Time seems to be flying quickly as your little one grows from being cuddled up in your arms to gaining independence and exploring the environment on their own. Like with most things, your baby will need your support and love to move around and develop gross motor skills.
Crawling Up Stairs
Around 9 to 12 months old, your baby will most likely move on from the crawling stage, which requires a significant amount of upper body strength and adequate hand-eye coordination. Although every form of movement is a step toward walking, there are plenty of developmental milestones that must happen between crawling and walking – such as crawling upstairs. As your baby develops more muscular strength, they can start using their legs and knees to move up the stairs, step by step.
Climbing steps involve a basic level of depth perception, which comes with the awareness that they must climb upwards if they want to advance toward a higher area. Stair climbing is also an excellent workout for their legs and arms, providing stimulus for further strengthening their extremities.
Baby Stair Climber Timeline
You will likely see your baby crawling up the stairs between 9 to 12 months old. Your little one will also learn how to turn around and descend the stairs downward with some practice. As with most motor skills, there is no absolute deadline by which your baby must achieve this milestone, provided they are progressing toward it by now.
Crawling Down the Stairs
Around 12 and 18 months old, your baby will begin mastering the art of crawling down the stairs, which requires more muscle strength and coordination than you think! Since travelling upwards is easier, babies usually refine climbing up the stairs first.
Crawling down the stairs is a bit more challenging because descending means your baby must rotate their body to see where they’re going as they move backward and down. Your little one may need some time to adjust to the logic of moving feet-first instead of headfirst, so patience goes a long way while encouraging this milestone.
Ensuring Safety
While your baby is still learning to crawl up and down the stairs, they may lack the coordination to avoid climbing the stairs without falling. Ensure that safety gates are installed at the top and bottom of the stairs and keep the steps clear of any obstacles. You should always be present, even if the staircase is small, as the falling risk is quite high.
Mastering the Art
Not too long ago, your baby may have struggled with staircases, especially walking down! Thanks to improved balance, muscle control, and gross motor development, your baby will now conquer the stairs in both directions with ease.
Finally, all that risky stair-climbing practice of previous months pays off, thanks to improved gross motor skills! By 18 to 24 months, babies demonstrate a refined ability to walk up and down the stairs with a sense of ease.
Changing floors is an exciting achievement for most babies, as they like looking down from above to get a new vantage point of their environment. Plus, any increased mobility means increased independence for further exploration!
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