Tips to Help your Child Master Stair Climbing

Let's set the stage by stating when it comes to stairs, safety must come first. Utilize safety gates (at the top and bottom of your staircase) as soon as your child is able to move independently on the floor or in the infant walker. Why? Because one day when your back is turned, your little one will gain an overwhelming sense of intense curiosity and will dart straight towards the staircase. (Trust me on this one, okay?) It is also important to stand on a lower step below your child when he or she is going up and when coming down the stairs. Now, let's discuss what the age-appropriate expectations for negotiating stairs. Age One: Little ones this age may not have the safety awareness nor leg length to perform stairs in the upright position. So, it is most appropriate for one-year olds to crawl up the stairs and climb down the stairs leading with feet first. It is important to stand on a lower step below your child when he or she is going up and when coming down the stairs. Age Two: During the second year, toddlers are able to go upstairs in an upright position. Using handheld support or support from the wall or rail, two year olds can also place both feet on each step to descend the stairs. It is helpful to begin practicing with the first 2-3 steps before attempting the entire staircase. Age Three: By this age, the length of the lower legs may have reached a point where performing stairs by placing one foot on each step to ascend and descend is possible. It is still very common for this age group to use the wall or rail for support. Parents can place spot markers or stickers on each step to offer visual cues as a reminder to place one foot on each step by only placing the foot near the spot marker or sticker. Age Four: This age group can also benefit from using the spot markers or stickers on the stairs to encourage the reciprocal pattern, but may also need additional practice to perform this skill without using the arms for support. It is also recommended to begin with 2-4 steps initially. Using a small step stool to practice stepping on/off is also helpful. Other tips to help with reciprocal stair climbing include: standing on one leg without support, kneeling with one knee up and placing one foot on the stepstool while placing the other foot to the front then to the rear of the stepstool.