For those with stairs....

My little guys are both climbing the stairs (crawling up) really well right now- but I was wondering when we should start practicing going down the stairs and also when approximately, do they start walking upstairs???
They are getting pretty heavy to bring down at the same time in the morning- but I still do!!
Lanie

 

I'm not even close to letting them be ready to climb the stairs. I'm actually quite concerned that you are still carrying them down at the same time. How do you hold on?? I'm totally paranoid about falling on the stair while holding one of the babies. I always bring down one at a time. If the other cries while I'm bringing down her sister then I let them cry. I take turns every morning with them. It only takes about 20 seconds to bring one down and get back to the other. I don't mean to sound judgemental. If you are totally comfortable with it then it's not my business (not that it is if you weren't) I would simply feel aweful for you if you fell while holding your sweeties. They are heavier now and they can get a little squirmy even in the arms sometimes. It just takes one of them (or yourself) to fall off balance and...YIKES!!

Anyway, about climbing the stairs, I guess you have reminded me that I should start letting them practice going up. I'm curious to find out at what age they can usually start to do it independently. I swear though, I wish we had bought a ranch!!

 

I still bring mine down at the same time too and they are 19m and 30lbs. each I don't have a problem carrying them together at all, I pick one up in their crib and the other grabs onto me and I scoop him up also...They crawl up the stairs not quite able to stand and get up themselves steadily yet but they are trying though. We have practiced going down on their bellies but they like to go down on their butts. When I am by myself I prefer to still carry them down together. One is always running off in a different direction and I am still leery with the stairs, they will probably be great at the stairs soon.

 

Someone I know was carrying her 2 down, fell and it broke one of the baby's legs.
I would stop trying to carry both at the same time at this age. . . you feel like you can do it, but it's just not worth the true risk IMO.
I'd practice w/ them on their hands and knees crawling down and up.
Just tell them to use their hands and show them how to crawl up and down, it's the safest way for now.

 

I still carry them down BUT one at a time. I am too scared and they are too heavy to do at the same time. It takes an extra minute for two trips, but is safer.

As for letting them do it solo.... I don't see us even trying anytime soon. We have a gate at the bottom of the stairs and are downstairs all day--- just go up, one at a time me carrying them, for naps and diapers. I know they need to learn at some point, but we'll get there probably closer to 2 years.

 

I forget how old they were when we started practicing going up and down the stairs. As soon as they felt they were ready, we tried it. I had them go down on their tummies first, with their feet leading the way - it's pretty hard to fall that way. My DD started walking down the stairs first, then DS followed.

 

I still carry both of mine down at the same time and feel totally comfortable with it. If I didn't, I wouldn't do it.

Mine climb up the stairs and climb down pretty well now. They've climbed down for about 6 weeks I'd say, and it just consists of the same action of climbing up, but backwards. They do not walk up the stairs, I don't see that happening for quite a while still (Grace doesn't even walk yet). But Lily will step up a shorter step she encounters, not a set of too many, but maybe one or two and they have to be pretty short.

We let them climb up the stairs pretty much every time they go up, unless they are really tired. Their playroom is in the basement, and their bedroom is on the second floor. But I don't let them go up unsupervised - we have the stairs gated off.

 

I forget how old, but they've been going up and down the stairs by themselves (with supervision, but under their own power) for quite some time. Ainsley didn't walk until close to 19 months, but she was going at least up the stairs before she could walk. They first went down the stairs on their bottoms, and still do for fun sometimes. Now they walk by holding on to the wall, but Ainsley is still less sure of herself and wants to hold my hand going down the stairs. Ainsley still crawls up the stairs, but Bea walks up guided by the wall or even not holding on to anything.
I say just go ahead and start practicing. It is so much easier having them go up and down themselves, I can't imagine trying to still carry them.

 

mine have been going up by themselves for ages, although often one still wants to be carried if they are really tired or clingy. they have only being walking down for about a month - mostly because i had gates up before and didn't let them. we taught them to go down backwards a long time ago, but i only let them do that on short flights of stairs - the one leading down from their room is really long and i only ever let them go on their buts or walking on that one.

and, for the record, on occassion i also carry the two of them up or down at once - like pp said, if i didn't feel secure doing it, i wouldn't.

 

I would start ASAP going down stairs. You can never be too safe. The on the belly butt first approach works really well!!

 

I think it very much depends on what kind of staircase you have. At my parents' house the stairs are soft carpet over wood. Our little ones were crawling up and down (supervised of course) when they were 10 months old (before they walked). Coming down was either the reverse of going up or sliding down feet first on their bellies. Around the time they learned to walk, Maia also began walking up and down stairs holding the railings.

On the other hand, at our own house the stairs are hard stone with horrid sharp edges. Whilst the girls are comfortable going up (they do so very carefully), even now they don't like to come down so I carry them. Yes, both at the same time if I am on my own. I am very very careful and fully comfortable carrying them together as I do so fairly regularly (eg from the car to the gymboree or supermarket) as they're not so great at walking in the same direction yet and I'm too lazy to heft the stroller into the car just for a short trip.

At the moment they're still crawling up real stairs, but do like to walk if there's a railing or if we hold both their hands. Tal will also walk alone up and down the 3 or 4 soft stairs made from firm foam at the gymboree. It's pretty nervewracking to watch as she always seems barely balanced.

BTW as soon as they learned to climb the stairs we insisted they learned to come down them safely. We always say "turn around" at the top and, although it took some time with Tal, they both come down stairs very safely now.
lisa

 

At around 13-15 months, we would let ours go up the stairs (crawling - b/c they had just learned to walk ato 13 months) with us behind them so they didn't fall. Now at 2, we still follow them (b/c they like to walk unassisted without holding on and it scares me to death...lol). But, we are just about ready to take down the gate and let them roam free.

 

We have hardwood stairs that are steep and at this point, I feel more comfortable carrying them both. They'll climb up on their own, but I don't feel safe having them practice going down when I'm alone with them.

 

Our stairs are carpeting. We started letting ours crawl up a few months ago, one parent following each kid. Then we taught them to crawl backward on their bellies. Now they crawl or walk up and down holding on to the railing or my hand with close supervision. I'm not sure when I'll feel comfortable letting them go on their own though!

Instead of carrying them both, I used to sit on the top step and hold one straddling each of my knees and "bump" down the stairs on my butt. They love it and still ask to "bump" with mommy or daddy.

 

One of mine was a pro at going up the stairs by 7 months. At that time I was working on him going down on his belly and feet first, that took him until about 14 month to figure out. He was an early crawler and I just helped him, since I know he would do it with or without me. We have 5 stair to the playroom and no way to gate them off. His brother was about 9 months when he could crawl up the stairs.

I let them 'tell' me when they wanted to walk up the stairs.

I would do what is good for you about carring them.

 

Thanks for all the replies-
I do feel comfortable carrying them both up and down- but know I can't do it for long- they are about 22 lbs each. - maybe 23 lbs. I wouldn't do it if I weren't comfortable either... I did take a big fall with my daughter when she was only 2 months so I know it can happen (her and I were both fine- but freaked for sure!) They started walking right at 12 months.
It is a carpeted stairway and there is two turns- so it is pretty easy to follow behind when they climb- and they love to climb up. We pretty much live downstairs and only go up with both for bedtime at night (naps one sleeps down and one sleeps upstairs) I almost always carry both down in the morning by myself as dad is still sleeping or getting ready for work.
I guess I need to have daddy home when we practice going down- I wasn't sure they could try so young...
Lanie

 

Spencer started climbing up the stairs when he was about 7 months old and Carter wasn't far behind. We have 4 stairs that lead from our kitchen to our family room and then a full stair case leading upstairs. One day I had put the boys in the kitchen while I was vacuuming and Spencer just simply walked down the stairs like he had been doing it his whole life. He was 13 months old. Now they are both pros at the stairs and can walk up and down by themselves.
I do carry mine at the same time too if I need to. Even though they can walk that doesn't mean that they want to go upstairs and take a nap or come downstairs and eat. Sometimes I just grab them both and carry them to save from having to chase them all over.

 

once they started walking, I would carry one down stairs, and take the other one and walk them down. holding both hands.

if they are crawling up, then they should be able to practice sliding down in their pjs, esp if you have the onepiece. i also taught them to bump down on their bottoms.

 

I hope I didn't sound condescending to anyone. . . my friend felt totally fine carrying hers as well.
I also did, I carried mine up and down together for a long time because I thought I was fine too. . . . then my friend fell, her babies were even lighter than mine.
I just meant accidents DO happen, that's all.

Sorry!

 

QUOTE(Amanda @ Jul 24 2007, 02:53 PM) [snapback]343027[/snapback]
I hope I didn't sound condescending to anyone. . . my friend felt totally fine carrying hers as well.
I also did, I carried mine up and down together for a long time because I thought I was fine too. . . . then my friend fell, her babies were even lighter than mine.
I just meant accidents DO happen, that's all.

Sorry!


DITTO

I'm so sorry if I was coming off as a "I know better" type thing. Not my intention at ALL. Just being a concerned mommy from one mommy to another.

 

I forgot to mention that I carried mine up and down the stairs at the same time from when they were babies until just a few months ago (I'm pregnant with #3 and they are TOO heavy now- 30+ lbs each) when they started going on their own or "bumping" on my lap. I know it can be dangerous, but it turned out OK, thankfully. I will say that it is so much easier on my back now that they walk on their own, except when DS decides to dawdle...

 

I started at 11 months teaching how to do it right. I would guide their legs down and show them to go on their knees and move hands down then reach with one foot to look for the next step down. Now at 12 months they are already pretty good at it. I do stand underneath them to catch either that might make a mistake. The problem is, I really have to only do it when I want to let them fool around and practice because they go down two, up three, down and up etc. If we are at the bottom of the stairs there is no fooling around they go up like rocket ships. Down is just playtime and I end up having to pick them up to take them down the rest of the way.

 

We have been practicing with my guys since about 11 months also. They still need a lot of help but I am not givine up!

 

I carry both my babies up and down the stairs together without a problem. I think if you are comfortable carrying them up and down then why not. Only problem with my stair case is the fact we cant put a stair gate up by the way it is postioned so now they can climb the stairs thats all they want to do. I havnt started to teach them to climb downstairs yet as i dont think they would be able to do it without falling head first! They have no fear! x