Climbing down stairs

Ok, my 18 month olds have mastered climbing up the stairs to their bedroom. My problem is that I dont really know how to teach them to get down stairs. This would be wonderful to get mastered since I carry them down every time we go down.

I am open to any and all ideas and I would also like to know how old your twins were when they started to do it.

 

Joey (just about 2 1/2) has finally stopped sitting and scooting downstairs. When she doesn't want to walk, she sits on the step, puts her feet on the next one down, sccots her butt down to that step, and repeats. It's hard to explain...try it yourself. That's how I got Joey and Ellie downstairs together last summer: one on each thigh as I scooted down.

Ellie is 18mo and can crawl up stairs. She can walk down stairs if I hold her hand. She's very taken with stairs...she'll go up and down the 2 steps in the garage over and over. She is definitely further along with her stair walking than Joey was at this time last year.

 

I was baffled at how to overcome this 'milestone' as well. The boys mastered climbing stairs well before they could walk. I tried in vein for MONTHS to teach/show them how to do this (from the couch, from a bed, on the stairs) and they just couldn't get it.

Then suddenly last month it was like it just clicked and they started going down backwards. We started saying, "Get down safe" (couch, chair, bed) or "Step Careful" (playground equipment, steps) and they definately understand what we mean.

We have one of those flip-open toddler-sized character sofas which is all of 3" off the ground when it's flipped open to "bed mode" and Nick ALWAYS 'gets down safe' on it...cracks me up every time. He looks so silly halting his momentum to get down, turn around and shimmy the 3 inches to the ground.

 

My ds seemed to just naturally know what to do, in going down stairs. I never had to teach him. My dd, though, it took a lot of practice & help. I would just sit on the steps with her, and turn her around so she was going down backwards. And just move her feet with my hands, in the way that she should go.....just like they crawl up the stairs, only going backwards. It took her a lot of practice, but she's finally got it now. It was fun for them, though.....up down, up down; it was like a game.

 

We taught the girls by scooting down with one on each leg first, then they kind of figured out how to do it backwards, too. I have to watch them really carefully. though b/c they run for the stairs now when it's time to go down, and I've caught them in some precarious perches right before a fall. Now, when I open the nursery door I hold their collars so they can't rush out to the stairwell without me. It ticks them off, but they get over it.

 

like most ours go up the stairs with ease...going down the steps - they actually initiated it themselves and we hold their hands and they step down one step at a time...it only works when DH and I are together for our steps...my MIL has two little steps (sunken living room) and they go down those backwards and figured it out on their own...same with the couch

 

When I moved in to this house (with stairs, my old house had none), I had a broken leg, so I had to go down on my rear end. They saw me doing it, and did it too!

 

I lucked out... their older cousins came to visit and showed them how they go down backward at the time they were learning. They were only 11 months then but already comfortable going up and determined to go back down. They now want to go down facing forward most of the time. Their options are go backward or give me your hand so I can stop them from falling if they trip -- I let them choose. I can tell they aren't using my hand for balance anymore and they're wanting more and more to go without help but I only let them do that outside where there are 3 steps.

 

I don't know! I think we started out going down on our bottoms, then they just started walking down the stairs, holding on to the wall and/or a grown-ups hand. Ainsley still doesn't do it, she likes to jump to me down the stairs. I wish she would warn me when she's going to jump!

 

i started by putting them on their belly's at the top stair and while holding their feet i would pull them down one step at a time so their knees landed on the step below...i did that a few times until they got it. Now i say "on your bellies" before we go down and they immediately will get on their bellies. It's so funny to watch too because they will sometimes get on their bellies far from the first step and then backwords crawl until they actually reach the stairs. I walk down a few steps in front of them and often keep my hands on their tushies as they go down each step...sometimes i worry because Alexa likes to just slide down on her belly rather than go one step at a time...

 

I can't remember how ours figured them out. Just one day they decided to "slide" down on their tummies. After a while it got to the point where they'd barrel down without even thinking about it! It's possible I showed them how to do go down on their bellies... I can't remember anymore. Sheesh.

--> Andy

 

Lily just kind of figured out how to go down. Sometimes she crawls down the same way she goes up, and sometimes she sits on her bottom and "scoots" down. Grace still hasn't really tried going down the stairs yet.