The ONP Infant Step and Ramp is a single cedar structure with a different physical challenge on each side. One side is a grassy ramp - a continuous faux grass incline that infants can crawl up, crawl back down, roll across, and push up against on hands and knees. The other side has two steps - a discrete stepping challenge that begins moving infants from ramp-based crawling toward the stair-like stepping movements that come next. At 46"L x 27"W x 12"H the structure is substantial enough to anchor an outdoor infant gross motor environment without being a large fixed installation. The cedar frame stays outside year-round without treatment or seasonal storage, and it arrives fully assembled - place it in an outdoor infant space or an infant room and it is ready immediately across North America.
The faux grass surface is a considered design choice, not a cosmetic one. For infants in the crawling-to-walking window, the texture of the surface they move across directly shapes the proprioceptive and tactile input they receive. Faux grass is softer than bare cedar, visually connected to the natural outdoor environment, and distinct enough from the carpet, cork, and vinyl surfaces infants encounter indoors to register as a genuinely new tactile experience. That novelty matters - novel textures encourage infants to slow down, pay attention to the sensory information coming from their hands and knees, and build the tactile discrimination that supports confident movement in varied environments.
The cedar frame requires no staining, resists rot and insects naturally, lasts 15 to 20 years outdoors, and is free from the chemical treatments that make some outdoor timber unsuitable for close child contact. At 12"H the structure is proportioned for the 6-to-18-month developmental window - achievable from the earliest crawling stages, and revisited with new challenges as children grow into pulling-to-stand and walking.
Key Features of the ONP Infant Step and Ramp
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Grassy Ramp on One Side - A continuous faux grass incline from ground level to 12"H provides an accessible crawl-up surface for infants and young toddlers; the gradual angle is achievable from the earliest crawling stages and develops into a stand-and-walk challenge as motor skills progress
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2 Steps on the Other Side - Two discrete steps introduce a stepping challenge categorically different from the ramp: each step requires an intentional foot placement, weight shift, and balance hold that develops the hip flexion, ankle control, and single-leg stability that are the physical prerequisites for stair climbing
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Faux Grass Tactile Surface - The soft faux grass covering provides a sensory experience distinct from bare cedar and typical indoor surfaces; the texture engages proprioceptive and tactile processing as infants crawl, building the sensory integration and tactile discrimination that underpin later motor confidence
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46"L x 27"W x 12"H - Infant-Proportioned Structure - The 12"H peak is achievable by crawling infants, the 27"W is wide enough for a confident approach and descent, and the 46"L provides a meaningful incline without excessive steepness; sized for the 6-to-18-month developmental window
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Cedar Frame - All-Weather Outdoor Use - Cedar requires no staining, resists rot and insects naturally, stays comfortable to touch in summer heat, and lasts 15 to 20 years outdoors; free from chemical treatments and appropriate for the youngest children who contact surfaces through touch, crawl, and climb
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No Assembly Required - Indoor and Outdoor Use - Arrives fully assembled and ready to use immediately; lightweight enough for an educator or caregiver to move between an outdoor infant play space and an indoor room as the programme requires
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Ages 6 Months and Up - Designed for the crawling-to-walking developmental window from 6 months onward; the same structure that provides a crawl challenge for younger infants becomes a stand-and-walk challenge as motor skills develop
Skills and Developmental Outcomes
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Crawling and Upper Body Weight-Bearing on an Incline - Crawling up the grassy ramp develops shoulder girdle strength, arm extension, and upper body weight-bearing that feed into later climbing, hanging, and push-up-from-floor movements
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Hip Flexion and Stepping on Discrete Steps - Negotiating two discrete steps develops hip flexion control, weight shift from one leg to the other, and the single-leg balance hold that are the physical foundations of stair climbing and confident upright locomotion
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Vestibular and Proprioceptive Integration - Moving on an inclined surface with a novel tactile texture provides combined vestibular input (grade change, tilt) and proprioceptive input (increased muscle loading on an incline) that challenges and develops sensory integration in ways flat surfaces do not
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Motor Planning and Physical Problem-Solving - Deciding whether to approach the ramp or the steps, navigating the grade change at the top, and determining the safest descent route develops motor planning, spatial reasoning, and the physical self-knowledge that builds movement confidence over time
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Physical Confidence and Safe Risk-Taking - Successfully crawling up and down a real outdoor inclined surface at an appropriately scaled height builds the physical confidence, body trust, and willingness to engage with managed physical challenge that Pikler, RIE, and Montessori infant approaches identify as foundational to independent motor development
Ideal for
- Infant rooms in childcare centres with outdoor play spaces needing purpose-built inclined and stepped motor challenges
- Occupational therapists supporting infant gross motor milestones - specifically ramp and step navigation - in outdoor and indoor therapeutic settings
- Forest school, nature-based, and outdoor learning programmes serving children from the earliest crawling stages through first walking
- Montessori infant communities, Pikler-influenced programmes, and Reggio-inspired settings where child-initiated physical challenge is a core developmental principle
- Families with outdoor spaces wanting a permanent, all-weather cedar infant climbing structure
- Any outdoor infant environment where horizontal movement alone is insufficient gross motor provision
