Toddler and stairs

[WindFlower92]

Maybe asking a stupid question here, but when did everyone feel comfortable letting their toddler go up and down stairs without supervision? As in, just letting them go up to their room to play and to come down whenever they like without help? I've got a 2 year old (+3 months) and still don't feel comfortable yet but don't know if I'm being unreasonable! Whenever we've gone round other people's houses I haven't felt comfortable with her going upstairs with just the other toddlers on her own as I know she can get silly and excitable and has fallen down a full flight of stairs before. When do I start trusting her? Does she need to be able to walk up and down stairs like an adult before she can do it independently? Am I being overbearing?

With my DS I think around the age of 4? But then DH tells me I can be slightly overprotective in certain scenarios :)

To be fair with DS he was a late walker and I feel not as quick with his gross motor that his peers, other kids his age would be much quicker/steady on equipment at the park etc.

It depends on your stairs as well, ours are fairly steep.

I have a 2.8yr old, and if it weren't for his twin 1.8yr old brothers, I don't think I'd bother with stair gates anymore.
You know your own child though and their capabilities. There's no point in rushing anything if you have a slight doubt.

Mines 2.4 and can very confidently climb stairs but I wouldnt leave him to go up and down unsupervised. Sometime he will escape the front toom and go up alone but ill always follow. I couldnt be confident he wouldn't lose his balance at the top and topple down.

Mine is 2.5yrs and fairly confident & cautious with stairs, however it will be a while before I trust him to play upstairs unsupervised!

Okay good, I'll carry on just trusting my gut then and watching her for now. It just seems like everyone around me thinks I'm crazy!

My DS is 2.5 and I won’t let him on stairs unsupervised but everyone seems to think I’m mad too!

My youngest is 2.9, she's been fine on the stairs for several months, she even tells me to be careful and the hold the handrail! She is very tall so that may have made it easier physically to do the stairs? I think it depends on the child, there's no hard rules on when they will be safe with certain activities.

DD is 2.5 – she's quite sensible about stairs. She holds onto the bannisters when going up and if me or DH aren't beside her on the way down, she tends to go down on her bum (but can walk down holding banister if she us supervised).

I still like to watch her, although I'm more relaxed about her coming down than up I think when she announces 'I'm coming down on my bum!'.

It depends on the child and how hard the floor is at the bottom. My older DS is cautious and calm and we didn't feel a need for stair gates for him. My younger DS has no fear or common sense (but very sure on his feet) and we really do need stair gates. But I feel almost ok about him (almost 2) on stairs in other houses with gentle stairs and thick carpets.

It's not so much the stairs that bother me, it's what they'll get up to unsupervised upstairs! Getting at my toiletries etc

Supervised - as soon as they could move around
Unsupervised - around 2

We have no stair gates (through choice) and so have always actively shown how to safely use the stairs