Covering stairs in two year old's bedroom

[OhwhyOY]

My daughter's bedroom has a set of three stairs in it up to a cupboard. They are large steps like normal stairs. I'm about to move my DD into a proper bed so she will be able to walk around the room including up the stairs. I think the steps need some kind of padding and covering (wooden stairs with sharp edges), plus some kind of floor padding in case she falls off. My sister thinks this is stupid and will make the steps look weird. AIBU?

Also if anyone has any tips on how to do this and make it look nice please let me know, I'm not good at these kind of projects and want it to look decent not just safe but ugly. I was thinking I could put my DD's toys on the steps so they are more like shelves to discourage her from walking up them, and also because her room is tiny so there isn't much space to put anything.

NB there's not really any way of blocking off the stairs because her room is so small that there isn't space for any kind of barrier, it would block her bed.

Carpet is a thing OP.

I would just carpet them if I were you, using a good, thick underlay. If you put her toys on them it's only going to attract her.

Can't you just have the stairs removed altogether. Why are they a problem is it the risk of her falling.

I wouldn't do anything personally. Toys etc would likely draw attention to them.

Ideally get the properly carpeted, but if it’s the corners that worry you, why not just put corner furniture protectors on them.

But actually, do you really need to do anything at all? Does your DD have mobility problems, or does the layout of the room mean they are in the way of a thorough fair?

I think I'd need a picture but basically I am with your sister. 3 steps doesn't sound anything to worry about. Children need to climb - it's a built in play feature.

Why do they need covering?

Surely she is used to walking up and down stairs?

It's sounds like a great place to play. I can see her sitting on them with her toys.

A proper bed you say?
Better make it a mattress on the floor.
But not a full height mattress - maybe a camping roll mat?

Could you box them in to make a type of cupboard thing? I'm envisaging each step being a shelf in the cupboard?

Or could you get a talker bed and put it over the steps?

*taller

@Testina 🤣

I think you’re overthinking it OP. My toddler is perfectly safe on steps. There’s only 3 and they’re not unusually high.

Maybe I need to include a photo, will try to take one when home, but in essence- the stairs are in the corner of the room, next to the window on one side which she could fall off and hit her head on or a wooden floor on the other side. I'm not worried about her climbing the step, I'm worried she will fall off the side. I'd say she'd probably fall 3 feet if she went off one side or into a window on the other. So neither would be safe. She has fallen down the last few steps of our main staircase before (she's not allowed up those on her own but has managed to sneak up two or three before being spotted).

Carpet could be a good shout but our house is old and suffers with damp so I'd worry about losing the breathability of the wood floor. I qlso worry that carpet would look odd on the stairs as the open side (opposite the window side) would either just be bare wood or would be carpeted which you usually wouldn't do on a vertical surface like that.

Will try to take a picture to make it clearer.

I would take the stairs out given the choice (who has random stairs in a tiny room?!) but they're above the main house stairs and apparently give room for the ceiling to slope up so you can climb the stairs. We have plans for renovations on the house so getting rid of the steps is possibly a long term solution, but not feasible in the short term whilst moving my daughter from cot into single bed.

Carpet runner wouldn’t look odd, and protectors on the corners. Beanbag on the floor for jumping falling off on.