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Parentpedia
Stairs Safety
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What Experts Say
Stairs present one of the classic scary scenarios for parents -- a headlong tumble down them is too easy to imagine -- so treat them with a healthy dose of respect. When your baby is crawling, it's easier to keep him away from stairs than when he's an ambling toddler. Once he's walking, install and use child gates at the top and bottom of stairs and keep them latched. Dr. William Sears advises that parents of early walkers, in particular, need safety gates.
However, you want to give your toddler time to practice going up and down stairs with your careful supervision, reminds Penelope Leach, the renowned British child development expert. Around 15 months, start encouraging your child to go down stairs backwards on his hands and knees while standing below him to break...
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For children who don't have stairs in their homes, when they see stairs in someone else's home, they often want to play on them. Everything from climbing them to coming down on their bottoms to rolling balls or toys down them is new and exciting. If a child is not used to stairs -- especially younger children -- it's very important to keep an eye on them and to remind them that stairs can be a dangerous place so keep the playtime short.
Also, there are staircases everywhere in the outside world. When climbing and descending staircases with children, always let them use the handrail. Try to stay one step ahead of them in case you have to catch them in a fall.
Stair Safety In Your Home
Unless you can be right beside your toddler at all times, it is wise to keep your stairs gated off. It only takes a few seconds for your toddler to get away and stairs are a natural interest. A simple pressure gate is fine for the bottom of the stairs, but at the top of the stairs a hardware-mounted gate is the best choice.
When you're together, let your child practice walking up and down the stairs, holding the handrail at all times. If your handrail is too high for the child to reach, you can purchase a lower rail that easily attached to your handrail to provide a lower rail for your toddler to hold.
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