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From: garys@bunker.UUCP (Gary M. Samuelson)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Falling
Message-ID: <793@bunker.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 8-Apr-85 17:00:07 EST
Article-I.D.: bunker.793
Posted: Mon Apr  8 17:00:07 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 10-Apr-85 06:16:16 EST
References: <1171@pyuxa.UUCP>
Organization: Bunker Ramo, Trumbull Ct
Lines: 58

(Daughter falls down stairs, is examined by
doctor, who pronounces her fit, and mother
goes to work.)

> 1)  Was I wrong to leave her?

If the doctor didn't recommend watching for signs
of concussion, I don't see why the rest of the day
shouldn't proceed as any other.

> 2)  I need something to block the stairway,
> since my little one always wants to follow up
> the stairs.

We have a gate that will brace against the wall
on one side and the post at the bottom of the
rail on the other.  (I assume you have a rail,
and that it's held up by at least one solid post.)

Allow me to tell you of our experiences.

Our daughter (Jessica, 28 mos.) learned to climb up
the stairs several weeks before she learned to climb down.
This resulted in her tumbling down the stairs (12 or 13
steps at our house) at least once, no serious damage.
The process was a little nervewracking for her parents,
but she did fine.  My wife would get down on her hands
and knees beside Jessica and show her how to climb down by
crawling backwards.  It seemed to work pretty well.  We
started by putting her on the bottom step and letting her
figure out how to get down, being ready to catch her.  She
rolled off a few times, but wasn't be hurt (the landing is
carpeted, thought the stairs aren't).  After she could get
off one step, we put her on the second.  Getting from the
second step to the first is not as easy, since the target
is smaller, but after that it was easy.

Jessica liked to follow us upstairs also.  Since she could
go up with relative ease, we let her follow.  If we were going
to stay upstairs for a while, it was no problem, since she
would stay up there with us.  If we were just going up for
a moment, say to grab something or put something away, then
we could get back to the stairs before she was all the way
up, and pick her up on the way down.

She doesn't really have any problems going up and down the
stairs.  She seems to have an instinct for knowing when she
can make it, and when she might not (e.g., if she's tired,
she won't climb down the stairs, but will call one of us
for help).

> Barb

Gary Samuelson
ittvax!bunker!garys
> pyuxa!barb

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