A glass railing keeps the light stops the kid and I guess I would want to know how old the child is .Usually the best for toddlers is a baby gate or in your case two. BTW in the US that would not pass code .

Thanks for the suggestion Patricia. I'm curious how I would get a glass railing? how would it connect to the wall? is this something that will look dated in a few years if yes is there another option? Just a baby so I will have some time before the crawling and climbing comes! Also, should the railings always be on the left side when going down? should I switch the side?

This staircase is a code violation so will require a solution irrelevant to you having a child. Any glass shop can install a tempered panel there. You could do metal. Or you could extend the short wall up to 36” (cheapest)

"(Also would prefer something affordable)"

Location dependent but raked glass railing will be approx. $600 a lineal foot.

I doubt that this even meets local building codes and is quite dangerous.

Maybe something like this would work?

https://www.amazon.com/YUDE-Wrought-L-Shaped-Stair-Handrail-Galvanized/dp/B07X47Z6YY

or

https://www.amazon.com/CMMC-U-Shaped-Handrail-Galvanized-Non-Slip/dp/B084H7X6XJ

or some type of glass railing

or

Thanks for the comments. I'm currently contacting a local glass shop to get a quote. I think the glass will be the best option as the hallway is so dark as it is.. not sure about the railing though. any ideas?

love the idea of these!

A glass panel would look nice and help keep the area from feeling dark and dreary but may be expensive. If amount of light in the stairway area is a major concern, adding a light fixture might be less expensive than glass

what do we think about this option as well?

question for my houzzers! this is what we have decided to get however I'm debating between white and black.... what do you think???

First bring it up to code which means had rails. When we had toddlers DH built a gate at the top that matched the handrails. He put a full swing hinge on it so the gate would sit flush to the wall when open. They do make baby gates that would fit wall to half wall, be pretty secure for you but that opening/half wall will be a danger/attractive nuisance for years to come even after baby learns to master stairs.

arcy_gw we are doing a metal railing shown below. my question is I don't know if u should get black or white metal

Id go with black.