After a child has been walking for a month or so, she'll probably start climbing on chairs, beds, couches, counters, and anything else she can reach. She climbs because she has a strong urge to touch and explore things around her. When she sees her parents doing seemingly magical things like talking on the phone, washing dishes, turning on the lights, or opening doors, she wants to get closer and imitate them. And in order to do that-to reach the phone or the desktop-she has to climb.



The climbing stage can be difficult for parents because they have to keep their child safe, and that can mean almost constant supervision. If they leave her alone for even a few moments, they may hear the sound of a chair scraping along as she prepares for her next climb. They often stop her from climbing because they fear for her safety, or because furniture might be damaged, or simply because they don't want her to climb just then. But her urge to climb is strong and she may get angry and frustrated when she's held back. Then her parents will either have to deal with her behavior or try to distract her.

A child who climbs during the day may climb out of her crib at night or at naptime, either to be with her parents or to explore the room. Parents often are surprised the first time this happens. One mother put her child in the crib for a nap, then went to take a shower. As she was lathering her hair, she heard a noise in the bathroom and looked out to see her daughter standing there.

It's almost impossible to force your child to stay in her crib, but you can take precautions to make her climbing safer. If she is consistently climbing out of her crib, clear the nearby area and be sure there are no toys or pieces of furniture for her to trip or fall on. Close the stairway gates whenever she's in her crib, and use a night light in the hail so she can see if she climbs out during the night. If you feel she's ready, you might want to put the crib away and have her sleep in a bed.

To keep her safe and satisfied during the day, try at times to make climbing easy for her. You might give her a small stepstool to carry around or get a small piece of indoor climbing equipment, such as a slide, for her to play on safely. You also can place a chair near a window so she can look out, take cushions off your couch so she can climb on them, or even put a mattress on the floor so she can climb, jump, and explore in safety.

A great place to encourage your child to climb is in a facility that is equipped with a children's. This facility could be a fast food restaurant, church etc When you visit one of these facilities, let your child go to the children's play area. Typically, in this area a child can climb and crawl with reasonable safety.