At what age are kids ok to use the stairs??

Question

My little 13month old boy is very good at going up the stairs with out help and he can get down ok as well. We always let him climb stairs with us but never alone!! I am curious to know when kids are ok with going up and down alone?? I know each kid is different but I would love to know when you guys let it all happen? Thanks heaps

Answer 1

I was ok with letting her do it around 2 1/2 to 3.  When I really felt she had a handle on it. Until then I helped her

Answer 2

Depends on the child, at 13 months that is very good, and VERY brave of you.

I wouldnt let them do it alone till 2years... even then they are bound to fall down a few times.

Answer 3

at the end of the day no age is good with stairs lol !. but i would say around the age of 2yrs, all children are differant. trust me keep a gate on till your child is at least 5yrs, just incase your child get's up in the night and your asleep your child can fall down stair in the dark. it's better to be safe then sorry.

Answer 4

When they are very steady on their feet &extremely confident. Maybe three. But i would be scared about coming down the stairs, i would probably teach a "fun" slide on bottom way.

Answer 5

wait till he gets better at coming down as well as going up...its just safety reasons...i did this with my son...he likes going up but couldnt come down...now he does both with perfection...Trust me once they start they just dont stop...i wish i could do that to lose weight but i get tired fast..lol...i wish i had their energy...my baby turned 1 in feb.

so i understand.

Answer 6

When they're fully steady on their feet. But when I was a child, before I was around four - my parents taught me to butt slide done the stairs - as it was a safer (and funner way) to get down.

Answer 7

If you are worried, get him to go down the stairs on his bum. Like step by step shuffling on his bum thats what  I did with my now 5 year old.  also just a warning be careful of those stair gates, I had a friend whose daughter lent on it and it shifted and she went toppling face first down three flights of stairs, down down down and down. She ended up with a broken nose and heaps of stuffed teeth.  My preference is not to have one of those gates as at least they won't be caught off guard and go tumbling down. anyway good luck with it all.

Answer 8

I allow my 17 mo to climb the stair alone, unsupervised.  He started climbing around 12 mo and had to be supervised until about 15 mo.  At that point he had fallen a couple of times (just one or two steps) and learned that there are consequences for not being careful.  Since then I can count on him to follow me up the stairs.  We encourage him and praise him when he succeeds.  My stair case is has a landing in the middle and its carpeted - please take extra care if it is a full height stair case and if there is no padding.  He is now learning how to go down the stairs.  He is not allowed to go down the stairs without us watching.  We are consistent with him when he gets near the stairs.  At first we would tell him "only climb when mommy or daddy is watching" and if he didn't listen then he wasn't allowed to climb.  Now he has mastered climbing so we are helping him learn to take the one step at a time down - and only when we're around to help.  I think he understands - thats why I trust him.  My mom tells me that I fell down the stairs when I was a baby - no permanent damage there!

Answer 9

when there steady on there feet and confidant. also when you feel ok with it.

Answer 10

Just watch him. When you feel confident that he is steady enough that he won't fall or anything, that's when to start letting him go on his own. Still keep a bit of an eye on him, but you don't need to go with him. Gradually start letting him go on his own. As you get more comfortable and feel more confident about his abilities, ease into letting him go by himself all the time.

Answer 11

my little girl i think this happened about 2 1/2 yr like you say each kid is different and abilities and if you feel at 2 you know they just seem to make that transition themselves i kept a gate on though til 2yrs and once that was off well thats wen she decided i can do this on my own only prob is i think most kids do have a fall mine did and it put her off for a bit she did get her confidence back x

Answer 12

its ok now if he is supervised by an adult ..

only 3+ kids can be allowed unsupervised

the stairs are always dangerous when it comes to kids ..

even 10 year olds take a fall when rushing down the stairs and can get hurt pretty bad

Answer 13

They're ok at any age they can get up, just STAY RIGHT BEHIND THEM when going up and HOLD THEIR HAND when going down. Make sure that you have them.

Answer 14

2 and a half - 3 i think...until they can use the staris unsupervised

Answer 15

I think you just kind of gradually let go until they are about 5 years old before you stop worrying about them and the stairs.