When Do Babies start walking and How can I teach my baby to walk?
Walking is one of the most critical steps in the development of your baby. Walking means that they have mastered the skills balance, coordination and movement. It also means that they have enough strength in their legs to hold their bodies and move sufficiently. Many parents never forget the day their baby has learned to walk – and with good reason. Walking is one of the first signs of your baby’s transition from being a baby to being a toddler.
When will your baby start walking?
As with most physical aspects of your baby’s development, it is difficult to tell exactly what time your baby is going to walk. If you’re a fan of averages, the average baby will start walking for nine to twelve months and will work pretty well at the age of fifteen months. Do not worry if your child has not learned to walk in the first year. Many pretty normal babies are still quite “shaky,” even at the age of sixteen or seventeen months old, and that’s fine. My son first started walking only when he was 16 months old and today, he is running like a pro 😊
If you tend to carry your baby often or leave him in the pram or swing him for a long time, your baby will think it is natural. So, put him on a safe play mat and help him cradle to stretch out those muscles. Babies are fascinated by fingers and toes. So playing with their feet will teach them how to kick these little legs.
Learn to walk
Walking is a natural instinct, and it cannot be ‘learned’ 100%. Of course, you can encourage and help, but your baby will have to manage it alone.
When your baby is seven months old, he starts jumping when you are hanging on his arm and let him “stand upright”. It is an excellent exercise because it strengthens the thighs and the knees of babies. It also helps to develop the important muscle and to get the coordination needed to walk. Your baby will begin to stretch around the age of eight months and try to balance while standing in fronts of the view, such as the edge of a table, couch or cradle barriers. Your baby will continue to train for at least four weeks until he is ready.
Cruising is when your baby moves from one piece of furniture to the next, stumbling but not falling. Your baby doesn’t possess the coordination to walk yet, but he has enough strength and coordination to at least move from one support to the next. Eventually, your baby will be able to stand on his own without support but still will have trouble walking.
If your baby is not exactly a risk taker, he’ll need you around to accompany him in his cruising. To help him gain confidence, offer your supporting hand. Seeing how much your baby trusts you to be always around to catch him and protect him is genuinely touching. Also, you can position toys at a reasonable distance to trigger his natural curiosity and desire to explore.
One thing that definitely helped my baby to start walking is this Baby Learning Walker that I bought for him. It provided him the necessary support while walking and he was excited from the idea that he could walk around the house by himself while collecting toys into this shopping card.
However, it is important to note that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) strongly discourages the use of walkers because it might slow down Baby’s walking development and it can be extremely dangerous.
Therefore, if you want to purchase the learning walker for your baby, it is better to offer the walker after your baby has taken his first steps and of course, watch your baby while he uses it.
One good day your baby will make the first step-driven by a toy, the sound of your voice or your outstretched arms.
Support, encourage and be patient but do not force walking – many babies start walking by the time they turn one year old, and most can walk independently by the time they’re fifteen months old. Enjoy the moment and take a lot of pictures.
Related:
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HOW TO DO TUMMY TIME WITH YOUR BABY?
HOW TO SWADDLE YOUR NEWBORN BABY
