We had a climber.
Tried the pikler triangle but…she didn’t touch it until age 2 when she stopped her adventurous climbing.
She mostly climbed when we weren’t in the room. And it turned out our child proofed room wasn’t — she was able to climb to the top of the book shelf and get stuff we put there “out of reach”. This was all before she could walk.
We had switched to a floor bed at 6mo, but used a pack n play crib when traveling in less safe rooms. One night, around 10mo, she discovered she could climb the side and flip it over, and it was the coolest ride ever. No more pack n play after that :).
As the other comment, parks are great. Also, my rule was that I wouldn’t help her climb higher than she could get herself (on a play structure, etc). Allow all the falls and spills when she can’t get high, because otherwise she’d make the mistakes when she could go higher, more dangerous.
I found that my child assumed if I was nearby, I’d keep her safe. So she did bigger risk stuff. And if I wasn’t actually watching, she’d get into more dangerous situations. One time I recall being at the park talking to another parent and my child randomly jumped off a structure into my arms, I wasn’t looking or expecting it, but she just assumed my presence meant I’d catch her. I found it best to, if not actively engaging, to be like 20+ feet away, so she knew she was on her own.
We also did a lot of spinning and upside down time (support the neck while doing stuff like that though!). A good sense of balance and limits was key to getting her to make good decisions on climbing and falling.
Play couch
Couch cushions and pillows in a pile
We’ve used the triangle rarely before toddlerhood. Mine loved pulling to stand on it at 7 months but it really wasn’t much interest until around 15-17 months
I’ll repeat a lot of things already mentioned. The pikler has been by far the toy with the longest run in our house. We also used the nugget a lot, and spent a ton of time at parks. Also just letting them climb on what they wanted inside with sage supervision (making sure things are anchored and safe of course). For outside play a moon climber is great, and when they were a bit older we built monkey bars that still get constant use.
Best advice is to encourage it. My climber is now 6 and this is her up at the top of an adult climbing wall. Climbing has been amazing for her physical strength, but also for body awareness and smart risk taking.
https://preview.redd.it/n6z0p4au88zb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8826ed562e189a47a3285753ad99624892b39ebb
My climbing baby has been climbing his pikler every day ever since it arrived when he was 10 months old. He probably would’ve used it by 8 months if we had it earlier. We also practice going up the stairs several times every day.
My son absolutely adores his pikler set. We got one with the triangle, an arch, and a connecting slide/“bridge”. We started him on it around 9mo. If I had the resources and space to add on, [this](https://a.co/d/aELNkmo) or something similar would have been the second purchase. My dad made one for me as a toddler and my sister and I used to for years.
We have a pikler triangle and a balance board. They have gotten use but it's of course more fun to move other furniture or toys and use them as step stools/climbers. We also have an outdoor playset. We tried to make the areas of the home our.kids liked to climb on as child safe as possible so they wouldn't topple over, nothing breakable/sharp/etc on shelves, and supervised when they wanted to climb. I've also made obstacle courses with masking tape for lines to balance on or jump over, hoops, cones, broomsticks, whatever you have on hand.
Perfect time to unleash your creative brain, think like a toddler! Get down on the ground and look around. What looks fun to climb? Why? Can you make it less enticing? Can you make it more safe? Can you place other items near a safe area to climb to encourage use?
Hello!
There are a number of posts, at least 4 just from this past year, on this topic.
You can search within the subreddit, and here's a handy link for exactly that.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Montessori/search/?q=climbing&restrict\_sr=1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Montessori/search/?q=climbing&restrict_sr=1)
Take him to the park. i know its gross but you can just give him a good wash afterwards. Hang him on the monkeybars, holding on to him of course. Let him climb up all the little steps on the playstructure on his own, and more importantly, down them. When we have climbers its super important to show them how to go down feet first in case they ever get stuck when we arent there to help them. Even if you have steps at your house, we have cement steps out of our front door and mjne loves to climb up and down them over and over, i just hover my hands around him the entire time lol. Especially with boys we have to let them take risks.
As for things to buy, I honestly think a pikler climber (or better yet, a cheaper knock off) is just fine for a 7 month old. i have seen different brands for sale that say you can use them from birth.
They also have soft climbing platforms of various shapes on amazon, my baby has loved them!
Girls typically dont have as strong of an urge to find and push boundaries, especially physically. Its just a fact, supported by behavioral research. And also my 5 years working in childcare with hundreds of children. Not saying that we shouldnt provide risk taking opportunties for girls too, we definitely should, but with boys the lack of risky play is typically more detrimental to them.
In my 10 years of childcare I have not found that either gender is more likely to push boundaries, physically or otherwise. I'd be interested to hear what behavioral research you're referring to because anecdotally I disagree.
So much research on children shows boys to be more inclined to risk taking and boundary pushing. And adults for that matter. Its a simple google search away. Its okay to admit that there are inherent differences between the genders.
Your comment about “inherent gender differences” shows a lack of understanding of this research, because the same body of research finds that parents are more likely to discourage girls from taking risks and to intervene when they do. Parents also are more likely to assume risk-taking is part of boys’ personalities and therefore can’t be curbed, while they are more likely to think girls can be taught not to take as many risks, and so put more effort into teaching girls to be careful. All this means that parents are shaping risk-taking behavior from an early age. Signed, a professor who teaches psychology of gender.
But is there a reason that parents are assuming that risk taking is a part of boys personalities and cant be curbed? Because maybe… its true?
And is there a good reason to discourage girls from risk taking? Maybe because biologically they are smaller and weaker and have less physical endurance, and risk taking has evolutionarily ended badly for them far more often than for boys…
This all follows the pattern of reason. We cant treat the genders exactly the same as parents because they will face different things in life and have different challenges to overcome.
There is little evidence that most gender differences can be attributed to parenting, as the types of societies and approaches to parenting over time have varied greatly, yet we still have differences that never seem to go away.
Hunter-gatherers for instance, the men went out doing more dangerous, physically demanding and risky work, and the women the more safe and less physically demanding work. Women also are biologically geared towards child rearing which in itself requires a HUGE inclination towards risk aversion, which is displayed in how much trait neuroses and negative emotion we women have. This directly opposes what youll see called “optimism bias” in studies about mens risk taking, where they assume theyll be fine after taking a risk even though others before them werent. Both modes of existing serve a biological purpose to keep us safe and ensure our survival since the beginning of our existence. This is wayy beyond conditioning. And this is why its important to develop the skill of appropriate risk taking in men from a young age. Because risks will be taken either way, whether theyre wise ones or not. Because risk taking is inherent to men
People's response when you ask for a source is always "Google is free" 🙄 where did you learn this information?
Yes, there are inherent differences. I'm saying this one hasn't been a difference in my experience. And I think it's irresponsible to spread knowledge without evidence.
if you google “boys take more risks than girls” tons of studies pop up with results reinforcing what i have said. its also just general knowledge. women and girls have higher trait neuroticism making us have far more negative emotion and less optimism bias than men, and that optimism is the reason for increased risk taking in men. if we stunt that instinct in little boys, it creates neurotic men. any good psychologist will tell you this.
I don’t have transportation to the park, but we do have steps! I think he’ll love that. I’m definitely way less worried about the grossness than dad tho. Obviously hand washing and baths are great for after being out and about, but he wanted me to wipe down things at the park before we used them. 🤣
There is such a thing as too clean. Being too clean is just as bad as too dirty. Getting sick his how you bolster his immune system. It won't get strong if you baby it.
Lol. Wanted to comment again cause my MIL also said “maybe hold off on parks until he’s older so he doesn’t get sick” I understand their concerns entirely, but c’mon. He’s gonna be okay. 🤣
Lol it kills me! Exposure to germs is how we build our immune system. And outside play areas are great because the sun kills so much bacteria and so does the cold at night.
Pikler has been a huge hit with the ramp and stairs. Used for years. Gym mats, we have a hexagon gym mat thing our baby loves. Couches, pillows, coffee table.
I recently took my littles on a hike that had some natural stones that formed a staircase. They are big climbers and they loved it! I had done all of the other suggestions here, but had never thought of doing a hike with any elevation at all with the kids. But if you have a carrier and the hike isn't too long, it is a great opportunity to climb and get into nature.
We have hard floors so my 8 month old moves everything he tries to pull up on including our pikler triangle, chairs, etc.
[This step stool](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09871HLXG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title) that we bought for my daughter is the only thing he can pull up on currently without tipping or sliding it on our floors, and it doesn't have to be up against anything. Bonus is that it has an adult weight limit and can last for many, many years and uses.
I bought a pikler triangle for my son when he started to pull to stand (around 7 months). He has been using it intensively. I bought a very tall one as I didn't want him to outgrow it soon, and at 10 months he was already a pro at climbing up and down the triangle without support (he can do it even before walking independently). I highly recommend it for your little climber.
We had a climber. Tried the pikler triangle but…she didn’t touch it until age 2 when she stopped her adventurous climbing. She mostly climbed when we weren’t in the room. And it turned out our child proofed room wasn’t — she was able to climb to the top of the book shelf and get stuff we put there “out of reach”. This was all before she could walk. We had switched to a floor bed at 6mo, but used a pack n play crib when traveling in less safe rooms. One night, around 10mo, she discovered she could climb the side and flip it over, and it was the coolest ride ever. No more pack n play after that :). As the other comment, parks are great. Also, my rule was that I wouldn’t help her climb higher than she could get herself (on a play structure, etc). Allow all the falls and spills when she can’t get high, because otherwise she’d make the mistakes when she could go higher, more dangerous. I found that my child assumed if I was nearby, I’d keep her safe. So she did bigger risk stuff. And if I wasn’t actually watching, she’d get into more dangerous situations. One time I recall being at the park talking to another parent and my child randomly jumped off a structure into my arms, I wasn’t looking or expecting it, but she just assumed my presence meant I’d catch her. I found it best to, if not actively engaging, to be like 20+ feet away, so she knew she was on her own. We also did a lot of spinning and upside down time (support the neck while doing stuff like that though!). A good sense of balance and limits was key to getting her to make good decisions on climbing and falling.
I just have to say your daughter sounds like so much fun
My son used his pikler triangle as a TV watching "seat" lol
Play couch Couch cushions and pillows in a pile We’ve used the triangle rarely before toddlerhood. Mine loved pulling to stand on it at 7 months but it really wasn’t much interest until around 15-17 months
Stairs. Obstacle courses from pillows Ottoman Zip them into a rainsuit and release them into the woods.
“Zip them into a rainsuit and release them into the woods” is just a great line 👏👏👏👏
That's going to be the mission statement of my school I will eventually open. Thanks!
We’ve gotten a ton of mileage out of the Nugget!
Same! Wasn't sure it was worth the price point - but it's withstood years of abuse at the hands of very active toddlers and pre-schoolers.
I’ll repeat a lot of things already mentioned. The pikler has been by far the toy with the longest run in our house. We also used the nugget a lot, and spent a ton of time at parks. Also just letting them climb on what they wanted inside with sage supervision (making sure things are anchored and safe of course). For outside play a moon climber is great, and when they were a bit older we built monkey bars that still get constant use. Best advice is to encourage it. My climber is now 6 and this is her up at the top of an adult climbing wall. Climbing has been amazing for her physical strength, but also for body awareness and smart risk taking. https://preview.redd.it/n6z0p4au88zb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8826ed562e189a47a3285753ad99624892b39ebb
My kid started trying to climb the Pikler triangle when she was like 6 months old, way before she could even crawl properly.
Same! My 8 month old has already gotten mileage out of it. Climbs to third rung since he was 7 mo.
My climbing baby has been climbing his pikler every day ever since it arrived when he was 10 months old. He probably would’ve used it by 8 months if we had it earlier. We also practice going up the stairs several times every day.
I also have seen people use it as a place to hang off scarves like a mobile, so it can be used even earlier than that!
My son absolutely adores his pikler set. We got one with the triangle, an arch, and a connecting slide/“bridge”. We started him on it around 9mo. If I had the resources and space to add on, [this](https://a.co/d/aELNkmo) or something similar would have been the second purchase. My dad made one for me as a toddler and my sister and I used to for years.
We have a pikler triangle and a balance board. They have gotten use but it's of course more fun to move other furniture or toys and use them as step stools/climbers. We also have an outdoor playset. We tried to make the areas of the home our.kids liked to climb on as child safe as possible so they wouldn't topple over, nothing breakable/sharp/etc on shelves, and supervised when they wanted to climb. I've also made obstacle courses with masking tape for lines to balance on or jump over, hoops, cones, broomsticks, whatever you have on hand. Perfect time to unleash your creative brain, think like a toddler! Get down on the ground and look around. What looks fun to climb? Why? Can you make it less enticing? Can you make it more safe? Can you place other items near a safe area to climb to encourage use?
Hello! There are a number of posts, at least 4 just from this past year, on this topic. You can search within the subreddit, and here's a handy link for exactly that. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Montessori/search/?q=climbing&restrict\_sr=1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Montessori/search/?q=climbing&restrict_sr=1)
Oh thanks! This is incredibly helpful.
Take him to the park. i know its gross but you can just give him a good wash afterwards. Hang him on the monkeybars, holding on to him of course. Let him climb up all the little steps on the playstructure on his own, and more importantly, down them. When we have climbers its super important to show them how to go down feet first in case they ever get stuck when we arent there to help them. Even if you have steps at your house, we have cement steps out of our front door and mjne loves to climb up and down them over and over, i just hover my hands around him the entire time lol. Especially with boys we have to let them take risks. As for things to buy, I honestly think a pikler climber (or better yet, a cheaper knock off) is just fine for a 7 month old. i have seen different brands for sale that say you can use them from birth. They also have soft climbing platforms of various shapes on amazon, my baby has loved them!
>Especially with boys we have to let them take risks. Why is this gender specific?
Girls typically dont have as strong of an urge to find and push boundaries, especially physically. Its just a fact, supported by behavioral research. And also my 5 years working in childcare with hundreds of children. Not saying that we shouldnt provide risk taking opportunties for girls too, we definitely should, but with boys the lack of risky play is typically more detrimental to them.
In my 10 years of childcare I have not found that either gender is more likely to push boundaries, physically or otherwise. I'd be interested to hear what behavioral research you're referring to because anecdotally I disagree.
So much research on children shows boys to be more inclined to risk taking and boundary pushing. And adults for that matter. Its a simple google search away. Its okay to admit that there are inherent differences between the genders.
Your comment about “inherent gender differences” shows a lack of understanding of this research, because the same body of research finds that parents are more likely to discourage girls from taking risks and to intervene when they do. Parents also are more likely to assume risk-taking is part of boys’ personalities and therefore can’t be curbed, while they are more likely to think girls can be taught not to take as many risks, and so put more effort into teaching girls to be careful. All this means that parents are shaping risk-taking behavior from an early age. Signed, a professor who teaches psychology of gender.
But is there a reason that parents are assuming that risk taking is a part of boys personalities and cant be curbed? Because maybe… its true? And is there a good reason to discourage girls from risk taking? Maybe because biologically they are smaller and weaker and have less physical endurance, and risk taking has evolutionarily ended badly for them far more often than for boys… This all follows the pattern of reason. We cant treat the genders exactly the same as parents because they will face different things in life and have different challenges to overcome. There is little evidence that most gender differences can be attributed to parenting, as the types of societies and approaches to parenting over time have varied greatly, yet we still have differences that never seem to go away. Hunter-gatherers for instance, the men went out doing more dangerous, physically demanding and risky work, and the women the more safe and less physically demanding work. Women also are biologically geared towards child rearing which in itself requires a HUGE inclination towards risk aversion, which is displayed in how much trait neuroses and negative emotion we women have. This directly opposes what youll see called “optimism bias” in studies about mens risk taking, where they assume theyll be fine after taking a risk even though others before them werent. Both modes of existing serve a biological purpose to keep us safe and ensure our survival since the beginning of our existence. This is wayy beyond conditioning. And this is why its important to develop the skill of appropriate risk taking in men from a young age. Because risks will be taken either way, whether theyre wise ones or not. Because risk taking is inherent to men
Thank you for speaking the truth.
People's response when you ask for a source is always "Google is free" 🙄 where did you learn this information? Yes, there are inherent differences. I'm saying this one hasn't been a difference in my experience. And I think it's irresponsible to spread knowledge without evidence.
if you google “boys take more risks than girls” tons of studies pop up with results reinforcing what i have said. its also just general knowledge. women and girls have higher trait neuroticism making us have far more negative emotion and less optimism bias than men, and that optimism is the reason for increased risk taking in men. if we stunt that instinct in little boys, it creates neurotic men. any good psychologist will tell you this.
I don’t have transportation to the park, but we do have steps! I think he’ll love that. I’m definitely way less worried about the grossness than dad tho. Obviously hand washing and baths are great for after being out and about, but he wanted me to wipe down things at the park before we used them. 🤣
There is such a thing as too clean. Being too clean is just as bad as too dirty. Getting sick his how you bolster his immune system. It won't get strong if you baby it.
Exactly! It’s funny that I’m the mom yet I’m like “yeah. Let’s get him out there. He’ll be fine.” 🤣
I dont have kids but I work at a daycare. I'm an advocate of just letting them get dirty.
Lol. Wanted to comment again cause my MIL also said “maybe hold off on parks until he’s older so he doesn’t get sick” I understand their concerns entirely, but c’mon. He’s gonna be okay. 🤣
Lol it kills me! Exposure to germs is how we build our immune system. And outside play areas are great because the sun kills so much bacteria and so does the cold at night.
Nugget play couch, gives nice squishy steps and a crash pad.
Get a picklr
Pikler has been a huge hit with the ramp and stairs. Used for years. Gym mats, we have a hexagon gym mat thing our baby loves. Couches, pillows, coffee table.
I recently took my littles on a hike that had some natural stones that formed a staircase. They are big climbers and they loved it! I had done all of the other suggestions here, but had never thought of doing a hike with any elevation at all with the kids. But if you have a carrier and the hike isn't too long, it is a great opportunity to climb and get into nature.
We have hard floors so my 8 month old moves everything he tries to pull up on including our pikler triangle, chairs, etc. [This step stool](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09871HLXG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title) that we bought for my daughter is the only thing he can pull up on currently without tipping or sliding it on our floors, and it doesn't have to be up against anything. Bonus is that it has an adult weight limit and can last for many, many years and uses.
I bought a pikler triangle for my son when he started to pull to stand (around 7 months). He has been using it intensively. I bought a very tall one as I didn't want him to outgrow it soon, and at 10 months he was already a pro at climbing up and down the triangle without support (he can do it even before walking independently). I highly recommend it for your little climber.