You could paint just the risers white so you still have the durability of the wood surface on the step. You could paint the spindles and leave the banister for an updated look like this.

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Thanks for the comment, I do really like that look but I have little ones and worry about them slipping on the wood...and I'm not crazy about having a runner with the white risers and wood steps, don't really like that look

Just use the runner till the kids get bigger. I think W Brown's pic would look great, especially if you stained the wood to match your floors.