Comments | dreadmouse: And now for something completely different

dreadmouse

And now for something completely different

Oct 25, 2006 13:32

My little girl may not be one of the Smurfs, but she certainly isn't large. She may not be two apples tall, but she's only about two rulers tall. So why, at a mere eight months old, is she already climbing stairs? Is she trying to kill her Daddy?

They aren't friendly carpet-covered stairs, either. No, they're hardwood, oak to be precise, and ( Read more... )

Comments 4

pyrephox October 25 2006, 19:30:21 UTC

You are.

Okay, I'm not Dr. Spock, but I'd still say you are. The fear is totally natural, but it's good for children to explore their environments and to learn those gross motor skills, and more importantly, learning to build that confidence and ability to take reasonable risks early. These are vital developmental tasks.

anonymous October 25 2006, 22:16:51 UTC

Of course you should let her explore and learn, that's what parents do, choke on their own hearts. The trick is to create a safe environment for her to do it in. My doctors son fell down the stairs at 10 months and broke his leg. Please don't think you two are super human parents, and are capable of watching her every minute of the day. When you have to be out of the room, put up a gate. That's my perhaps overprotective parenting style, but so far, no broken bones.

Krista

anonymous October 28 2006, 13:19:00 UTC

We have stairs, fortunately carpetted. I think they need to explore and learn what their bodies are capable of, and that includes falling. We use a gate when the kids are playing on their own. But we let them climb away when we are there to supervise. Such good exercise!

--mamacita tina

anonymous October 31 2006, 19:54:04 UTC

I tried to be careful around stairs when my child just started walking but it's only so much you can do. You're right on target with your thinking about finding a good combination between letting go but also being protective. I've long ago realized that letting go is the most difficult thing. I don't want my kids to fall but they also have to learn about life and making mistakes. I often force myself to take a step back to let my son figure things out by himself. It's tougher than it sounds......

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