What age did you teach them to go DOWN stairs?

[Pikeypants]

Jen climbs to the top with me behind her but at 15 months is still not ready to do it unauded. She stands up on the stairs, tries to reverse etc, she has no concept of the danger.

Anyway, when she gets to the top she has a right old fanny about as we have a gate at the top & she struggles with crawling over the bar (probably hurts her knees).

Because of this & her lack of stairs sense, I don't know when I should start showing her how to turn round at the top & climb down.

Also- do you show them how to go down backwards or on their bum?!

Blimey when I started this post I didn't realise I had so many questions!

[noo noo]

Iona goes down stairs holding my hand and the bannister - probably has done so for a month or so. I remember Kyle used to go down on his bum but she shows no interest in that whatsoever!

Iona's been going up the staris on her own for months - dummy in and no reins. Thats how she gets to the bathroom to be left alone in the bath :roll: :wik:

[bisy backson]

ok well noo noo you can flame me now - :wik: i have found splashy upstairs on his own going 'oh dear' (as in oh dear how on earth did i get up here all by myself/how am i going to get down again) on several occasions recently (dont' tell anyone in toddler i have a reputation to protect! :D ) i wouldn't let him do it on his own if i saw him but he's obviously more than capable!

as for going down, well for pikey's benefit OBviously he has been going up and down backwards and forwards walking on his hands since he was born - i can't believe jen's so slow! but in real life he 'boomps' down on his bum, i taught him to do it a little while ago cos i wanted him to be proficient by the time i can't pick him up anymore.

he's able to do it as long as i am holding his hand, i certainly wouldn't let him do it on his own at the moment. he'll also walk down quite happily if i am holding his hand & he gets in his rythm.

re going up, i found it really accelerated his learning to chuck a toy a few steps up in front of him as he went so he became more focussed on trying to get the toy and got the idea that you just keep on going up rather than stopping and coming back down etc.

no rush though really is there?

bbxx

[Princess Fiona]

Lucy is very good at going up the stairs and COULD probably do it without me standing an inch behind her but i won't let her.

We have a gate upstairs but its not directly across the stairs, its across the landing if that makes sense so she doesn't have that in the way. When she gets to the top she usually sits on the top step looking mighty pleased with herself.

I didn't realise until about a month ago that she could actually get down the stairs all by herself as well. Apparantly DH had been teaching her to go down feet first on her front and she is bloody good at it.

I always thought you were meant to teach them to come down backwards and i'm impressed with DH for doing this and for Lucy picking it up so quickly.

I still wouldnt let her come down on her own though!! Our friends little girl is just 3 and was walking at 11 months and i don't trust her to walk down the stairs by herself.

[Diddlum]

Niamh goes up the stairs fine on her own (crawling obv - she can't walk yet!), and I'm trying to work out how to teach her to get back down again! My mum's friend has 8 children and says they've NEVER had a stairgate as she's always just taught them to come back down on their own. I think she should come down the same way she went up, ie backwards, but when I turn her round that way she just goes back up again!
She's definitely aware of the danger though - when she's at the top and wants to come back down again she starts trying to put her hand down onto the top stair but she does it sooooo tentatively.

Any tips on how you get a baby to crawl backwards downstairs?!

[She Devil]

Jack has been going up the stairs by himself since around 8 months unaided by me.

He has been going down the stairs since around 11 months unaided not on his bum but backwards on his knees iykwim

[Damsella]

DD used to go down the stairs on her tummy (feet first!) like a fishie. Very cute. Eventually she got the hang of walking down.

I can't remember what age though :doh:

[Adelelee]

We too are working on this now Pikey, but she does not really get the concept, same as Niamh if I turn her round to go down she just crawls back up again :roll: :roll:

But like Bisy, I really need her to learn soon, I tell you for a dinky girl she sure can be a heavy lump and the more preggers I get the harder it is to get her down the stairs!!!

We had another go today, and she did it, eventually, but took us about 10 mins :laff: :laff: :laff:

[Diddlum]

Jack has been going up the stairs by himself since around 8 months unaided by me.

He has been going down the stairs since around 11 months unaided not on his bum but backwards on his knees iykwim

That's what I mean I want Niamh to do. I had a little go with her this afternoon, she managed to come down about 5 stairs on her own before she put her arms out for me! It was a bit bizarre though, she was clinging on to the bannisters while she was doing it! :laff:

[Littlejojo]

i didnt teach mia how to go down the stairs, she still crawls up the stairs doesnt walk, but will start trying that with her over the next few weeks. I wont let her come down our stairs because we have not banisters only a big drop. We was at my mums and she knew how to go down, backwards. She has this kind of in built sense of safety, she has always done these things backwards, as in when she gets of our bed or in the sofa, she turns around and puts her feet down first.

[Matilde]

Clarissa has been able to crawl up the stairs unaided for months. I discovered this to my HORROR when she did it once when I was opening the door to the postman or something and I found her in my bedroom. She doesnt go downstairs on her own yet but we have a step in the downstairs landing (bit of corridor thing) and she uses the same technique as getting off the sofa or bed: tummy on the floor , feet down and gently wriggle herself down.

The problem with our stairs is that I live in an old house and the stairs turn 180degrees, so the bit where they are turning the steps are triangular, not rectangular, if you see what I mean, and hence even more dangerous.

Also, Tito spends most of the day asleep on my bed or the spare bed, and she knows Tito is *arriba* (upstairs) so for example today I have had to take her off the stairs 16 times already amongts cries ot Teeto TEEETOOO!

I thought you were supposed to not let them down on their own until they were ...dont know 2 or 3? I am unsure of what to do now, the steps are too igh for her to do it walking like an adult and the tummy on the floor version is dangerous in the bits where the stais are too narrow.

Don't know what to do.

[Hello Kitty]

We bought a stannah stair lift, saves all the hassle and they get up and down in half the time.











:laff: :laff: :laff:

[Adelelee]

We bought a stannah stair lift, saves all the hassle and they get up and down in half the time.

Ooohh a toy and practicality all in one :laff: :laff:

[Diddlum]

We bought a stannah stair lift, saves all the hassle and they get up and down in half the time.

Now THAT would've made me spit my tea out if I'd had any! PMSL JUles!! :laff: :laff:

[Matilde]

hahahhaaaa

I want the stannah for ME!!! babo can learn!

[Micah]

C started coming downstairs on her own a while back.

I taught her to come down backwards to start with, which she still does for the first couple, then she turned round and came down forwards. To start with I insisted she sat down on each stair and did it that way (much barbara woodhouse style shouting of "sit" ).

Now she's a bit taller she can walk down with both hands on the bannisters.

[mrsnozza]

Abby's been climbing up the stairs for about 3 months and we have just started teaching her how to come down backwards. She is doing well - she already gets off the sofa, bed etc backwards so she seems to know she has to turn round.

I do have my heart in my mouth occasionally as she sometimes stands up suddenly and looks like she'll topple down!

Mrs N x