How early can a child start climbing?

My son is only 6 months old so I m a bit ahead of time but...
We already bought him an horizontal wooden ladders obstacle style thing and he just started playing with it.
I was thinking he could start very light indoor bouldering almost as soon as he can walk which is still a few months away, any real life experience?
I ll certainly bolt a couple of climbing holds somewhere it the house for that.
Next, how early did you put your kid in a harness?
Also, I saw the Petzl Ouistiti harness, it says up to 30 kilos but it doesn't state the lower limit, any experience with this harness?

I m guessing everybody will tell me "don't rush it" and I won't, I ll see how he is responding to what he is presented with and adapt or stop it if necessary. 

Wait til he's 6 or 7. Years.

For now, just have him carry your pack to the crag. :)

Lactation fuels the send

Kids can climb basically before they can walk. I would recommend you not do any roped stuff until you are able to actually hold some form of conversation unless you can be on a rope right next to them. I've seen a lot of toddlers in indoor gyms while working at one, you are the bane of gym staff everywhere but as a climber I get it. 

I would recommend just getting them a climbing frame until they're two or three, pre toddlers don't generally get the whole climbing up walls thing but they love hollow geometric play frames. You can also use toys and place them out of reach to insentivise climbing both on playframes and on the wall. 

If your baby is 6 months old, he would be likely climbing (crawling) up the stairs in couple months time. That’s climbing.

As soon as he is toddle-walking, he would be attempting to climb up the slide at the playground. That’s also climbing.

What I am getting at, there is no lower limit, other than their physical ability. Babies naturally want to move and explore their environment. They also want to imitate the things adults around them do. When their environment includes walls with bright holds that the parents hang on, babies think that everyone is supposed to do that, and they will eagerly try

Now, climbing in any sort of regimented way— that’s obviously very different.

They will have about as much attention span for climbing as they would for dumping pots out of cupboards, dunking their toys in toilet, or eating the dirt. 

i have seen gym programs targeted at kids as young as 3yo. Anything younger than that is not realistic, for a group activity. And obviously there is a wide range, at that age, of some kids being ready to follow directions and participate, while others clutching to their parents and refusing to join the class, or only willing to suck their thumb and observe from the side. Any program targeted at under-5yo has very little actual climbing, and a lot of just general “fun” stuff like following an obstacle course made out of hoola hoops and foam blocks, and jumping on trampolines.

Petzl Ouistiti does adjust to fit a toddler, and every climbing parent has, at one point, rigged a swing and let their child swing on the rope. In general, children of this age would be much more excited about the swinging, and not about the climbing part of being in the harness. They are also often afraid of heights at this point, and are more likely to enjoy “bouldering” than ropes climbing.

Bottom line, let your baby lead the way, and keep things fun, chill, and safe. 

when my son was about 18 months, I bought two pieces of 2x4 foot plywood and attached them with hinges to make an a-frame thing. I connected the bottoms with a rope to keep it from sliding out from under him. Bought some cheap screw on holds and he loved going up and down that for a year or so before he could get on a true kids wall at a commercial gym. Do not underestimate the power of just swinging in a rope…

Lena chita wrote:

If your baby is 6 months old, he would be likely climbing (crawling) up the stairs in couple months time. That’s climbing.

As soon as he is toddle-walking, he would be attempting to climb up the slide at the playground. That’s also climbing.

What I am getting at, there is no lower limit, other than their physical ability. Babies naturally want to move and explore their environment. They also want to imitate the things adult around them do. When their environment includes walls with bright holds that the parents hang on, babies think that everyone is supposed to to do that, and they will eagerly try

Now, climbing in any sort of regimented way— that’s obviously very different.

They will have about as much attention span for climbing as they would for dumping pots out of cupboards, dunking their toys in toilet, or eating the dirt. 

i have seen gym programs targeted at kids as young as 3yo. Anything younger than that is not realistic, for a group activity. And obviously there is a wide range, at that age, if some kids bring ready to follow directions and participate, while others clutching to their parents and refusing to join the class, or only willing to suck their thumb and observe from the side. Any program targeted at under-5yo has very little actual climbing, and a lot of just general “fun” stuff like following an obstacle course made out of hooks hoops and down blocks, and jumping on trampolines.

Petzl Ouistiti does adjust to fit a toddler, and every climbing parent has, at one point, rigged a swing and let their child swing on the rope. In general, children of this age would be much more excited about the swinging, and not about the climbing part of being in the harness. They are also often afraid of heights at this point, and are more likely to enjoy “bouldering” than ropes climbing.

Bottom line, let your baby lead the way, and keep things fun, chill, and safe. 

Thanks for chiming in Lena, I agree with all of the above.
I was thinking starting with light "bouldering" indeed I may have a look at this kind of "wall" https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmwnoNYpR-6/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D
Also planning on buying the Ouistiti and see how he like swinging and general "vertical" crawling.
The end goal is definitely for him to have fun, not to train him Ondra style ;)
Also open to recommandation for helmet that would fit the smallest head. 

General rule:  If you start before 4am, they tend to throw tantrums later in the day 

Much like myself 

my oldest daughter was in a harness and swinging on ropes around 2.

Start now. Your son is exactly the perfect age to start right now. Crawling is horizontal climbing, take him to a wash/gully and play on the sides. Even a dirt pile or grassy slope is climbing at that age. Now is the time to start formative memories and feelings. Bring them to the crag every time you go and climbing becomes natural to them.

I’ve got the same setup with ladder rungs and an adjustable low angle slab. My child is just over a year old and enjoys climbing up and down. He also climbs stairs and furniture. We bring him out bouldering occasionally and let him hold onto the rock, though what he enjoys most about our sessions is playing with sticks and dirt. As long as he enjoys whatever it is he’s doing while the adults play, we’ll continue. If he wants to join as he gets older, that’s up to him. My wife and I will continue to offer positive reinforcement and focus on the wants of our child. So far he loves climbing. I’m mindful of not being the type of parent(s) that force their kid to climb to the point of tears, whether in a gym or outside. I’ve seen some horribly selfish parents have full blown arguments with their kids, refusing to lower them to the ground, name-calling and even denying their children s’mores on a camping trip as punishment for reacting to their parents instigation. Don’t be that person.

https://www.littletikes.com/collections/climbers-and-slides/products/junior-activity-gy

My son is 20 months old and since ~8wks I have been having him grab my fingers and dead hang off of me. We do it all the time and he is now starting to grab onto holds and hold onto my climbing wall. But the deadhang thing has been really fun and now he can hang on for 20-30secs no problem. 

6 mo. old it’s about time to play with climbing gear. Forget the coloured plastic toys. 

 Here's one of my kidz climbing when he is 2.

Mike Arechiga wrote:

 Here's one of my kidz climbing when he is 2.

Awesome! congrats to him!

thanks for all the feedbacks guys

So when you start climbing with young kids patience is key.

I started my daughter around 2 1/2, first couple months were just playing on the mat and her getting comfortable in the gym.
I used stickers on the wall and other games (floor is lava is a favorite) to keep it fun and encourage her to go higher.

She’s 7 now and we climb 2+ days a week together.

Ps McDonald’s also has a crazy power, offer it if they try that hard move or go a little further and boom they can magically send. 

Tommy B wrote:

So when you start climbing with young kids patience is key.

I started my daughter around 2 1/2, first couple months were just playing on the mat and her getting comfortable in the gym.
I used stickers on the wall and other games (floor is lava is a favorite) to keep it fun and encourage her to go higher.

She’s 7 now and we climb 2+ days a week together.

Ps McDonald’s also has a crazy power, offer it if they try that hard move or go a little further and boom they can magically send. 

I agree with the rest of your post, but I wanted to comment on this bolded part specifically… i disagree about that part.

Do not BRIBE your kids for such things. Instead, celebrate the accomplishments afterwards.

it may sound like a small distinction: 

— “hey, you tried really hard today, you got that yellow problem, let’s go to ….  to celebrate (McD, if you must… definitely better things out there to offer, and many non-food, non-materi things, but that’s another topic)”

Vs

—“if you try to get to that purple hold we will go to McD today”

Seems like a distinction without a difference, But trust me, my kids are 20 and 24yold (that’s years, not months…). Over time it makes a huge difference.

don’t get me wrong, I’ve bribed my kids in desperation. Every parent has. But that’s just it, DESPERATION. Reserve bribing for one-off situations where you have no choice. Do not use bribing for a behavior you want to see repeatedly, and, more importantly, the behavior you want to come from self-motivation, not external rewards.

Try to keep rewards proportional to achievement. Big rewards should feel big, and even the small ones shouldn’t be so frequent that they lose all meaning. But you might, in the beginning, find really small things to reward, if they are in direction you want to see more of.

(Oh, and definitely model the rewards/celebrations for yourself, your spouse, etc. not just climbing related, but since we are on the climbing topic, it is also very important to say things like “mom got her first V-something today, she was working on it for several weeks, and I’m so excited for her! let’s make her pancakes tomorrow. Do you think we can make pancakes that spell V8? Or maybe use blueberries to congrats?” Kids tend to be self-centered, so it’s important to get them to notice things about others, too) 

Lena chita wrote:

I agree with the rest of your post, but I wanted to comment on this bolded part specifically… i disagree about that part.

Do not BRIBE your kids for such things. Instead, celebrate the accomplishments afterwards.

— “hey, you tried really hard today, you got that yellow problem, let’s go to ….  to celebrate (McD, if you must… definitely better things out there to offer, and many non-food, non-materi things, but that’s another topic)”

Fully agree again and if I have to bride my kid (which I ll not do...) I rather do it with climbing gear, what will you not do for a black Totem ;)
I know, he won't give AF... ignorant!

Kenneth Lester wrote:

Children can start climbing at a very young age, as early as 18 months old. However, it is important to note that climbing can be a high-risk activity and should always be done with proper safety measures in place and under the supervision of a qualified instructor or experienced climber. It is recommended to start with simple and low-intensity activities and gradually increase difficulty as the child gets older and more experienced.

ChatGPT?

No debate: Climber lyfe starts at conception. 

Birth is really just a rad wet squeeze chimney.