those of you who didn't use stair gates- at what age was your dc able to go up and down the stairs unsupervised?

[mamacoffee]

we did use stair gates with ds but i can't remember exactly when he was totally ok with them. i only remember it was well before 22mo because at 22mo he had learnt the knack of coming down 2 flights of stairs when he woke up at night in his sleeping bag needless to say we got rid of the sleeping bag promptly then!

dd is 18mo and i'm starting to let her go up and down sometimes on her own without supervision, but i don't know if thats too soon and whether i should be cautious for a bit longer. she is pretty good at the stairs. i know no one on here can tell me whether she's ok unsupervised, i know that's a call i've got to make myself, but just looking for a general picture

thanks!

My DD is 18 months, and we don't have gates on the stairs. I always supervise her though. She is fine most of the time, but she now wants go up and down the stairs like an adult which means that she is often testing her balance. I've had to catch her a couple of times. That said, I know another 18 month old that does fine going up and down alone, so it really does depend.

in the day from about 15 months. still have stair gate closed at night.

We don't have stairgates as they won't fit our stairs - more's the pity as they're ferociously steep. DS is 18 months and has been able to fly up them for months, but still can't come down (other than headfirst on his stomach a couple of months ago ) so we always supervise.

Really hoping he learns before Feb as I'm due to have DS2 by CS and won't be able to carry him down...

DD2 was 14 months for climbing up, about 16 months for learning to go down. She has only just started walking at 17 months so she still crawls up and comes down backward crawl. I stopped being so vigilant at about 16 months (once she could come down safely on her own), but once she decides to walk up or down we will need to watch her again.

DD could race up them at about ten months and can now come down them at nearly 12 months (swing between the 'big' girl way and backwards crawl). I always supervise though and can't see me being comfortable unsupervised for a good couple of months yet.

Personally I think under 3 unsupervised is too little. There isn't any need for them to go up and down stairs before then on their own really and its very easy for them to think they'll bring a toy or whatever and get caught up with it or miss a foot. Stairs can be a killer.

But then I know someone who fell down the stairs and broke her neck and died aged 31. Her mum found her.

I have also broken my foot coming down some stairs. I just put my foot awawkwardly and it broke, I wasnt even running. I was 10.

Under THREE?? Good grief. Both my older DCs have been going up and down by themselves since about 18-20 months. Going up is easy, and they were able to from about 13 months, so I trained them to stand and the top and shout when they needed to come down. I'm sure DC3 will be the same.

We had stair gates for my first child but didn't with the second because my first had a terrible fall at 18 months from top to bottom advice from more experienced mums no stair gates makes them learn how to get up and down safely. Result my son could manage the stairs from around a year old.

We have stair gates but DD 16 mths always escapes whenever she sees them open! She's been going up & down them since about 10mths & will now let her come up them on her 'own' though me or DH are always nearby (our house is small). She's very well coordinated & balanced and crawls up and comes down backwards. I've never made a fuss if she uses them on her own. No point getting upset or wrapping her up in cotton wool imo.

surely if you teach them to go down backwards there is little chance of falling? waiting till three seems a bit extreme.

We moved into our first multistory house when my son was 2. He started goin up and down the stairs on his own then and there.

Now, at 4.5, the challenge is to get him to not jump from the top!

2yo DS has managed them from about 15 months up and down (likes to hold my hand coming down walking). We have stair gates shut at night though as he's up a lot through the night and has now started sleepwalking.

At 3 YO LO is now ok on her own (though she is usually supervised anyway) but goes down stairs on her bottom and up stairs on all fours as this is the quickest way. If it's oudoor steps then she can walk down holding hands or handrail but it takes her a lot longer that way! We dont have stairs at home though as we live in a bungalow.

I would say some time between 18-24 months depending on child.

By 15 months ds1 could go confidently with us behind in case, and we already had ds2 so someone was carrying him.

Although ds was not an early crawler or walker at all, quite slow, he could go upstairs from about 9 months. In an efficient crawling style way.

Dd. then taught him to bum shuffle down to avoid falling which was quite effective

DS has been able to go up the stairs successfully since about 8 months. I usually supervise him but I work from home and sometimes he disappears off. He's 12 months now. He knows how to come down safely (backwards on his belly) and he's pretty safe, although I'm not happy leaving him unsupervised for that, just in case.

We do have stair gates, I do also have 2 big dc who regularly forget to shut them. not me though oh no no I'd never forget to shut them

By 2yo my DS was definitely going up and down unsupervised (we do have stairgates though, but more for containment, and just the other day he showed us he knows how to open them he's 2.5). Maybe even a bit earlier.