Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Having a baby is such an exciting time in your life and one to be cherished but it can be stressful too. You can feel a lot of pressure for your baby to reach certain milestones quickly especially from other parents, including walking and talking. You should remember that all babies are different and they develop when they are ready to do so.
Some babies will work at 12 months and some at 17 months, both these are completely normal! Saying that, there are some things you can do as a parent to encourage your baby to take those first steps into independence. Let’s take a look at the top 5 tips you can do to help your baby learn to walk.
1. Use A Toy To Entice
Babies are very visual and respond positively to things they enjoy in their life. Get a favorite toy of your baby and place it just out of reach of them (making sure it’s in a safe and stable area however). They will be much more motivated to stand if they see something they want but can’t quite reach it yet. Standing is the first step to walking and you shouldn’t even be thinking of your little one walking, if they are not pulling their body up yet.
When they pull themselves up onto the stable piece of furniture where the toy is located, they should feel the surge of confidence they need to walk along it. Be sure to use encouraging language when you are speaking to your little one and if they do manage to take a few steps (whether unaided or otherwise) be sure to tell them how well they are doing. Your baby might not be in the mood to stand or walk that particular day and if that’s the case, that’s fine – they get bad days just like we do!
2. Practice With Holding Their Hands
The majority of babies who are not walking yet have the capability to do it, they just don’t have the confidence. They need to realize that they have legs and they also need to feel your support as a parent. Practice standing your baby up and also sitting them back down again, with you holding their hands the whole way through. They might be scared to fall or just not know how to bend their legs and sit down again.
Once you’ve mastered standing with your little one, hold their hands and walk them around the room. Having you nearby will give them the motivation to eventually walk by themselves and they’ll start to realize if they do fall down, it’s not a big deal. They will soon get the confidence they need to move on to the next level!
3. No Shoes At All Are Best For Walking
When your baby is just learning to walk, it’s recommended that you do not put any shoes on them. Shoes will just make the process even more complicated because they have extra weight to carry around with them. Indoor shoes for babies can be very slippery on many surfaces and the outdoor shoes can be heavy and uncomfortable.
Bare feet is best when they are just starting to cruise around the furniture but you should obviously make sure there is nothing on the floor that they could hurt their feet on. I recommend having them walk on carpeted area when they don’t have shoes on but the wooden floor is fine also, as long as you don’t have them walking for too long. Once your baby has started walking and is more confident in doing so, then you can introduce shoes into the equation just to take things up an extra notch.
4. Get A Jumper For Baby
A jumper will help your baby get the support they still currently need when they are going through the transition from crawling – standing – walking, while also motivating them to put their feet on solid ground. These jumpers usually come with fun toys for your baby to play so this will seem like just a fun game to them. They’ll be so excited by the toys that they’ll also be eager to jump which is so beneficial to their physical development.
Using a jumper for baby will help to make their legs stronger, give them more confidence and hopefully ensure that they walk when they should. There are many great and effective jumper for baby online, so compare prices and purchase one that’s right for you today.
You can also use a baby walker to help your baby get used to walking, just check around for the best baby walker to ensure that you get a sturdy baby walker that will meet your baby’s needs and safety requirements.
5. Expect Stop And Starts Along The Way
Your baby is yet to realize that walking is a priority in life so you need to expect many struggles along the way. They might try very hard for a week or so before giving up and being preoccupied with something else in that time. All they need is your encouragement and more importantly, your positivity during that time.
Keep trying to make up fun standing/walking games and keep giving them that motivation that they need. Clap and make a big fuss when your baby makes progress on the walking journey. When your baby isn’t doing so well, don’t let your stress show just have fun with your little one and it will happen with time.
Conclusion
Now that you know some tips and tricks for helping your baby learn to walk when they are physically and mentally able to do so, this should help you during the process. Try not to get too stressed about the situation however, your baby will walk when he/she is ready. When you are not expecting it, your little one will go from 0 to 100 and then the fun will begin!
Don’t compare your baby to other babies, there are lots of factors that go into them reaching milestones not just how old they are. If your baby reaches 18 months however and is still not walking, it’s probably a good idea to visit your local doctor/health visitor to further advise you, put your mind at rest or refer you for further help if needed.
About The Author
Crystal is the founder of MakeYourBabyLaugh. She wrote the blog to help parents who are struggling to raise their children. She hopes that her experiences in child-rearing can inspire and help parents overcome their parenting struggles.
These are so nice as im not far away from walking milestone….oky we only now at the stage where we wait for our little man to crawl i cant waiy i imagine myself how cute it will look shame…he sit on his own and role over by himself and he push him self forward on his tummy if his legs are against something we already have a jumper and he loves it every now and again we use it for him to jump a while shoes he wont have on LOL we struggle to get shoes on his feet as he curl his toes so shoes will come later stage…the toy idea is also nice bec he have a few toys he love and when i put them on the couch or tv unit he will reach in his walker for them so will help for the walking milestone and we sometimes short whiles hold his hands and he would give a few steps struggle, struggle but his only nearly 8 months so its still a little while….
@lisaanderson the time will fly by and before you know it he will be running around like crazy! My daughter started walking at 10 months old.
If you do get shoes try soft sole shoes like Pitta Patta because they fit nicely on the feet. Bare feet is definitely best though!
Thank you @lynne for the advice wow at 10 months if im lucky i will be have a walking boy in 2 months i know every child is different but im sure not long and he will run around just by saying it i get so excited!!! Oh and then the busy time starts also
I used to hold my sons hands for him to walk
Great tips thank you getting a baby to walk can be challenging I will surely try those tips next time
Wow those are great tips Lynne thanks a lot as my child is still learning to stand now…surely soon enough we will be walking… I can’t wait for that part.☺
Yes and then you need to get your running shoes on @chosengole 🙂
I loved it when my son was starting to walk. His favourite was to hold onto my hands and have me help him walk, another thing he loved immensely was his baby walker! He used to get so excited when I put him in it and he could finally get around to anywhere he wanted to be.
These are such awesome tips for a new mom, I wish I had seen this post when my son was at the right age. We would have loved doing all these exercises together.
When do babes start rolling and sitting can’t remember when it happened with my firate one it was 5 year’s ago
Oh wow, I can hardly remember now @bianca-luke. I remember my daughter started sitting around 6 or 7 months. The rolling over she did very early but I can’t remember exactly when!
My little guy started rolling just before 6 weeks. I must mention not rolling from back to tummy. That took about 2 nearly 3 more weeks. He was sitting unaided at 4 months but I have read that this is not the norm. 6 Months is the norm for sitting. Yet each little person develops at their own time. I would only start to look into it if baby didn’t roll at 3 months- all around. And sat unaided at 9 months.
Lynne awesome post by reading,listening and by getting answers on my question my opinion on walkers to help our boy walking!!!
Everyone say many parents think that walkers will help children learn to walk. As it turns out, walkers interfere with learning to walk. In addition to decreasing the desire to walk by providing an easier alternative, walkers strengthen the wrong muscles. The lower legs are strengthened, but the upper legs and hips become relatively weak. The upper legs and hips are most important for walking.
Like u mention im sure by getting the proper walker thats stable and secure for your baby will be wonderful this is really something i hope is not offending the post or anyone just wanted to add info im getting feed by reading and listening around.
Shane I also read, in various articles, that jumpers should be avoided. Some countries have even banned them, Australia and if memory serves Finland. They provide the same reasons you now mentioned for walkers. I’m a little confused now. Should you buy a jumper or not? But I fully agree with you on the walkers.
My personal feeling is all things in moderation – when it comes to jumpers and walkers. I used both for both my kids – for short periods of time under very close supervision.
Well said. I find it so confusing that there will be a hundred articles pro something and the same amount against it. Take the whole eggs and fish debate with introductory foods. Its just so overwhelming. Our mothers believed in walkers and jumpers. I certainly have no injuries or defects caused by it. But agreed all things in moderation should provide a happy medium.
Well said. I find it so confusing that there will be a hundred articles pro something and the same amount against it. Take the whole eggs and fish debate with introductory foods. Its just so overwhelming. Our mothers believed in walkers and jumpers. I certainly have no injuries or defects caused by it. But agreed all things in moderation should provide a happy medium.
How about tips to get baby crawling, my 10mnth little girl just refuses, she will play on the floor but the minute i put her on her knees and hands she cry’s. she just wants to stand the whole time, so i am thinking she will probably walk before she crawls.
Hi Tracey. I wouldn’t worry too much, my little sister skipped crawling and went straight to walking! I’m sure you have tried to put some favorite toys just out of reach? Thanks of the suggestion, we’ll put it in the pipeline 🙂
Hi….I think girls are so much different than boys. My 10 month old girl is exactly like you said here about you girl, she does not want to crawl…just stand or sit. Then you get her twin brother, crawling everywhere. I think they are going to walk without crawling first. Good luck to you and your little girl @Tracey
PLEASE don’t give up on crawling. There is research that suggest that crawling supports hand -eye coordination and also develops the part of the brain that you use to solve mathematical equations. The mathematics alone was enough encouragement for me to spend hours ‘chasing’ my little guy on all fours.
Apparently it helps to put baby over something elevated. Like a pillow folded in half. Someone even suggested an empty 2litre ice cream container. This to help baby get the feeling whilst still being supported. I never tried this myself.Some friends swear by a toy that can wind up and drive or walk away- to entice baby to catch it. Maybe put a treat or a favorite toy just out of reach? My little one wanted to touch our dogs, with me having a germ phobia, our dogs learnt early on that they could be near the baby but to move away from him and not to engage. Thus they kept moving just out of reach and he kept wanting to go closer.
My 10 month old daughter has been standing and pulling herself up against everything for a while now and can move when holding on to something, but she refuses to walk when I hold her hands. She sits down immediately every time I try, it seems like she loses her confidence when I take her hands. I try to motivate my kids to do their own thing and she loves being able to move around. The only way I get her to take a few steps while holding my hands is when I swing her a little first, but I don’t want to injure her arms. I also use the walker in moderation after being warned by everyone and I bounce her a little on the trampoline as I do not have a jumper. I know the trampoline should also be used with caution, as my son has injured his ligaments around his knee on each leg on two occasions before he was 3 years old.
My son recently turned one, and s few days before his birthday a well-meaning friend said “You need to start encouraging him to walk” as she felt that he is taking long. However, he has mastered the prerequisites to walking, so surely walking will come next. I’m not stressed, and won’t pressure him. I think people make a big deal of growing up. There is enough rat racing in later life ?. But excited that he took a few steps unaided the other day. He just doesn’t feel confident for regular walkabouts yet.
Our girl started walking when she was 14 months. Our pediatrician gave me the tip to hold something for example a wooden spoon at one end and let our girl hold on to the other end while she tries to walk on her own. While she is walking and holding on to this object I would let go of it and she would not realize because she is still holding her end. Then after a while she would realize that she is actually walking alone. This worked well, because I think that she usually fell because she doubted herself and became scared and this method gave her confidence.
Thank you for the walking tips! I love the idea of going barefoot. I recently bought a pair of shoes for my younger child as he insists on “walking” (with support under his arms) when he is out, and I dont want him to hurt his feet if he accidentally stands on something. When we are at home though, I have realised that, as you say, the shoes just add extra weight, which can make walking all the more challenging to master, so I prefer him to be barefoot. He seems to agree with me, even when we are out because he has now mastered the art of taking off his shoes; we may start a car trip fully shod, but by the time we arrive at our destination and are ready to walk, the shoes are off!
Thank you for the tips I use to hold my kids hands while learning to walk