Getting rid of stairgates?

[notsurehowtodothis]

When did you detach yours?

Our 18month old (DC2) is a real 'climber', always has been, and shoots up and down the stairs with confidence (mainly chasing/following my older DC). My DPs were here at the weekend and asking why I still have the stargazes up as DC2 is now old enough, and plenty confident enough, for these to be removed. It honestly hasn't really occurred to me as to when this would happen as we've just had them up since DC1 started crawling, so quite a few years ago now!!

How old were you little ones when you took yours down? Is there a general guideline or anything I'm supposed to follow?!

I think it totally depends on your child. My son was very stairs confident but I kept it up to compartmentalise the house!

I taught DS to go up and down stairs as soon as he was mobile, I felt he was knowing how to tackle them. However, our gates are still up at 22 months.

They mean I can keep him upstairs/downstairs/out of the kitchen while I do something else. Otherwise I'd spend half my day searching the house for him and everything would take twice as long. They also mean the cats can get away from him when they need to.

DD2 is now 2.3 but I've still got the one at the top of the stairs even now. She's perfectly capable of going up & down safely during the day & I leave it open but still comes into me at night and DD1 occasionally sleepwalk so I think it will be there forever.
Took bottom one off a few months ago as she was turning 2 ish

It depends on the child. If they're confident with stairs then you don't need them.i actually didn't have stairgates at all with dc2, I just did daily stairs training with her (this involved going up and down at least once a day), by about 18 months she was ok to be left unsupervised on the stairs

DD is 2.6, we still have stair gates at top and bottom of stairs. They aren't always closed, as she can go up and down stairs safely. The bottom one is handy to keep her downstairs when one of us is trying to have a lie in. The top one is always closed overnight, she has never shown any sign of sleepwalking, but I worry about her getting up in the night and falling down the stairs! DD2 is due in a couple months, so I expect we'll keep gates up until we don't need them for her. I don't want DD to get used to freedom only to have it taken away again!

Until they can open them by themselves!

Our daughter is 2.5 and still have them up. She's fine on the stairs but use them to stop her following me upstairs every time I need a wee (I'm pregnant so all the time) and her tumbling down the stairs if she gets up at night.