How to Keep Children Safe on Stairs

For years my family lived in a fifteen hundred square foot one story home. There were no stairs that went upstairs or downstairs because it was all one level. Recently we moved to a much larger home. Our new home is almost four thousand square feet and has three stories. This means that there are two full sets of stairs. At first I was terrified that one of the little ones was going to fall down them. Having five kids and two flights of stairs seemed like an accident waiting to happen...and it might have very well been. However, I am one of those people that believes in prevention. After three months of living in our new home we have not had a single staircase accident. Here's why...

When you see an accident waiting to happen what can you do? Prevent it. That's the only thing you can do. Otherwise the accident will surely happen. If your homes has one or more flights of stairs there are things you can do to ensure that there will not being a child falling down the stairs, on the stairs, or off the stairs. The first thing to do is to consider the possibility of these accidents occurring.

If you don't see an accident coming then how can you prevent it? You can't. If you look for potential dangers you can eliminate them. Stairs though cannot be eliminated. Staircases are a permanent part of your home. However, they can be upgraded to be more safe.

Many stairs are wooden and slippery. A child who is going up or down them can have a fall when their foot slips. The way to fix this problem is to do one of two things. First you can carpet the stairs. Carpet provides a nonskid surface. You will not have to worry about your child's foot slipping on carpeted stairs. Next, you can apply no slip stickers or mats. Slippery stairs are just not kid friendly. These two ideas prevent slipping accidents.

It's not only slipping that is a worry when it comes to staircases though. Falling off of the stair from the top of the stair case can result in broken bones. Making sure that your stair cases have railings is one way to prevent this from happening. Another way to prevent this is to add a wall on the open side of the staircase. If there is no place for a child to fall off of the staircase then they will not fall off of it.

Teaching children stair rules is another great way to prevent accidents. Make it clear to your children that running up or down the stairs is just not safe. Many accidents occur when kids are running too fast and trip or miss a step. If your child does not run up or down the stairs they will not have an accident on them because they were. It is a good idea to also let your kids know that the stair case is not a play area. There should be no goofing around on the stairs. This means no one accidentally gets pushed down them or what have you.

When you catch your child breaking one of the stair case rules make sure to let them know about it. Give them a time out, a lecture, or whatever to let them know that it is very important to follow the rules that are meant to keep them safe. Kids need to take the rules seriously. When you kids follow the staircase rules they will be much less likely to have an accident on the stairs.

Staircases are beautiful. They lead you from one level to the next. I have always wanted staircases. Mo I have two sets. Kids are staircases can be mixed. Accidents can be prevented. Make sure your stairs are not slippery, that they have strong railings on the open sides, and that your children know not to run or play on them. Thanks for reading and take care!