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Has nothing to do with children. The regulation (different provisions in the states) applies. For up to two residential units or larger. It is always mandatory. Regarding children, there is an extension that railings should be used that are not suitable for climbing... Since with (mostly) single-family houses there is no approval from the building authority, no one notices if the regulation is not met. It is a personal risk assessment. In most single-family houses, not all regulations are met. As soon as it is multi-family houses or rented properties, everything should definitely be complied with. In multi-family houses, there is usually also an approval by the building authority. Then it is no longer possible to fail to meet fall protection requirements...

In our apartment building with condominiums, even the end pieces of the handrails had to be bent towards the wall so that no one would get caught on them. Otherwise, the building authority would not have approved it... But it is an apartment building, a huge project. Accordingly, attention was paid. Even the Greens used it to denounce luxury apartments as an investment by sheikhs, until they found out that the properties were mostly occupied by owner-occupiers from the upper middle class (no, really - not like Merz)... hehe

A multi-family house with a condominium is simply different. In a single-family house there are basically no regulations, only recommendations. The regulations refer (at least in NRW, no idea if that applies everywhere) to buildings with multiple residential units or special cases like regular visits by small children (daycare, etc.).

If you follow them, sometimes extremely ugly and impractical railings result. Ours have simply learned to climb stairs properly, and that’s it, you can practice that. We never had any kind of gates/doors or anything like that on the stairs. It might look different if you take care of children on assignment.

There is a regulation, but no one checks it. The general contractor should actually point it out. Ours did and said: if no railing is installed and something happens, it's not my fault, right!

We will continue to have no railing on the upper floor, but now the one shown in the basement. My parents-in-law often stay with us when we have parties (yes, we are a family that loves to celebrate - hopefully we can soon again) and since they have already complained a bit and are not getting younger, we now have the railing.

Cost: about 900€. It is a normal staircase, quarter-turn. I don't feel like measuring right now. My husband figured it out together with the steelworker. Because of the quarter turn, the rise is not continuously the same. The first draft therefore had a slight kink in the long rod (due to the change in rise). We didn't like that, so now there is a uniform rise for the handrail, but the distance to the stairs is therefore somewhat different from step to step. You don’t notice it when walking - only if you pay special attention.

At the building acceptance, everything must be properly safe. After that, everything can be unscrewed again, completely legal. As writes, it is then a matter of liability if in doubt.

Regarding children, there is an extension that railings should be used that are not suitable for climbing...

I am curious to see what ideas our little one will come up with, with both parents being climbers... I think that only works with bars up to the ceiling