Toddlers & Stairs

[Lea13]

I am looking a rental property which has stairs. As a bit of background...

The house has a bottom underground level with 2 bedrooms, bathroom and a living area. Then a top ground level of a living area, kitchen and laundry. It is a gorgeously renovated old Flour Mill so the stairs are quite long. There are also stairs at both the front and back doors. There is a curvy balustrade on the upper level which is quite low (perhaps hip height on a 6ft man lol). It is completely solid but the top part has two metal horizontal lines which could be easily used for climbing.

I am starting to imagine broken bones and little bodies flying off the top of the balustrade! Everyone I speak to has different opinions! Some say definitely no to stairs others say they're fine.

So I was wondering if anyone has stairs with toddlers and how they manage it? And does this change as they get older? I would greatly appreciate some advice on this one as I have to let the real estate agent know tomorrow!

Thanks!

[Rouge]

I honestly think stairs are fine. You might want to invest in some gates for now, and as for the balustrades I'm not sure I'd have to view it. I'm sure there have been children in houses with stairs and balustrades before that have lived so if you're ok with it I'm sure it would be fine. If Em learns that he's not allowed to do certain things easily you should be right. Just depends on the personality of Em really...

But can I say... it sounds GORGEOUS!

[Meluchja]

Our house has stairs and so does the one we are about to move into. DD is only 16 months old, but so far she has been fine with them. The back ones she has taken a little fall down, but nothing serious, just a few stratches. Sorry I couldn't be off more help. But like Cailin said, as long as you have some gates on the upper level, they should be fine. DH said its better them getting to learn how to use them here, rather than elsewhere.

[Astrolady]

We don't have stairs, but I think stairs would be fine. You can teach him how to use them safely going both up and down. To come down maybe he could do feet first then sit on a step, then feet and slide bum to next step, feet, bum, etc ... does that make sense LOL.

your a great mum Lea, and you and Em will figure something out that he can do to accomplish the stairs !!

Love

[nikbrad]

We moved into our double storey house with 15 stairs when Miss M was 9 months old. She never crawled so once she started to walk we had gates put at the top and bottom of the stairs. We taught her to go down backwards at first (so a backwards crawl) and then when she and we were more confident we held her hand and taught her to use the railings. This included swapping sides when she went around the corner. She is now nearly 3 and a half and had her first fall on Saturday. Thankfully she was ok and she is more carefull as she got such a fright. We have always drummed into her that they are not a toy so we don't play on them. I have also been aware of what is upstairs so she can't drag anything over to climb on and get over the top.

[MantaRay]

I think stairs are fine too. We have lived in houses with stairs since Jack was 1 yo. We have a gate at the top, but only need it for Thomas now. Jack has been fine with the stairs on his own since about 15 or 16 months (although I was paranoid so still kept the gate shut and didn't let him to up/down on this own until later). I would be a bit worried about the balaustrade though. Is there some way you make it less climbable? Usually there are ways to make things safer in the short term.

[Lucy]

Lea, in Darwin we lived in a town house with a very similar layout to teh palce you describe! We had a stairgate at the top (as we lived upstairs, bedrooms downstairs)

More recently in Adelaide in our old house we lived on a steep block that had front steps (lots) to get to the front door, adn steep back steps from the deckk to the garden.......

And now in our new house we have a curved stair case that leads from the entrance hall to some of the bedrooms/retreat.

We have stair fates, although just helping them up and down really seemed to help them get used to getting up and down safely.

We taught her to go down backwards at first (so a backwards crawl) and then when she and we were more confident we held her hand and taught her to use the railings. This included swapping sides when she went around the corner.

This is the same method that we have adopted!

[Lea13]

Thank you all so much for your advice and input! I really appreciate it. I think I can handle the stairs. I too had the idea that if taught the right way he would treat it well. I am terrified of him climbing the balustrade even if I do teach him the right things tho lol. Even when we were there he thought it was hysterical to throw things down the stairs over the balustrade which worries me.

Walking to the car and back with groceries is going to suck hehe. And when Em is older and more independent it may be hard for a little while (ie he just be able to get up and get his own breakfast or go and get in and outside by himself) but I am sure we will manage. The pro's of this place is that its cheaper, more centrally located for us, easier to manage housework wise and garden wise and did I mention it was gorgeous

MelanieR One of my friends used to live in England and she says there are heaps of things that I could do to cover the railings so he can't climb. Right now its too tall for him

nikbrad I am already mindmapping where my furniture is going lol and I am very conscious of my furniture placement and what he could drag over as well.

Kat Awwww you're a doll! There is a link in my blog to the place if you wanna look!

Thanks so mcuh for everyone's help. I don't have to tell him till tomorrow so will make the decision then I think!

[Rouge]

It looks divine. I think the girls are right in that he will be ok. Goodluck with your decision making