Walking

There's no right age for your baby to start to walk. Your baby's first unsupported steps will probably occur some time between nine and fifteen months, but there's a wide variation either side of these figures.

The reason for this is not known although very often there's a family history of early or late walking. Despite the very wide variation in the age at which babies learn to walk, they all have to pass through the same well defined stages of development before they can walk with confidence and good balance.

Babies can stay for a variable length of time in each phase and you should never make the mistake of trying to push your baby too hard to move from one to the other. You will give the greatest help if you are there with encouraging words so that your baby doesn't lose heart. Learning to walk is one of the most difficult things he'll ever have to do so make your baby proud of his achievements.

Stages of walking

• Your baby will probably have started cruising around the furniture before he reached the age of one. He'll slide both hands along the support and bring up his feet to align with the rest of his body. Balance will be a problem.

• He'll still cruise but he'll stand further away from the furniture and take more of his body's weight on his feet. He'll start to move one hand over the other instead of sliding them together and, as he becomes more confident, will start to move both hands and feet together. This is important because, for a second, your baby has the confidence and the balance to take all his weight on one foot.

• Your baby will really enjoy the independence of moving around rooms using any support he can, and the next stage will be the negotiation of gaps between two supports. He will only do this if he can hold on to both supports at once. At this stage he still has to feel securely supported, and will only let go of one support when he's holding firmly on to the other.

• Your baby will start to cross gaps that are wider than an arm's span. While still holding on to the support with one hand, he will move into the centre of the gap and, having got his balance, will release the support and take a step towards the next one, making a grab for it with both hands.

• Your baby will begin to “toddle”. He will manage to stagger a couple of paces to reach the second support.

• Your baby will launch himself into an open space and take several unsupported steps with confidence. He may only take half a dozen steps before losing his balance and sitting down with a thud.

Helping your child to walk

• Arrange the furniture around the room so that he can go down one side, across and up the other.

• Initially, gaps between furniture should be no bigger than the width of your baby's arms so that he can hang on to something with one hand and stretch out the other to reach the next support easily. If the gaps are too big your baby won't be able to reach the support that will enable him to cross the gap.

• While your baby is learning to walk make sure that the floors aren't slippery - one bad bang may put him off walking for several weeks.

• Make sure the room is baby-proofed, with no flexes or objects that can be pulled over.

• He doesn't need shoes or socks; bare feet are safer not only because there'll be no risk of malformed feet but also because he'll be able to grip well and get used to the sensation of weight.

• A useful aid to complement cruising and your baby's first steps is a pushing trolley or cart. Make sure it has a stable wide base so it won't topple over. Don't use a baby walker.

• Always stay close at hand when your baby is taking his first steps.

Dr Miriam Stoppard

New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard

Posted 03.11.2010

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