A watchful eye too.

Both those suggestions are good unless you want to rip them out and start over. Good luck.

the only way to make floating stairs safe is to enclose them, plexiglass is the most attractive version i have seen.

Looks like there might be enough overlap to install risers. I am not a fan of riserless stairs either.

If you are looking for a cheap temporary alternative maybe a long, flexible, pliable type piece of carpet, that could be folded into each step of the stair on the staircase, and then either tacked, nailed or stapled in place.

A simple and perhaps temporary safety improvement would be to buy commercial fish net and tack it on the underside of the stairway. It can be removed as the babys grow up. That kind of net is very strong.

I like nancy's idea and also up the banisters - little hands and paws can slip out or get caught
I have seen that done quite effectively

She could put boards under the stairs, with a little curb for the edges, depending on the money she spends, this could be elegant or not. She should do something pretty permanent, because if she has more than one kid, pushing and shoving on the stairs will be a risk long after they've outgrown baby gates.

You can close the risers and avoid any accidents once children and involved safety comes first. prevention is better than cure..

I have similar stairs. I really like the netting. It looks beautiful and is a safe option as well as a cost effective one. Good Luck!

Baby gates are fine but don't teach them to go up and down stairs safely. Once they hit 2.5yrs we worked with our kids to learn to navigate stairs. The randomness of kids define stair and railing code. Now you see why building codes no longer allow riser open more than 4 inches.

A more permanent solution is to replace the treads with new wider ones that close the riser opening to less and 4 inches and are wide enough to put a wood or steel stringer on the outside past the railing post. This side stringer could be stained wood to match or the white steel and would close the side triangular gap at the side of each stair. Make sure it is tall enough to be less than 4" from the bottom bar on the side railing.

Safety is the most important thing here. The netting doesn't sound very secure.

HI -- These kind of stairs always make my knees weak . Don't let the word "netting " fool you , there is a product that is a netting /mesh that is made for this very purpose. A temporary rug runner for the stairs would be a good thing and then that can be removed when it's not needed . You could have wood treads with risers attached that could also be removed later . Like an "L" shaped piece of wood . Definatly have to have baby gates and constant supervision . For net -- called Safety First -" Railnet "- and you can order online Amazon.com or get it at Walmart

Hi. I am the lady who posted the pictures. My daughter already has a gate at the top and one at the bottom. Guess they don't show up well in these photos. Thank you all for your comments. We will look into the Railnet and also temporary risers. All of your comments are well received. Alice

Plexy glass on the sides and back of them
http://www.google.com/search?q=plexiglass+in+staircases&hl=en&rlz=1C1CHMD_enCA371CA371&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=p58yUdWvLqnryAGjpYCYA

HI -- Alice Yes ,I saw the gates . Glad we were a help. Your daughter looks like she has a lovely modern home and we could help with any other ideas if you need. Kiss the baby for us , oh ,and the puppy too !

My client was pregnant when we built this modern staircase and low and behold, her child is alive and well . I mean I grew up with no baby precautions which I find current parents are over doing. Rona is still living just fine with these stairs and now Jason is 6. You will need baby gates at the top and bottom though. The fact there is no riser isn't relevant. You also have to walk them up and down the stairs for a long time anyway until they can do it on their own and you have to be strict about not playing on the stairs..... For a while she had these little carpet mats on each tread-that helped too.

Some skirt boards and risers would do the trick! Way safer / better then a net.... Wouldn't want to pull a baby/child out of a net. Any talented stair builder could modify your stairs to have risers and skirt boards.

Check out the SMA website www.stairways.org for a local stair builder or fly us out from Seattle. : )

Thank you all, again, for your great ideas and support. Alice

Alice, you may want to keep private your personal email address and phone number ?

Good point, Ed. This is a crazy world.

I agree with CRM Interiors. Baby proofing has become all commercial and way overboard for some. I mean, why do you need so much safety procautions if you are supervising your children.
I've raised 5 kids, in a two-storey house, and I have never owned a baby gate. We've taught our kids from very young, pretty much as soon as they start walking....that stairs are dangerous and not for playing. Kids are smart, and if you take the time to teach and show them...they will get it. My two year olds walks around our main floor , and won't even attempt to go near the stairs. And if he does (actually he prefers to go up) start heading up the stairs, someone is right behind him, because we are watching him.
It only takes 1 second for an accident, so the best 'safety gate' is a watchful parent!

Alice, can I ask how your daughter secured a wooden post to her stairs for the gates? We have very similar stairs and an having a hard time finding a gate that works. Thank you!

what did everyone do about their stairs? samantha?

I'm nervous on those stairs and I'd retrofit the design to include risers. It's a mental thing, but I don't like stairs without risers. In my experience (I don't have statistics to back this up though) children are seriously injured more often when being carried down stairs and the parent falls than going down by there selves. My kids start going down the stairs without a parent guiding around 1 year. Or less.

What makes these stair particularly dangerous for toddlers is that the rails do not reach to the treads. My kids crawl down stairs backwards and look over their shoulder to see where they are going, and tend to turn and could go off the edge. The safety netting would really help.