Do you let your 3yr old walk up and down steps (brick or otherwise) unsupervised???

[TheQueenOfQuotes]

Yes or no?

• me I'm a big resounding yes - my life would be hell if I didn't (although I'd probably be a lot fitter ).

I would be HORRIFIED to find my three year old at nursery was left was on their own, out of sight, jumping down four brick steps onto concrete. I would consider it totally irresponsible. My daughter is very physically coordinated and knows no fear - she has no idea of possible consequences. At ds's school even older children would not be allowed to jump on steps like this.

I let my 3yr old and my 19mth old..does that make me a bad mum?

sorry 19mth old doesnt jump off brick steps though..lol
Ds has done this before now when I have been with him.

I would let my DS3 go up and down steps (we never had a stair gate, which meant he could go up and down stairs (safely!) from a very young age), but I would be keeping a close eye on him!

Yes

DS3 (aged 2) has been walking up and down stairs (not steps) holdig things in his hand since about 16 months.

I do have to tell him not to jump off steps (his latest games) as he tries to copy his autistic brother (8) who jumps down entire flights of stairs.

I was quite shocked to read that there were people who wouldn't let a 3 year old walk down steps alone - think that's OTT - although will depend on the child- although ds1 is into leaping off high places now he was pretty ropey in the early days (dyspraxic although we didn't know- and he has poor depth perception) so we gave him a lot of help- he needed it- even thoough we didn't know why iyswim.

You're missing the point again.
Why not change the thread title to"Would you let your 3 year old jump from a 4 foot step onto a concrete surface" or "Would you be happy if your 3 year old was allowed to run about in a playground with 50 odd others (almost) totally unsupervised.
FFS

In answer to the original question, yes, obviously I do, you'd have to a bit of a freak not to.

thing is though - even if there was 1 teacher for every 5 children - it could STILL have happened. I've only got 3 DC (and one of them is still a baby so doesn't "go" anywhere) - but if one falls over/hurts himself then my attention is focussed with them, the other one can quite easily do something dangerous and hurt themselves.

As for the MRSA - no-one is trying to say the hospital was at fault. BUT, the would he have died if he hadn't contracted staphylococcal pneumonia? Yes he was in a coma - but it's not unheard of for people to come out of comas and recover.

oops meant ot post that on the other thread

dd fell down marble stairs aged 2 I had to to turn to lock the door of our apartment and she had already set off.

ds, 2.2, goes up and down the stairs by himself but usually does it on his bottom. we still have a stair gate at the top.

i let 2.8yo twins do stairs by themselves, they will ask for help or a hand if they feeling unsteady.

yes, we have 2 year olds who are allowed in the garden where therea re three concrete steps, and I don't supervise them all the time. Surely most 3yos can be trusted with a few steps.

Gess, nobody does say they wouldn't let their three year old walk down steps unaided. But some of us would be very, very unhappy to discover their three year old alone, unsupervised, out of sight of any adult, jumping down four deep brick steps onto concrete while they were at nursery.

The steps were impossible to watch while the playground was supervised by one person - they knew that - and they should have been fenced off, just like they are at ds's perfectly ordinary, scruffy, London primary.

Aloha someone did say they wouldn't let their 3 year old walk down steps unaided (or unsupervised? can't remember which) on the other thread.

pneumonia is common in long term unconsious patients

Gess - I said that I wouldn't have let my chn play on stone steps unsupervised on previous thread and I stand by that. Why not just find them a safer place to play away from the stone steps. My ds's are very boisterous and run, jump about all the time. Concrete steps are not a safe place to do this when you're 3. My ds 2 has had loads of accidents due to his being very lively, at home, at nursery and at school. He's had 3 fractures already and he's 6. I'd be mad to let him play on stone steps.