Stairs - when and how??

[LuluHB]

When and how did you teach your toddler to climb down stairs. We have a two storey house and DD#1 is fantastic going up stairs - goes up on her hands and initially her knees but now feet - but is having huge problems coming down. She refuses to turn around and "crawl" down them. Most of the time she is actually too nervous/scared to try and come down them at all but every now and then she'll walk down them normally. The first step is fine but then she obviously builds confidence and just steps off into thin air. I've got nightmares that she's going to end up at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck.

If we're outside and there is one or two little steps she'll turn around and crawl back down them so its not as if she doesn't know that you can't just walk down.

So, when did your toddler master going down stairs, and how did you help him/her?

[Rach75]

try getting her to sit on her bottom and scoot down

easiest way I know how

[*Ang*]

try getting her to sit on her bottom and scoot down

Thats how my kids were also taught by their grandparents. But then again my kids are just fearless and never really took to following advice. Most of the time they would just walk down and I would walk in front of them hoping or should I say praying that I would break their fall if it happened!

As for time frames, that I cannot remember unfortunately!

[Nai]

My DD is incredibly cautious and found that the bottom scooting was her preferred way to get down stairs. She started doing it at around 18 months.

[Catastrophic]

Izzy has just started climbing up and down stairs at 17months (shes 19months now) - we only have steps at my best friends house... she scoots down on her bum most of the time, but did learn to crawl backwards down the stairs...