Going Down Stairs

My boys have perfected going up the stairs, but I'm wondering if it isn't time to teach them how to go down. We have gates, but they're getting heavy & I'd like for them to learn to do it themselves for un-babyproofed houses without gates!

I know to teach either on their butt or on their tummy....which way did you prefer & why?

And how did you go about teaching it? Just by demonstration? By assisting them? I'm assuming you start towards the bottom & then work your way up, right? I could just see us starting at the top...all going well...and then the tumble .

Also, what age did you teach your LO's? Are my guys too young (almost 15 mos)? Conner has JUST perfected his walking within the past 2 weeks but Aiden is running & climbing with ease.

Thanks in advance for your tips & tricks & pointers!!!!

 

I started off by teaching them to go down on their tummies. I would grab an ankle and say "foot" (and showed them how to put it down on the stairs) and then grab their hand and say "hand" (and put that down on the stairs), and alternate. It taught them out to "walk" backwards.

Once they perfected up and down by themselves, then I turned them around, had a firm grip on one hand while they held the railing. When they wanted to come down together, I would walk sideways with one of their hands in each of mine. Made for some treacherous walking sometimes, but it worked for us.

 

You know what...this was interesting because when the boys started walking, we held their hands coming up or down the stairs. Now they can go alone, and they crawl it on the way up and they go on their bottoms for the way down. We never taught them that...go figure!

 

I did it a little differently. I taught them to come down as soon as they crawled up (around 8 months). I wanted them to be safe on the steps, and that was what I did. I sat at the bottom of the steps and let them climb up about three steps and physically taught them how to come down. It was a fun game for everyone. After they perfected that, we went to the top and I had to physically show them how to turn around and come down on their tummies. Then, when they learned to walk, they knew they were much faster "crawling" down than walking, and continued. They walked down on occassion, but if in a hurry at all, crawling won out. They do walk down now...and have both just recently decided they don't need a hand or a railing or a wall at all, and make my heart do double beats everytime...but they make it.

 

QUOTE(snoopytwins @ Oct 16 2008, 07:03 AM) [snapback]1028311[/snapback]
Now they can go alone, and they crawl it on the way up and they go on their bottoms for the way down. We never taught them that...go figure!

Ditto - one day I opened the gate with the intention of trying to teach them how to go down the stairs, and they just sat down on their butts and bumped their way down. I don't remember exactly when that was - maybe 17 or 18 months? I didn't ever show them that, but they have perfected it on their own. We still keep the gate up just because I don't want them to be playing and accidently fall - and because there is too much that I don't want them into in the basement! But they have definitely mastered the stairs climbing up and bumping down. They are just now starting to try walking up and down, but they have such short legs that it will be awhile before they can do that well!

 

We tried to teach them on their tummies and they decided they would prefer to go down on their butts. Now they just hold the bars and walk down.

 

I definitely don't think it's too early. We removed our gates at 19 months.

Going down on their tummies always looked safer to me. However, mine did it both ways. Whatever you decide just give them lots of guided practice before removing the gates.

 

Like a PP, I also let them learn as soon as they'd learned to go up so it was well before a year. We started with crawling down backward first, then walking down holding a hand, then walking down holding the spindles. If your kids are walking well, you might consider skipping the crawling bit and just hang on to their hands.

 

Early Intervention had me teach mine at 12 months, so you certainly aren't too early. They learned to go "up" by themselves; to go down I had to teach them to "turn around" and go down on their bellies. DS got it in a day; DD took about 3 weeks - primarily b/c she is stubborn and didn't want to turn around since I asked her too.

 

I just let them go. They started out going backwards and yes, they did tumble a few times but finally got the hang of it. Luckily, they just kind of bounced. They will be okay!

 

I was wondering the same thing. In the last week I have started to "let" them go up. Except for the occasional slip up with the gate, but once their up, they really have no desire to come back down. There's just way too much upstairs for them!!

I have to say though, it makes bedtime a lot easier not trying to carry them both up the stairs!! The minute I take the gate down, no matter where they are, they come running, so excited that they can get up, and race to the top of the stairs. But once they catch on to the fact that they are going to be getting into their cribs, they try to get out of their room!! Too funny. But then they pass out as soon as they are tucked in and kissed....

Shannon