? for those with stairs to the bedrooms

Don't get me wrong, I love the work out but they are just getting so heavy. I end up carryinng them down because it is just easier and faster and I need to go up and get the other. I carry them down one at a time in the morning. Carry them up one at a time for naps and carry them down one at a time after nap and then carry one of them up (dh carries the other) up for bed. We have worked on stairs with them and they can totally do it by sliding down on their butts with us in front of them in case they fall (which they have almost done several times). It's just so scary when dealing with the stairs. It could be a life or death or paralysis type thing so I don't want to chance it. What do you do? I'm afraid to let them walk up and down together when I'm by myself because one always seems to go faster and get ahead of the other. When did yours start to walk up and down on their own (with you and/or by themsleves)?

 

We've always had stairs since they were born. I stopped carrying them up and down when they got too heavy and they could do it on their own, which was probably about 1.5 yrs at most. I now only carry them if they are resisting going upstairs.

 

We carry them down after naps and in the morning, mostly because they usually are still kind of drowsy/huggy at those times. Any other time we let them go down or up themselves (supervised, of course). I did just recently stop carrying them both up or down at the same time because they got too heavy and unpredictably wiggly.

We keep the stairs gated because they'll go up and down all day long if you let them.

 

Mine have been been going up stairs and down stairs for a while on their own. But they crawl up them and go backwards to get down. I still stand there just in case, but they are too heavy for me to pick them both up and they meltdown if I grab their bro or sis before them.

 

I quit carrying them pretty early (they were eager to do it themselves). They'd crawl up together with me walking behind them. I didn't have issues with them separating because their skills were equal. As they got longer legs, they started wanting to walk up so I'd hold their hands. For downstairs, they started by crawling down backward and I'd go before them so I could catch them if they slipped. As they became competent going upstairs in an upright position, they were given the option of crawling down backward or holding my hand and walking down. They go up & downstairs on their own now and it doesn't worry me. I have to remind them sometimes that they are not allowed to play on the stairs or jump until they get to the bottom step. I couldn't tell you exactly when everything happened because it was fairly gradual but I quit carrying them upstairs unless I was in a major hurry before their first birthday and downstairs sometime before 15 months.

It's worth noting that we have wide stairs with a landing in the middle of the L. My friend's house has steep, scary stairs and I wouldn't let them use those until they were really skilled at home.

 

I'm at a loss as to teach two to climb down stairs together!! Anyone have tips? They walk downstairs with no regard to falling and I can't get them to sit, at least not together.

I still carry them down but if they are awake, they walk upstairs themselves.

 

I still do, both at the same time and they are 30lbs. each..I guess I am used to it but may have to start to get them to walk down soon since I am going to my OB tomorrow for pain in my pelic area which may or may not be from lifting heavy toddlers.

 

The girls have been going up the stairs for a few months now. Down - well they actually just learned this weekend and I have been letting them do it. It is kind of annoying because they are so slow but I know that it is good for them. They both go down backwards, not forward facing.

 

Mine have been going up/down since about 11m. They started going on their own (w/o me standing behind for a potential fall) since about 16m.

We have a split level, so we really only use the stairs to go out to the yard or down to the garage. In the last week or so we have had them demanding to be CARRIED down. :huh: This blows my mind (and annoys the heck out of me when we're in a rush) b/c they are so me-do, me-do about everything right now.

We do still have a gate at the top of the stairs so they don't have free access. They'd be fine and safe if they did...DH just still hasn't bothered to baby proof husbandland (his office, bigscreen tv, surround speakers, etc)

 

All of my children started going up and down on their own by 16 or 17 months. I still carried them occassionally until around 20 months. At almost 2, they are completely on their own. They use the wall as their guidance and walk down forward now....they have been doing this for abour 2 months now. I think having an older sis to keep up with made them get used to the stairs a lot faster. And I am not as scared because we do have a landing halfway down our stairs and they have to turn to get to the other stairs. I think it may be different if it was a whole flight of stairs!

 

We have a split foyer ranch and go up and down the stairs several times a day. I don't even remember "teaching" them how to go up and down the stairs, they just did. I stopped carrying them up and down a long time ago. Well, Ainsley I still carry once in a while because she dawdles.

 

My two have been climbing up the stairs for naps and bedtime for at least the past 6 months or so, probably even longer. We let them go up by themselves, with us behind them of course. As for going down, we usually hold their hands and they walk down. I don't usually carry both of them down the stairs.

 

I usually let mine go up the stairs but then carry them down, just because it is faster. But I do try to let them go down the stairs at least once a day for practice (we're talking the backwards way). Like another poster said, we have our stairs gated top & bottom because they would do them all day long...they LOVE them & think they are some hot stuff doing them! LOL!

Teaching them to go up was simple for us, they just naturally wanted to climb. Going down I put them on the stairs tummy down then kind of tug on their legs so that they come down each step. Literally showing them what to do. They are smart little buggers & catch on fast!

 

I would start teaching them to go up and down. Just always make sure when they are crawling up that you are behind them. Coming down the same thing. Teach them to go down on their bellies and you stand behind them so you can catch them if they fall. I think the hardest part is teaching them to turn around when they are at the top of the stairs to go on their bellies. There is that natural tendancy for them to want to go forward like they have been watching you do for so long. Just practice up and down a few times with each of them and they will get the hang of it. I dreaded stairs and procrastinated it for so long with my twins. Once I did it I was so happy I did! You will be amazed at how quickly they catch on on how quickly they can get up and down once you do! This is definately one of those skills that younger siblings learn much much earlier from watching their older siblings. My two year old has been walking up and down the stairs unassisted for I can't even remember how long!

 

They go up & down the stairs about 50% of the time. I'm either right behind (going up) or right in front (going down) of them. Otherwise I will carry both at the same time (25 lbs and 23 lbs. each). It's definitely getting to be more difficult carrying them both, but our stairs are really steep and sometimes we are in a hurry so I just pick them up. One thing that we do routinely is have a "race' going up the stairs when it's nap time. They love that.

 

We have a cape with a full staircase (13 steps, I think) and the steps are hardwood. I think I let the girls start crawling up the steps this summer, so around 18 months. I think I started letting them go down on their tushies shortly after that. I am always right there behind them, and sometimes one doesn't want to walk so I carry her while the other climbs. It still makes me anxious sometimes. We also have another 12 or so steps from the porch down to the driveway, same deal. I wish I had known we were going to have twins before we bought this house.

 

Mine were doing it before they could walk. Someone told me that it would be easier for them if they learned stairs while crawling, then they wouldn't want to walk at first, so would be willing to crawl down. I would say they were both doing it by 11 months or so.

 

my boys were 20# each by 6 months. I never carried one at a time. I didn't think it would be fair (believe me, they gave me the looks and cried!) to leave one or the other.

At any rate, I carried them a long time, but I just couldn't do it anymore. I taught them how to go up on their own as soon as they were willing, and by going down, I taught them to sit and bump on their butts. Although they preferred to sit on my knees and I went down on my butt! LOL

We kept a gate at the bottom so they wouldn't play on the stairs, but eventually, they started climbing OVER the gate, so at that time, if they fell, I just left it as a learning lesson. We kept the gate at the top for almost 3 + years old. Their rooms are right at the top and they would push and shove, and that was too much for me to worry about. They're just short of 4, and go very well. They still sit and bump going down.

 

We just started letting them go up the stairs in front of us about 2 months ago. They are good and fast at it but I stay behind and have caught one once or twice.
As for going down, they are not ready to walk down and they have not tried going backwards on their bellies..I think we will try that soon.
Right now I hold DS' hand and carry DD. Or do one at a time.

 

Mine are 18 months and we are in the transition stage now. They could both crawl up the stairs by themselves by 15 months. We let them crawl up the stairs, but we always follow closely behind them to catch them if needed since they are still mastering crawling down the stairs. We practice crawling down the stairs at least 1-2 times a day. To get the process started, I put them on their knees/bellies facing the stairs, stood behind them, and moved their legs for them down the stairs on their bellies. I talked them through the whole process each time. After about a week of this, they started doing the belly slide on their own and I just follow them down. I will continue to follow them up and down as long as it takes until they get a lot more "stable" and I feel more confident in their ability to climb down. We have a lot of stairs (extra high ceilings) and a hard wood floor at the bottom, so I plan to take it slow.

 

They've been crawling up the stairs for a while now. It used to take forever. Now, we say....I'm gonna get you.... and they hurriedly crawl up the stairs without looking back as much.
Going down, we started on their butts, but it was terrifying. We recently switched to crawling down on the belly, and it's been GREAT! I let the faster one go first. :lol: Sometimes my son will get on all fours in his room and crawl backwards to the stairs before crawling down. It cracks me up every time he does it. :lol:

 

Mine are 19 months old and I still carry them up and down. My stairs are hardwood, and I am not too thrilled with the idea of them sliding down on butts or bellies, as I am sure they will get hurt. And with two to watch it is inevitable.
They do know how to get up and down, but they stop to play along the way, so I don't let them do it when we really need to get up and down - I only let them play when we have time to practice their moves.

P.S. I am looking into installing carpet on the stairs for this very reason.