A what age is it reasonable to allow DCs to walk up/down stairs unattended?

[SpawnChorus]

I usually accompany DD (2) up and down the stairs, and she is pretty sure-footed, especially on the way up. Not so confident about her coming down, but I think that's partly cos I am always there in front of her, and I think that gives her a (false?) sense of added security, so she's not so careful.

Anyway, I'm just curious to know when I can let her tackle the stairs without my go-go-gadget arms in the immediate vicinity.

I'd say whenever they seem confident & that can be at any age!

Blimey I still fall up & down stairs at 34, much more painful as an adult I feel!

AM thinking now that I should remove the stairgate at the bottom as dd can walk up and shuffle down the stairs perfectly well

We have a gate on her bedroom door, is that really bad??? Am now starting to wonder if she's being trapped in her room, although if we forget to put it on at night she tells us off!

(its on her bedroom door because we can't put one up at the top of the stairs btw)

It depends on your stairs, if they are steep, wood, etc. then they are more dangerous but I'm with some of the others here. You have to give them independance so they gain confidence.........or maybe I'm just lazy

ds3 goes up and down stairs when he wants - he's 17 months now, but has been doing so for a couple of months. Ds1 and 2 were about the same age I think. I made them all go down backwards as soon as they could climb up. Going down on bottoms came a bit later.

LOL. 16 month old ds goes up by himself when here with me, but dh would have a hairy fit if he knew!!

Ds1 was 11 months when could go up and down stairs safely - up on hands and knees and down feet first on belly. He is a very aactive child and it he saw it as a challenge to get to them as soon as i opened the stair gate so only used it when wasn't able to get to him if needed ie if I was in the shower etc. This took away the novelty factor and stopped his up down up down up down fixation within a couple of days. Hes now 2.1 and walks up them holding on to rails and bumps down them on his bum. Ds2 6 months, rolls along the landing and tries to shove his head between the bannister railings so desperate is he to attempt the stairs so stair gate is now well and truly on whenever we're upstairs!

DD2 is now 22months. I let her go up the stairs on her own and when she wants to come down she will call us. She won't let me carry her down so we walk down with her holding my hand and her other hand on the spindles as we go down. Sometimes she will go on her bottom. We stopped the stairgate about 2 months ago as I know she wont go down without someone. She learnt this lesson when we were at a friends house and she actually fell down some very steep narrow steps. It scared both of us no end but she remembered. Thankfully.

My DS was about 18 months when we moved from a flat into a house with stairs...the stairgate was useless and he quickly learnt to unscrew it from the wall or just climb over it! (it was at the bottom!)He quickly learnt to manage the stairs easily...

Now he's nearly four he goes down on his tummy head-first, and has also discovered sliding down the stairs in a sleeping bag! at the speed!!