A row of chairs?

I mean, gate is what parents use. Plexiglass sheets are a less obvious option. Depends on how much the kids want to get at the stairs.

Yeah we had bigger things we asked for in negotiations. We might just do the plexiglass idea until after we finish some bigger home projects and have time to re-do this the right way. Just wasn't sure if there was any stylish way to quickly/cheaply do something in the time being. Thank you all for your ideas!

GN Builders - the railing is firm and stable, it just has large spaces between it - so I am just asking for a solution to fill the spaces - such as the plexiglass one. The only issue is the spacing being a little too large for comfort. Was hoping there was a more stylish fix someone knew of

I'd put a baby gate at the bottom and simply say it's not safe, and kids need to be downstairs.

The money you save by not doing the right thing now, will be blown on the law suit that occurs when someone else's kid falls through and lands on their head. Better to bite the bullet and fix it now.

Add a spindle in between to narrow the gap to meet code compliance.

If you know of someone, a friend or family member, who is like my husband and is very handy at this type of thing, ask them to help you. It will save you a lot of money if you pay for the supplies yourself.

Buy a couple of packages of spindles -- probably cheaper than the plexiglass.

Thank you everyone. Great suggestions, definitely going to use one. Just to clarify again to those of you concerned about safety, I am going to fix the issue, whether it's drilling plexiglass on or adding spindles -- that was not the question, as I know it is a safety issue and that is why I posted the question :) . I was just looking for safe alternatives that were cheaper than replacing the entire thing, but have the same end result that kids/dogs cannot fall between the holes.

If you're planning on replacing it later, just drill in some cheap spindles for now.