Stairs - carpet or hardwood?

[Rebelwithallthecause]

I currently have hardwood stairs and am considering carpeting them for safety as we have young children

Some places say that carpeted stairs are safer but I’ve also seen websites saying carpeted stairs cause more falls - such as this one : www.thespruce.com/carpet-on-stairs-1822568

Would you carpet the stairs or leave as hardwood?

We had hardwood stairs and I fell down them a few times as they were really slippery. I’m always very careful on other people’s wooden stairs. We got ours carpeted in the end and I haven’t fallen down since as the carpet we’ve got is very grippy. Our 2yo hasn’t slipped once (touch wood). To make it look a little more stylish, we opted for a runner instead of a full carpet.

The link above also mentions the following: « But the great paradox: even though they cause you to fall, they ensure that your bumpy journey downward will be as soft as possible.»

My gut instinct says that carpets are safer with younger children (they are prone to falls regardless!) . Having said that, now that our kids are older we are considering removing the carpet as it is a nightmare to keep clean!

carpet every time. i think the difference is potentially concussion or a fractured skull.

depends on the stairs and on what you wear indoors.
we have very steep and high stairs with shallow steps and I am really glad thatwe have carpet. without I'm sure we would have falls galore.

previoys house was split level with short, straight stairs. for those no carpets are ok.

The stairs are a little steel and a bit shallower than current regs (old house)

Carpet; softer and less likely to be so noisy and drive you mad as kids clatter up and down as they get older.

Carpet. Much more fun for children to purposely slide down on

Carpet.
Wooden ones are very hard and more slippery

We have wooden stairs, not really slippy because old with lots of grooves etc (or, not v well sanded...) The kids have tumbled down because of messing around on the stairs rather than slipping but no injuries, touch wood. I think if we moved again I’d get a runner but we couldn’t afford a nice one when we did the house so just painted them.