Safe Stairways R Us

Every day I become more cognizant of the importance of good lighting. I'm an early riser and prefer to get out the door before the rest of my family awakens. However, our three year old has inherited my circadian rhythm and now wakes with me which can prolong my exodus. We've got a pretty good system down where my son will hang out with me while I get ready for work and then I'll get him situated with his breakfast and some cartoons until I am ready to leave and my husband takes over. One complaint that has been issued (again and again!) by other family members is that when my early bird and I head downstairs, we turn on the hall light or the foyer light. The light is necessary because we have a landing on the staircase and if you "miss the turn", you'll be headlong down ten steps. While I can make the trip fairly confidently, I worry that the three year old, whose walking and balance skills are as reliable as a three year old's can be, will misstep in the dark (since it is still dark when we're beginning our day) and take a tumble. I began to rely on the Mr Beams Step Light to provide enough light to get us down the stairs but not enough to disturb the rest of the lucky sleepers in our home.

The Step Light is a great choice for our landing because, when it's dark, it provides a dim glow--just enough to provide orientation at the landing so you can sense both sides of the stairway. As you make your way down the stairs (or up--depending on your direction), the light shifts to 'bright' mode. The improved illumination provides safe passage for the balance of your ascent or descent. Perfect. Our little guys can see the stairway, the staircase, the landing and can actually see when they get to the bottom of the steps.

Stairs and children scare me--you cannot trust that an adventurous toddler or fearless kindergartner is going to take the time to turn a light on or off--typical kids (at least mine) are going to banzai down the stairs--dark or not--and don't consider the consequences of unsteady footing or poor lighting. If you can prevent an accident by installing at least one Step Light--it takes minutes and the product is absolutely affordable--why wouldn't you?

I have become accustomed to my little partner in the morning. As crazy as it can be, I enjoy his company before I head off to work. Adding the motion-sensing Step Light has eliminated one more worry from my list. Even as I don't think about it, I can appreciate every measure that we take to improve the quality of our lives frees up time to enjoy what is important.

More on Mr Beams and its parent company, Wireless Environment, at www.mrbeams.com.