Stair safety for your children.

A lot of stair accidents involve young children. In total there are about 25000 stair accidents per year in the Netherlands alone.

Falling down from the stairs often causes big injuries such as broken bones or a concussion. Most of the time it are young children between 1-2 years old that have the biggest risk of falling down. This because they are unexperienced and do not see any danger in the stairs or going up and down. A lot of accidents can be prevented by creating a safe stairs situation. It is very important to have a good antislip coating on the stair treads, to make them less slippery. Also a good idea is to get a stairgate at the top of the stairs for extra security. 

A recent research has shown that 20% of the households doesn't have a safe enough stairs. You have to think of missing handrailings, no carpet on the stairs for not enough antislip effect, or a railing at the top and the bottom of the stairs to prevent children from climbing on the stairs.

Of course, a young child needs to learn how to walk up and down the stairs, but it might be more wisely to do this while the parents is attening. It is also very important to show your child where exaclty on the stairs he or she needs to walk.  The wallside is the best spot because the treads are the most deep there and there is more space to place your feet. 

If you are going to learn your child how to use the stairs it is important that you stand behind your child, to make sure you can always catch him or her and give them a safe feeling while going down and also right away show how to use the handrail.

These days there are special children handrails for sale that you can use besides from your traditional handrailing. If you have a traditional old robe railing we advice you to get rid of that one and get a proper wooden round handrailing instead. Choose a handrail that has the same curve as the stringer of your stairs so it is even more easier to walk up and down. Also make sure the railing has the proper height and that the railing is not bigger than 40mm in diameter. This way using the stairs will be way more safe for your child. 

Did you just painted your stair treads and are they a little bit slippery? Create more safety with an antislip rubber strip. This product is available in two different models, one to place inside the stair treads and one to stick on top of the treads. If your stair treads do not have a rut yet it might be easier to choose the one that is self adhesive. It is very easy to apply this strip on your stair treads by yourself. You can cut the strip in the exact right size and make your stairs safe as never before. Because this is strip has a perfect width it creates even more safety and grip for your feet.

Do you have carpet stair mats on your treads already? Make sure they are properly glued to the treads or, if they do not stick enough anymore, replace them for new ones. There are also special rubber mats for sale that will give even more safety and grip then the carpet ones. Something you might want to consider in case you need to replace them anyway.