Crawling Up/Down Stairs--What Age, And Am I Weird?

[SilverSabre25]

I don't know why I even care 'cause this dcg is leaving in a week and half, but whatever...

She's 16 months old. Been walking since 13 months. Walks pretty well. Can go up the stairs (but cries the whole time) and won't even attempt to go down them usually. Even the one short step from the front door to the porch (just a couple inches) and the one short step from the porch to the sidewalk (4 inches maybe) have her standing there crying her little eyes out. If I walk away and leave her on the porch to figure it out herself, she just stands there and cries...and doesn't give up. I have tried and tried to show her how to crawl down backwards, and even had my DD crawl down to demonstrate, but she won't even try.

I have another daycare boy who is 14 months, just barely walking, and he can sort of manage to go up, but again, not a prayer on the down...do parents really not give their kids access to these things and let them figure it out?! When do they expect the kids to learn how to walk/crawl down the stairs? Am I really so bizarre for expecting a child who's been mobile for awhile to be able to handle stairs, with supervision?

My DD had stairs figured out at about 8 months (she crawled at about 7 months). I was always perfectly happy to let her explore them, with me right there supervising, and her grin at figuring out how to climb them was priceless! ('cause I'm bored tonight, here she is the day she figured out how to get up one step to the laundry sitting there: Link and here she is a few days later, having figured out how to get up several stairs at once: Link 2)

[kendallina]

I have a couple of parents who don't have any stairs in their house at all. Not even a stair up to their door or anything. And I've been to their houses, so I know. I wonder if that's the case? I had an almost-3 year old start with me this year who the parents were scared to death about her being on my stairs because she had no experience with them and she would just randomly wander near them without realizing that they were stairs (her parents are WAY over-protective and have literally always caught her when she falls...) .

Sorry, I guess I don't really have any advice, just wanted to swap stories . Have you tried picking her up and putting her in a backwards-on knees position near the step? I wonder if she did it herself once if she'd realize there is nothing to be afraid of.

Also, some children are just extra cautious with these things. My daughter is one of those children. She (2-yrs-old) has to be able to stop and really concentrate when it comes to physical things like that and is just really scared of things like that. And I really don't think we did anything to cause it. She does have a physical disability, though, so not exactly the same as your little one.

I think I was no help at all, but it's all I got ::.

[E Daycare]

My son is 17 months and as soon as he started crawling at 7 months we had to put a gate up at our stairs so he wouldnt go on his own but we let him try EVERY SINGLE time we had to up to his room for a changing. When he started walking at 11 months thats when we would hold his hand to "walk" up and down them. Now we still need the gate up (for my dck) and to also keep him from using them as his own playground. So I guess a lot is left up to the parents. I also have him in weekly tumbling so he can learn all the other aspects of climbing the right way. I know he needs to have a outlet now that its winter. Maybe come summer when the kids are out more and climbing on everything outside they will get the hang of it?

[SilverSabre25]

Hey, no problem swapping stories, that's part of the fun! ...I'm glad I'm not entirely weird on the letting the 7 month old figure out the stairs safely.

Sorry, I guess I don't really have any advice, just wanted to swap stories . Have you tried picking her up and putting her in a backwards-on knees position near the step? I wonder if she did it herself once if she'd realize there is nothing to be afraid of.

I have done this...she just cries. I still help her move over the edge and show her that it's safe, but she freaks out and refuses to try.

I know he needs to have a outlet now that its winter. Maybe come summer when the kids are out more and climbing on everything outside they will get the hang of it?

She's been here for a few months, and even when we would go outside to play (and were just out yesterday in fact) she does nothing...doesn't try to climb the climbers or the slide, doesn't draw with chalk (seems afraid to get on the ground), doesn't even step off the porch herself. We also have a climber inside in the playroom (just a Little Tikes Castle Slide) and she never even looks at it. She doesn't even climb into kid-sized chairs on her own.

She's only here for another 1.5 weeks (and I'm glad...her dad is creepy and doesn't trust me. He keeps having dcm give me messages like "remember to give her water and fruit" and "it's okay if she takes a short nap today; you don't have to force her to nap the whole time") and then her deadbeat uncle will watch her (he's been "begging" the parents for the "job" of watching her so that he can pay his rent...on what they were paying me? Yeah frickin' right...).

[QualiTcare]

her deadbeat uncle will watch her (he's been "begging" the parents for the "job" of watching her so that he can pay his rent...on what they were paying me? Yeah frickin' right...).

i have a feeling that won't last long. and - i'd be creeped out if my baby daughter's uncle was dying to watch her on a regular basis for ANY reason - even if it was MY brother...but that's just me.