Toddler bypassing stair gate - help!!

[samanthajonespr]

We have L shaped stairs with 2 wide parallel wooden planks that serve as the railings on the bottom bit of the stairs. The stair gate has been fine for the past year but we discovered to our horror that he can climb through the railings and then come up the stairs. Husband and me were just putting laundry upstairs and we'd only been up there a minute or so when our toddler's cheeky face appeared at the door. We then caught him trying it again later. I'm now absolutely terrified of even popping upstairs to the loo. What the hell do I do?!

It's a rented property so we can't change the layout or anything. Any experiences/advice would be very much appreciated

I'd consider a study play pen - then you can at least pop to the loo in peace.

(And now I'm contemplating all the ways in which tall adventurous nearly-toddler DD could start endangering herself...)

Could you cover the planks/railings with something like a sheet tied on securely just so he can't get through it until you figure out something better?

Stairgate across the the living room/whatever downstairs. We couldn't put one on the stairs, so it went on the lounge instead

How old is your toddler? If they can climb through railings and get up the stairs safely it might be time to remove the stair gate? We removed ours when my little one was 2.
I would keep one at the top for night times obviously.

Or can you move the stair gate up? So he can climb a few stairs but not the whole way??

Can you do something with string to make a kind of net so they don't fit through anymore?

I removed stairgates when mine started doing similar, all 4 dc were around 16 months, i kept the top one, but if he can negotiate the stairs with an obstacle then its probably safer to remove the obstacle.

Can he move down the stairs safely, either by crawling backwards or a bum shuffle? I'd make sure he can do either as an additional precaution.

Age of toddler is dry relevant.

Are you talking about a 14 month old? In which case you need a playpen or to take him everywhere with you, but also to work daily on teaching him to come down stairs in his bottom.

Or are you talking about a 2 year old? In which case just take the stair gates down and do some practice walking up and down stairs together.

One of mine climbed over the stair gates at 22 months, so we had to take them down as it meant the one at the top of the stairs was an added hazard not a safety measure. Another of mine worked out how to open the stair gates at 2.5.

Sounds like time to remove the stair gates. I remember spending an afternoon with my toddler, teaching them how to go up and down the stairs - they loved it and we've never had any problems.

He's 2.5. So is it time to get rid of the stair gates then? We don't have any other children at the moment so it would work. I'm
so nervous about him falling down the stairs. Thank you for the suggestions

Just spend some time practising with him. Mine used to come down backwards on all fours, if that makes sense. Started off going up on all fours too, before progressing to holding on to the banister. He's definitely old enough.

I'm afraid you need to get your eyes-in-back-of-head fully working now...you can relax again as soon as he's...18!