Baby Steps

Helping Your Child Learn to Walk

By Heather Johnson Durocher

Of all the milestones your baby will reach during the first year of life, the most amazing is taking those first precious steps – alone.

Beth Skarupa, mother of four, is looking forward to her youngest child reaching this milestone. At 10 months of age, Joey "cruises on anything now – the couches, chairs – he pulls up on absolutely everything," his mother says.

Most children walk by the age of 1 year, experts say, although walking may occur as early as 8 months or as late as 18 months of age. This is important to keep in mind should you feel discouraged your child isn't walking as early as other children the same age.

"Every milestone leading up to walking is important: holding up the head, pushing up, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing and cruising," says Sally Goldberg, parenting specialist and author of Constructive Parenting (Allyn & Bacon, 2001) and Baby and Toddler Learning Fun: 50 Interactive and Developmental Activities to Enjoy With Your Child (Perseus Publishing, 2001).

While walking may not occur until later, Goldberg says it is developmentally important for your child to be standing up or cruising around objects by 1 year of age. If this isn't happening, parents should consult with a child's health provider to ensure appropriate development.

While crawling is important as a stage of development, Goldberg says, it's "not a necessity for being able to walk."

The best way to encourage Baby's first steps is to take your baby's cues, says Goldberg. "He will show you when he wants you to be at the other end of that first step," she says. "He will take your hand when he wants it as support. He is also counting on you to smile and show pride in his accomplishments."

Marnie Holmes' daughter, Selin, began to take tiny steps on her own at 9 months of age. "Her big sister thinks it is a wonderful game to hold Selin's hands and walk around the house with her," says Holmes, of Sydney, Australia, who also has a 4-year-old daughter. Holmes has encouraged Selin's first steps by holding out a doll or something equally enticing in front of her.

Watching his older siblings use their legs seems to encourage her son, Skarupa says. She's also doing some prodding of her own with the help of toys that allow Joey to push and move around their one-level home. "We have a push toy that works very well," says Skarupa, of Huntsville, Ala. "It's sturdy enough and heavy enough for him to pull up on without it falling over. And he can walk with it even though he's still not that steady on his feet."

Having witnessed three older children go through this transition, Skarupa can't help but be equally excited about her youngest reaching the walking milestone. "I am looking forward to him walking even though it means he can get into more trouble," Skarupa says. "I find my kids are a lot less frustrated once they can walk and get around."

Want to see more?

• Move It, Baby! Motor Learning in the Young Child
• Momentous Milestones: The First of Many Markers in Your Baby's Physical and Emotional Development
• 10 Tips Toward Baby Safety
• Talk about it!