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My DD is 3, I'm *still* paranoid about her navigating stairs by herself. ESPECIALLY the basement stairs.
DH thinks nothing of it..
OI! who's right
DH thinks nothing of it..
OI! who's right
Age that you dont freak out about stairs?
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I see a wide range of ages with when kids and parents are comfortable about stairs. My ds is not even 2 and we took the baby gate off the stairs 3 months ago. He has never fallen, and I don't worry. When he first started getting interested in them I made sure he had a lot of practice so he got pretty good at it. But I know a few 3 year olds who still aren't comfortable on the stairs. if you're not comfortable with it..then there's probably a reason!
My kids are 10.5, 7 & 5 and I still freak out about them on the basement stairs
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(Ya know, old wooden stairs, concrete floors below, steep stairwell etc...) Yea....thats what we have here.
But as far as our old house when we had carpeted stairs going up to the top half of the house (about 12 stairs) I'd say they were 3'ish before I took the baby gate down.
But as far as our old house when we had carpeted stairs going up to the top half of the house (about 12 stairs) I'd say they were 3'ish before I took the baby gate down.
My kids are 10.5, 7 & 5 and I still freak out about them on the basement stairs
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(Ya know, old wooden stairs, concrete floors below, steep stairwell etc...) Yea....thats what we have here.
But as far as our old house when we had carpeted stairs going up to the top half of the house (about 12 stairs) I'd say they were 3'ish before I took the baby gate down.
*I remember the kiddos being about 7/8 months old and climbing alllll of the stairs though, thinking it was great
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But as far as our old house when we had carpeted stairs going up to the top half of the house (about 12 stairs) I'd say they were 3'ish before I took the baby gate down.
*I remember the kiddos being about 7/8 months old and climbing alllll of the stairs though, thinking it was great
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Ds#2 is fine with stairs and has been for some time. He is 27 months old now. We took the gate off sometime before he turned two, but he was ok with stairs long before we took it off. Ds#1 was between 2 and 2.5 when we took the gate off for him.
I think it depends a little on if the kids have daily exposure to and practice with stairs. So, of course, if you have stairs in your home that get used daily, the kids are going to learn faster and be more capable on them earlier. My sister's kids, who have no stairs in their house, took much longer to get used to them. My sil, who also has no stairs, asks us to gate our stairs when they visit. Her son will be 4 in a couple of months.
I think it depends a little on if the kids have daily exposure to and practice with stairs. So, of course, if you have stairs in your home that get used daily, the kids are going to learn faster and be more capable on them earlier. My sister's kids, who have no stairs in their house, took much longer to get used to them. My sil, who also has no stairs, asks us to gate our stairs when they visit. Her son will be 4 in a couple of months.
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About 2 for ds, about 18 months for dd. We have a short set of stairs that have slate at the bottom and a longer set of stairs that have concrete covered by carpet to the basement. Both have fallen on the short stairs (we had rugs or an exercise mat down there), but only once. It does seem to be one trial learning.
Do you have a handrail? If not, install one - it greatly increases safety. If you do, teach your child to use it and relax as much as you can.
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Do you have a handrail? If not, install one - it greatly increases safety. If you do, teach your child to use it and relax as much as you can.
My DS was born in an apartment and we didn't have stairs. When we bought our house a couple months ago, he started using the stairs immediately and I didn't even think twice about it. Of course, he was 3.5, the stairs are carpeted, with a handrail, and they go down to the finished (carpeted) basement, so it's a little different.
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phew. there is a handrail but it starts halfway down the basement stairs :/ And no we aren't allowed to install anything (military housing) DH makes SURE she puts her hand on the wall as she goes down the basement stairs though...
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DS is a month away from 6 and I still freak out about stairs...but that's because he falls weekly on the ones in our house, at the big movie theatre, the rink, the grocery store and on and on. My kid doesn't walk (only runs) and doesn't look where he's running (always to the side or behind - anywhere but in front) - he's a total klutz.
Though because he's way older I just sit by and sigh and watch it unfold
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Though because he's way older I just sit by and sigh and watch it unfold
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I think DD was close to 2 when I felt comfortable with her navigating stairs. Then she tripped and fell down the concrete steps where we were living at the time and scraped up her nose and gave herself a black eye so I was hesitant until she was 3 or so after that where I felt comfortable again.
My mom has never been comfortable with kids with stairs. My sister had a "thing" with stairs. She could be manovering a set fine forever and suddenly fall down them (she fell down the church basement steps, wood with tile at the bottom). She also used to somersault down my grandmothers stairs, but that's another post.
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My mom has never been comfortable with kids with stairs. My sister had a "thing" with stairs. She could be manovering a set fine forever and suddenly fall down them (she fell down the church basement steps, wood with tile at the bottom). She also used to somersault down my grandmothers stairs, but that's another post.
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my youngest is almost 16 months & walks up or down our front steps alone now. she walks to the car & then puts her hands up for me to put her in
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or we get home & I let her out the car & put her down & off she goes to the front door
our steps are fairly high (maybe 8 steps?) but its grass at the bottom
i do let her do my grandmas also & its concrete under.. but its only 4 steps with a handrail...
she dosent like to be carried much anymore.. thinks shes too grown for that
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she started walking a little before 9 months & has been doing stairs for maybe 3 months .my oldest DD did stairs pretty good about 13 months also
or we get home & I let her out the car & put her down & off she goes to the front door
our steps are fairly high (maybe 8 steps?) but its grass at the bottom
i do let her do my grandmas also & its concrete under.. but its only 4 steps with a handrail...
she dosent like to be carried much anymore.. thinks shes too grown for that
she started walking a little before 9 months & has been doing stairs for maybe 3 months .my oldest DD did stairs pretty good about 13 months also
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My DD is going to be 3 next month, and does great on stairs...usually. She is so wrapped up in her own little world though, sometimes she does tumble because she isn't paying attention. Scares the CRAP out of me. DH says, "She was doing fine before, there isn't any reason to limit the stairs from her." Easy for him to say! He isn't here usually when it happens!
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we never worried about it.we live in a 4 story house. there are stairs. our only bathroom is on the second floor. she fell a few times. once right before deciding to put the gate up and once while i was putting the gate up and once while I was lust a few inches away from her. for some reason she decided to walk down instead of shimmy on her belly. bad choice. but we started before she could even walk teaching that you crawl, feet down, up and down the stairs. until she was probably 24 or 30 months she never even tried to walk down them. she is almost 4 and has only in the last year and a half started walking up and down them. but we just don't worry about it. I am sure I would feel differently if we didn't have stairs and she wasn't expoised to them much. but as it is by the time she was 18 months she was constantly needing up and down them. we didn't let her go up and down the third floor stairs because they are splintery wood so sliding is not an option. at least not a good one. they also have a sort of drop off at the top which if your not careful can send you down head first. and we only recently let her go up and down the basement stairs but that is mostly a gross factor and the fact that there was nothign but trouble down there anyway.
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Quote:
yea. although i still worry with concrete-
Originally Posted by alegna Oh my dd has been comfortable with stairs for months now.... but we never gated them. When she was first mobile we gated the bedroom upstairs, but she's been navigating stairs since she was crawling (maybe before!) -Angela |
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my son is 2 1/2 and i will not allow him near the stairs without me 2 steps infront or behind him...
He hasn't mastered going up and down without the aid of a railing ( even with the aid of a railing it still takes him FORRREEEVVEERRR ) and because the floors are all tile and concrete like, i don't want him to fall..
He already had quite the accident at my moms when i was staying there about 4 months ago, she didn't have a lock on her basement door and the next thing i knew my son was gone.. we looked all over and heard some crying.. he had fallen down all 12 of the basement stairs and hit his head on the concrete... THAT was a scare, i don't think i have ever cried so hard in my life...
He wasn't hurt that bad, just a few bumps and scrapes.. but i think this is why i have a hard time letting him do stairs alone now
He hasn't mastered going up and down without the aid of a railing ( even with the aid of a railing it still takes him FORRREEEVVEERRR ) and because the floors are all tile and concrete like, i don't want him to fall..
He already had quite the accident at my moms when i was staying there about 4 months ago, she didn't have a lock on her basement door and the next thing i knew my son was gone.. we looked all over and heard some crying.. he had fallen down all 12 of the basement stairs and hit his head on the concrete... THAT was a scare, i don't think i have ever cried so hard in my life...
He wasn't hurt that bad, just a few bumps and scrapes.. but i think this is why i have a hard time letting him do stairs alone now
I've never gated stairs in our current home. I prefer to teach my children how to navigate stairs safely, rather than hovering over them. All of my kids could go up and down stairs by the age of 1.
My youngest is 2.5, and the only time I worry about stairs is when they are steep or crowded. I usually just stay next to DD when she is navigating, with the assumption that if she stumbles, I will catch her.
My youngest is 2.5, and the only time I worry about stairs is when they are steep or crowded. I usually just stay next to DD when she is navigating, with the assumption that if she stumbles, I will catch her.
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Quote:
walking up stairs using a railing is very hard. even though they were climbing stairs long before they could walk none of my childern used the rail until the were 3-4 years old. instead we teach them to crawl up and scooch down. similar to going up and down a ladder. it is so muchsafer and more natrual for children to go up and down this way.
but then Ava's sisters taught her to slide down. . . on a blanket . . .head first . . . but she would still do this long before walking up and down the stairs while grabbing the rail.
Originally Posted by Jaydens_mom He hasn't mastered going up and down without the aid of a railing ( even with the aid of a railing it still takes him FORRREEEVVEERRR ) |
but then Ava's sisters taught her to slide down. . . on a blanket . . .head first . . . but she would still do this long before walking up and down the stairs while grabbing the rail.
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