of an early climber, and households with a big dog — the 36" height is genuinely hard to find at this price, and it is $30 less than the Safety 1st on top of that. Measure first: your opening needs to land in 29–31.5" or 34–36.5", not between them. Fit the wall cups, keep the pressure mounts well short of their maximum extension, and it is the best value gate in this category.
Who should buy the Safety 1st Easy Install
Anyone with a wide or awkward opening — it covers 29" to 38" with no dead zone — and anyone who will be putting the gate up and taking it down repeatedly, which is why it is the grandparent favourite. It is also the better gate for one-handed daily use, and the lock indicator is a small thing you will appreciate at 6am. Accept a slower first install and a shorter gate.
Our verdict
These two barely compete — they answer different questions. The Safety 1st Easy Install (8.4) is the better gate on ratings, on width coverage and on daily handling, and it is the safer default if you are not sure what you need. The Regalo Easy Step (8.3) wins outright on the one spec the Safety 1st cannot match at any price here: height. Pick on your tape measure, not on the star rating — and if the answer is a staircase top, buy neither and get a hardware-mounted gate. More baby-proofing picks in our best baby safety essentials roundup.
FAQ
Which is better, the Regalo Easy Step or the Safety 1st Easy Install?
For most doorways, the Safety 1st — it rates higher (4.5★ vs 4.2★), spans a wider range of openings with no gap, opens one-handed and shows you when it is locked. The Regalo is the better buy in one specific case: you need a 36" extra-tall gate for a climber or a large dog, and your opening measures 29–31.5" or 34–36.5".
What size opening does each gate fit?
The Regalo Easy Step fits 29–31.5" on its own and 34–36.5" with its included 4" extension — note there is no good setting between those two ranges, so 32–33" openings are a problem. The Safety 1st Easy Install fits 32" on its own, 35" with one extension and 38" with both, and both extensions are included.
Can either gate go at the top of the stairs?
No. Both are pressure-mounted, and Regalo’s instructions state plainly that the gate must never be used at the top of stairs. Pressure gates hold by friction and can be pushed out of position. The top of a staircase needs a hardware-mounted gate screwed into the wall studs, ideally self-closing. Both of these gates are fine for doorways, room dividers and the bottom of the stairs.
Do these gates close by themselves?
Neither one does. Both stay open until you close them. Several reviewers list that as a positive — a spring-loaded gate that snaps shut behind you is its own kind of annoying — but it does mean the gate only protects when someone remembers to shut it. If you want self-closing, you are looking at a hardware-mounted gate.
Will a pressure-mounted gate damage my walls?
It can. Buyers of both gates report scuffs and dents from the pressure pads, and both are meant to be used with wall cups, which are screwed into the wall. If drilling is out, reviewers of both models recommend adhesive wall protector pads under the pads — it comes up often enough in the five-star reviews to be worth budgeting for.
Every verdict here is summarised from verified buyer reviews on Amazon.ca — we do not test products and we do not accept sponsorships. Prices shown are the last recorded Amazon.ca prices (July 2026) and can change; check the live listing before buying. We earn a small commission if you buy through the links above — it does not change the price you pay and never changes which products we recommend. Full disclosure: /affiliate-disclosure/.