WHY STAIRCASES SHOULD BE KID-FRIENDLY

21 October 2016

Stairs or Staircases are attractive, functional features that allow you to traverse from one level of house to another. A wide assortment of styles, shapes and designs are possible in these elements, but certain ones are suitable for children while other ones are hazardous for them. If you are raising kids, you should ensure that your stairs do not pose any risk of injury to them. By doing so, you will not need to watch them constantly as they travel from one floor to the next.

Reasons That Staircases Can Be Dangerous for Children

Staircases can pose danger to kids for a variety of reasons. At times, the risers are slick to where it is easy for your children to slip and fall down since they lose their footing. Other times, the sides of the staircases are open to where kids can fall off the edge, as with floating models. This can lead to severe injuries, depending upon the height of the staircase. Stairs also are hazardous to toddlers before they learn the appropriate manner to step up and down the risers.

How to Ensure That a Staircase Is Safe and Kid-Friendly

Even though staircases pose certain dangers to children, you can prevent issues by taking the following precautions:

1. When you place child-safety gates at the top and bottom of the staircases, you will prevent a crawling baby or walking toddler from traversing up or down the stairs without your assistance.

2. Non-slip treads on risers are ideal for preventing kids from losing their footing while climbing up or down staircases. These come in a wide range assortment of colours and styles to ensure that they look attractive while performing their important function. In addition, these treads allow part of the wood risers to show through since they do not cover the entire area.

3. Carpeting and padding provide a cushion to fall against when accidents happen on the stairs. Not all homeowners wish the upkeep that carpet requires, though, especially on staircases.

4. Balustrades that contain railings, posts and bars on the sides of the staircase, keep children from falling long distances. Depending on whether or not the staircase attaches to a wall, you may only need the railings and posts or bars on one side instead of two. The bars need to be close enough together to prevent children from wiggling through them to fall off the edge.

5. Glass balustrades are another choice to keep the sides of the staircases safe for children. With these, professionals install sheets of durable glass along the sides of the stairs in addition to the railings and other hardware.

Consult with our experts here at Planet Stairs to learn further facts about how we can install kid-friendly staircases in your home. We build the staircases with high-quality materials that you select from our wide assortment of choices.

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