How to teach 9mo going down stairs backward & baby proofing tile floor

[Ethan's Mom]

Hi, I wonder how to teach DS - 9mo going down stairs / bed backward ? I put lots of big pillow next to our bed, but he still not yet learning going down backward and prefer to jump and fall down  . I also would like to encourage DS to explore more. I try my best to "baby proof" our family room, the thing is we have a tile floor that makes me worry that when he try to stand up on a table / box he would get bump to the floor tile. During the afternoon I also have things to do around the household and I'd like to leave him on our family room, but the tile floor makes me worry. We have carpet and mat, but still there are some tile floor space. Anyone has the same experience ? What things to concern when we leave LO freely exploring the house ?

[Mashi]

With going down the stairs and off the bed, it was at about this age that I started thinking of it as well. However, it's not until very recently - like the past week or so - that DS has started to understand that it's the best and easiest way to do it. He's 13.5 months now. I would say just keep working on it and be patient with him as he will slowly learn how.  I would also stop him every time he tries to jump off and help him get down safely, just as a way of teaching him it's not the right way. I wouldn't expect him to understand that for a long time, but if you are persistent with keeping at showing him then he will one day start to understand.

I didn't really leave LO alone very often at that age to play on his own, mainly he was clingy and didn't want me out of his sight. But, when I did, I made sure there were no electricals - cords, plugs, etc) in sight, no tables with sharp edges and so on. One thing he liked was if I blocked him in a circle with all of his toys and a chair on one side - he could use the chair to pull himself up on, but each direction he went into he found a new toy. 

But, I found he was happiest if I took him around with me - he liked to help fold laundry, put the plastic dishes in the cupboard and so on. I also kept secret toys out that he ONLY got when I was cooking and needed him to be entertained.  He would be excited to see them because they weren't his regular toys - and that still works at this age!

We have ceramic tile floors in our kitchen now and I worried a lot about DS falling but he's been pretty good - doesn't seem to hurt him any more than the carpet    

HTH?

[Tansy]

We taught our DS how to get down backwards around one yr old which was the same time he learnt how to climb up onto the couch by himself. Like pp said, just show them how to do it and use a key phrase each time. We use 'backwards' and Wes knows to turn his legs around and hold on until his feet hit the ground.
Obviously you still have to watch them as they can have many tumbles as their spacial awareness is not yet fully developed. For example, sometimes DS attempts to go down backwards when he is too close to edge and has rolled off, other times he has tried to go down backwards off his change table - obviously i was there, but he was determined he could do it by himself and they don't realise how long the drop is!

About the tiles, we don't have tiles but i think you just have to watch them carefully, but also let them experiment. You are always going to get some amount of falls and tumbles and they learn pretty quickly to put their hands out or hold their head up when their body lands so their head doesn't touch the ground (thats what i've seen DS do anyway - makes me proud )

HTH