There will be so many developmental milestones that your baby will conquer especially during early childhood. Right from cooing sounds, rolling on their back to learning to crawl, there will be tons of picture-worthy moments to capture. One of the most exciting and memorable developmental milestones for your baby is learning to walk. Here are some tips to help your baby start walking.
Babies first start to crawl before they are able to stand and take their first steps, and the age at which this process happens could vary with every child.
When Does A Baby Learn To Walk?
Not all babies grow at the same pace, although most babies learn to walk at the age of 10-12 months. Some may take a little longer and start walking at the age of one and a half years, while others learn to walk even at the age of 9 months.
Having said that, there are a lot of little developmental milestones that your baby has to learn before starting to walk. These developmental milestones include rolling over the back, supporting standing, crawling and standing independently, etc. Let’s not forget the fact that your baby’s genetics, as well as physical strength, are two important factors that can help your baby in the process of learning how to walk.
What Can You Do To Help Your Baby Start Walking?
Your baby won’t learn to sit, crawl and walk overnight, learning to walk takes time as your little one learns many other things like balance and coordination. As mentioned earlier, you have to be mindful of the fact that the ability to start walking can be at different times for babies. That being said, you as a parent can surely help your little one to start walking.
Here are some of the tips to help your baby start walking:
Start Early
If you’re keen on helping your baby walk their first steps, then it’s important that you prep them early, right when they’re 7-8 months old. When you help your baby walk at an early age, it helps them build their muscle memory. Your baby will learn to balance their legs and hips and this will help them roll over, crawl, stand with support and they will learn to walk in no time. Just like many other things in life, practice will help your baby start walking especially if you prep them at an early age.
Childproof Your Home
An important thing you need to remember when helping your baby to start walking is their safety. That’s why one of the first things to do is childproof your home. Babies tend to touch and feel everything, especially when they’re learning to crawl and walk. So, it’s important that you secure all the cupboards and drawers in your home and keep harmful objects like knives and sharp tools away from your little one’s reach. When your home is childproofed, you will be able to help your baby start walking.
Keep Your Baby Barefoot
If you want to help your baby start walking at an early age, you need to let them explore their surroundings barefoot. This is something most pediatricians advise parents to do especially when the baby is 7-8 months old. Letting your baby walk on different surfaces barefoot can even help them with their posture as they learn to stand and walk slowly. Again, make sure that your surroundings are clean and childproofed before you let your little one walk barefoot.
Strengthen Your Baby’s Limbs And Muscles
Your baby’s limbs and muscles need to be strengthened if you want them to start walking and running eventually. There are several fun exercises that you can help your baby with to help them start walking.
One of the best exercises is kicking while cruising around the house. When your baby is learning to walk leaning on the sofa, you can place a ball in front of them. This will make them kick the ball and get rid of the obstacle while trying to move forward. Your little one will learn to use the legs to kick the ball and move forward with the help of the sofa. Another way to strengthen your baby’s muscles is to massage your baby, especially after giving them a bath.
Take It Slow And Don’t Rush
If your baby is taking time to walk, then it can be because their bones and muscles haven’t developed completely. At such times, you as parents should avoid rushing your baby to learn how to walk. Do keep in mind that in certain cases, babies can take as long as one and a half years of age to learn how to walk. You need to be patient when you’re helping your baby start walking. If your baby is taking more than 18 months to walk, you can consult your pediatrician to find out about your child’s development and whether any intervention is required.
You need to be patient and understanding when you’re trying to help your baby start walking. Remember each child is different and so will be their learning process.
Conclusion
These were some of the main tips to help your baby start walking. It’s no surprise that watching and helping your baby walk is one of the most exciting things in your journey as a parent. It’s important that you, as parents, be mindful of the fact that developmental milestones can be different for all babies. You can have a growth chart for your child that you can use at your next pediatric consultation. Don’t forget to keep a track of your child’s vaccination schedules. You can use our ImmunifyMe app to keep a tab on your baby’s milestones and also keep digitized vaccination records of your child.
FAQs On Tips To Help Your Baby Start Walking
How Can I Encourage My Baby To Walk?
Here’s how you can encourage your baby to walk:
- Help prep your baby to walk at an early age
- Childproof your home
- Keep your baby barefoot
- Strengthen your baby’s limbs and muscles
- Take it slow and don’t rush your baby to walk
What Is The Average Age For A Baby To Start Walking?
The average age for a baby to walk can be between 8-18 months. Don’t forget that your baby will have to achieve other small developmental milestones like crawling and standing before they learn to walk. Also, remember that not all babies learn to walk at the same time, some can start as early as 7-8 months of age. Others may start walking after one and a half years of age.
How Can I Make My Lazy Baby Walk?
One of the best ways to help your lazy baby walk is by cruising around the house. You can hold your baby’s hands or make them take the support of a sofa and slowly move forward. This will encourage them to move back and forth and learn to walk slowly. Your words of encouragement also serve as a reinforcement to help your lazy baby start walking.
At What Age Do Babies Walk Without Support?
In most cases, babies can learn to walk without support at the age of 8-9 months. However, they first need to learn to sit, crawl and stand with support before learning to walk.
