This is the moment a toddler managed to squeeze through wooden bannisters at a home in the USA and came inches from falling down a stairwell.

Dad Jacob Smith and his partner had only recently moved into the home in Madison in Wisconsin with son Abram who was a year and ten months old.

"My son tried chasing the cat through the gap in the railing spindles that leads to the basement staircase," said dad Jacob Smith.

"I had measured him against various spots and didn't realize the gap between the wall and the first spindle was larger than the rest," he added.

"I caught him at the very last second by his shirt and you can see me pull him over the railing with one hand," Smith added.

The footage was filmed in February 2019.

My son tried chasing the cat through the gap in the railing spindles that leads to the basement staircase. This is in the living room, so I had measured him against various spots and didn't realize the gap between the wall and the first spindle was larger than the rest. I caught him at the very last second by his shirt and you can see me pull him over the railing with one hand.