Best way to encourage children to walk up and down stairs

[saveoursleepplease]

My 20 month DS prefers to hold our hand going up and walk down holding our hand. He isn't particularly steady so he does need help

My mum says he shouldn't be doing this - he should be crawling position up and down - going down on stomach. She says it's much safer. I agree but will it progress him?

We have steps in our garden and he almost fell down them trying to do it standing up

My son never went up and down the stairs on his tummy or bottom. He's always just walked (we moved into a house with stairs after he learned to walk).

If he needs you to hold his hand, hold his hand. If you need to, gate the stairs.

Your mum is right, it is safer. It won't stop him from progressing - when his legs increase in length and strength, he will be able to walk up the stairs on his own.

But if he likes to go up holding your hand, then that's fine, so long as he can't try when you are not there to help. (but he shouldn't be going up or down stairs unattended, anyway, so it's a bit redundant even to say that!)

I agree with Tee. DS was never really interested in crawling up/downstairs himself. He's nearly 3 and has literally just (this week) got the confidence to walk up and down the stairs on his own, which is a fair bit behind some of his friends, but I don't think there's anything wrong in holding his hand of that's what he wants.

At that age we had a rule in our house "everyone goes down stairs backwards" - a toddler will copy what you do yourself so will always try to walk downstairs upright if that's what he sees you do. So we didn't.

When DS was a bit older we progressed to "going bompety" which means bumping down from step-to-step in a sitting position.

Your DS is safe enough if he only ever tackles stairs with you hanging on to him, but it's a good idea to teach him a safe way to go up and down under his own steam with you nearby in case of a slip.

Really elephants?!?! I find that very strange.

It would never occur to me to go down backwards so my son would. I'd rather he watch me go down forwards, on my feet, walking, so he could learn how to walk up and down properly.

We live in a bungalow so no stairs. 18m DD2 instinctively walks up and down any stairs she encounters with no difficulty (obviously holding my hand) and it never ocurred to me to get her to crawl up or down them. We have a couple of steps in the garden and she sometimes walks sometimes crawls up/down them.

It's definitely safer if they go on all fours. I actively let go of DD's hand when she wants to climb up things. (For example the slides). She would climb standing up if I hold her hands. But if I let go, she'll go down on all fours.

When you say he fell down the garden step trying to doing it standing up, has he every done it crawling? He might just be practising. It's fairly safe if it's just one step. Maybe just let him practise his way without holding his hands on that?

Oh definitely not try to let go on the stairs! I mean continue to hold his hands if he needs it there.

Our Ds 16 months does both, he instinctively turned on his tummy to go down the stairs alone and when we are about he asks us to hold his hand... Works well for him, he cna go down stairs alone if need be on his tummy or waits for us if he wants to walk it...

My ds walked down, which was worrying on his own. A few games of bumping down on our bums and he thinks it's great fun and does it instead. Now he's getting independent it's easier. He's forced to crawl up as without our hands he can't physically step up.

my 3yr old crawls and my 18month old walks up and down the stairs! My 3yr old is very active so has just worked out that he's safer that way, after slipping and bumping himself far too many times.

My 18month old copies everyone else but holds onto the spindles with each step so if he slips then he's holding on and will grab with the other hand as well. I tried to get him to crawl up/down but he refused once he learned to walk at 12months. Now he's walking he'll only do what we do - we walk, he walks! I had to move some big pots around the garden so he has something to hold onto when he steps up/down.