When Do Babies Walk?
When do babies walk? My 9-month-old is starting to crawl and I am wondering how long it will take until she is able to walk on her own.
This is easily the most significant milestone for many parents and their babies. It also signals a form of independence for your baby as she will no longer solely rely on you to get around and explore the world around her. You will be quite shocked at how quickly those first few wobbly steps turn into more confident and steady strides. Before you know it, you will be spending a significant portion of your time chasing your toddler around the house!
What Age Do Babies Walk?
As with all milestones, there is no real timetable for when your baby will actually walk. Some babies will walk earlier than others, but this has no real bearing on how athletic or coordinated your baby will be in the future.
During the first 12 months of your baby’s life, she is building the necessary coordination and muscle strength required to take those first few steps. She will first have to learn how to stand and balance herself before she can learn to walk, and this generally happens around 8 to 9 months. On average a typical baby will generally have the strength to begin trying to walk with your help around 10 to 12 months. Most will be walking unassisted by the time they reach 15 months old. However, some babies may not began walking until they are 17 months or older. Again, this is perfectly normal and not a reason to be concerned, as all babies develop on their own schedules.
How A Baby Learns To Walk
When your baby was very young, you may have noticed that whenever you placed her on a hard surface, or even on your stomach, she would reflexively push off with her legs and move herself into a standing position. However, at this age babies are simply not strong enough to support their own weight.
While it may not always seem obvious, your baby is continuing to grow stronger each and every day. Her muscle dexterity and coordination is in a constant state of development, which is why your baby will need to go through many milestones before she is finally able to walk. These milestones can include rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and standing on her own.
Eventually, as your baby reaches eight or nine months old, she will start trying to stand up on her own while holding onto objects such as a chair or couch. Eventually she will gain the confidence to try and move from one object to another, while trying to support her weight. You may even notice that she can stand on her own for a short period of time without your help.
Your baby will also have to learn how to stand up from a sitting position, and vice versa. Once she has done this she will eventually also be able to stoop down and pick up objects and even take a few steps with your help.
Eventually, your baby will learn how to balance herself and walk on her own, albeit quite unsteadily at first, but as the months go along she will be walking with confidence.
How You Can Help Your Baby Learn To Walk
Here are a few tips to help your baby along with her first steps:
- You want to give your baby and ample amount of opportunities to learn how to sit and stand, while also showing her how to bend her knees properly when sitting down and standing up
- Create a safe environment for your baby to walk and ensure that you are never more than an arm’s length away from her at all times while she is practicing sitting, standing, and walking
- Encourage your baby to walk to you by holding out your arms and calling her name or holding up one of her favorite toys
- Try to avoid the use of a walker, as this prevents a baby’s leg muscles from developing properly
If your baby has not learned how to properly walk by 18 months, then you may want to bring the issue up with your doctor and seek his advice on how to help resolve the situation.
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