Help your baby work on WALKING!
Walking is such an anticipated, exciting, monumental milestone for babies. It opens up a range of opportunities for them, including exploration, independence, movement, and more. While I sometimes think there is TOO much stock placed on walking (more on this to come!), there is no denying that this a big milestone for babies (and parents!). So read on to get your baby up and moving, and your house baby-proofin’!
Remember that ultimately the goals are independence and mobility, and there are lots of ways to get there!
Pulling to stand
This is an important first step to upright mobility. The first time baby figures out how to pull to stand unlocks a whole new level (literally and figuratively) of exploration. Start with having baby sit on your lap while at the coffee table or couch with a favorite toy up on the surface. Help them pull with their arms as they push up through their legs to stand up to reach the toy. Practice many times to build the motor patterns and coordination needed to master this step! The next step is to progress to working on this from the floor. Start in a side sit position with arms reaching up toward surface. Guide baby into a half kneeling position with one knee up and one down on the floor. From here, baby can push up into standing! This takes a lot of core stability and practice, so you can help baby by working on each individual step (side sit, kneeling, and supported standing) separately too!
Cruising along furniture
Once baby is able to pull up on a surface into standing, we can now help them progress to more mobility here! Place their toys slightly out of reach to the side of them to encourage shifting weight and stepping sideways while holding on to the couch/coffee table for support. If needed, grab their hips and help them first shift their weight to the BACK leg, then step toward the toy with the FRONT foot, before shifting their weight FORWARD again. Clear as mud? Cool. Make sure to practice stepping both directions. When baby is solid with cruising along furniture, we can take the challenge up a notch by helping them cruise BETWEEN furniture. That’s right—place a chair nearby but not connected, and encourage baby take a brave step or two to reach it!
A perfect environment for a cruising baby who is up to no good…
Wobbly first steps
After building up some confidence with side stepping during cruising, it’s time to switch up the direction and start taking some forward steps! First steps can happen in many ways, including between caregivers, letting go from a stable surface to explore on their own, or pushing a walker! All are great ways to jump start independent upright mobility.
Who needs fancy walkers when you’ve got a laundry basket??
Check out this blog post (and this one and this one too!) for more developmental tips using everyday household items!
Another tip I like to use is to wrap a towel around baby’s waist like a belt, and hold on to that to help them walk. I find a lot of times baby might be ready for steps from a strength and coordination perspective, but the balance and confidence of walking without someone (or something, like the couch) supporting their hands is intimidating. A belt to help is a good way to help navigate these uncharted waters.
Up, up, and away!
Walking really takes a lot of fine tuning. Did you know the average new walker falls as many as 17 times an hour?! That’s a lot of opportunities to stand up and try again! Over many steps, many hours, and many weeks baby will get more confident, more stable, and more efficient with their walking. What comes next? Practice on a variety of surfaces, changing directions, walking up/down inclines—really, the opportunities are endless to help your baby become a master walker. Talk to your PT or book a developmental consultation today for more ways to progress. Happy waddling and wandering, bebes!
Oh, and before I go, I know what you’re gonna ask next: “Should my baby be barefoot or wear shoes when walking?” “Which shoes are best for new walkers??” And to this I answer: “GREAT QUESTIONS". Check out this instagram post, this reel, and stay tuned for more on this topic!
TL;DR
Walking is a big milestone—one that is much anticipated and opens up a lot of opportunities for exploration, independence, and movement.
Don’t forget there are many ways to explore and move, including crawling, rolling, and scooting!
Tips are provided for working on the steps to move towards walking.
Talk to your PT for more ways to meet your baby’s mobility needs and goals!