Hi everyone,

I know this might sound like a really strange question and im probably going to come across a bit like a fruitcake here but firstly when did ur Children start climbing the stairs by themselves? Our new house is great on so many levels but the one HUGE big draw back is how steep the stairs are. I have only really thought about it properly today since my Dad came around and pointed out how dangerous they are and although obviously ive been so careful going up and down especially when carrying LO now im worried about falling and about her falling when she starts climbing them- i know she is only coming up 4 months but they grow so quickly so secondly im actually wondering wehter we should really be here now (at the mo we are only renting) i just wanna do what is safe for my lo at the end of the day and now after really thinking about it hard i feel stupid for not really taking it into consideration before we moved in and now im unsure what to do as we dont even have a proper banister!! What would u do? Honestly... if u were me, do u think its a bit exteme to move or wait until LO starts walking and then move? My OH is in building trade so he can fix a new banister in the meantime

Hope u can help me make my mind up one way or the other
Thanks

Hannah xx

hi

its funny you should mention this as i am doing child first aid at the mo and a lot of it is about prevention. this week they were talking about stairs and how old a child should be before climbing the stairs alone and the lady who runs it says the guidlines now are not until they are at least 4. she said you should move your stair gate up a few stairs so they can practise alone but you should always go up behind them and down in front of them till this age.

also, i was brought up in a really old terrace house and the stairs there are mega steep, and also mega narrow - i cant fit my full foot on each stair and i wear a size 4 shoe. i never noticed how steep they were until i moved out, so as long as you are really careful about safety, your child is never going to know any different.

hope this helps chick xx

I have this same fear my lo is 2yrs and been going up and down them for a while now but both myself and my mum have fallen down them. We have a stair gate at the top for on a night cause she gets up sometimes to go to the loo by her self so it for piece of mind really.

Hi

Well, i think we are going to wait until our lease runs out in 5 months and see how we feel- im just so tired of keep moving about. I want to get a bloody house of my own and just settle down its so annoying getting on the property ladder now. Anyway OH said hes gonna put a better handrail there to grip on to and we will have a word with our landlady and go from there. Thanks for ur replies anyway- i think we will have moved out before she is old enough to walk up and down them by herself anyway and we will deffinatly invest in a couple of stair gates

Thanks
Hannah xx

hey hun, i'm sure you'll be fine with the stair gates for now. mine is 9 months and can get up the first step already, will be getting the stair gate out i think! then hopefully by the time your l/o is 3 you'll be in your own home!

I used to make sure that my LO used to always come down stairs on her bum and we would make a noise each time her bum hit the step. I have a fear of stairs anyway and in this house we have 2 sets of stairs, both of which are horrible and then of course there are 3 stupid dogs who like to try and knock us over whilst going up or down them and a cat that sits hiding to pounce on your feet as your take a step...maybe baby and I will move into the chicken house!!!

Thanks guys i feel a bit better about it now- i know im gonna have to be so careful but right now i just have to start saving for a deposit (god knows where the money for thats coming from though!!)

Hannah xx

p-s