Did you know that your babies need 1,000 hours of walking practice from the moment they try to walk or try to walk. These crucial steps and relentless efforts then lead to you baby taking those first walking steps which is a really joyful and proudest moments for any parents. Though your baby will first learn to crawl, sit and rollover but this usually happens in first 8 to 12 months. Some babies may start walk early and some may walk late but parents should not worry and give them time to learn. Some parents may rush their baby to walk but the parents should also know that it’s a natural process and they should never force their baby to walk. It may take them 1 or 2 years to fully understand walking and be confident to take the steps and control their balance. The baby walkers are somewhat controversial as the American Academy of Pediatrics do not recommend these type of devices for you baby walk as these things may hinder you child natural way to learning to walk as it make it easy for the baby to walk and it may also hinder the development of their leg muscles and there is always a risk of your baby going to places where a small baby cannot go with out a walker.
Tips for making your baby walk naturally
A baby typically starts to walk between the ages of 10 and 14 months. There is a progression of activities that your baby will need to master leading up to her being able to walk independently. Activities from her initial months of life, including tummy time, rolling over, sitting, and crawling all play into strengthening the muscles that help support her ability to stand and then walk
#1 Plenty of Playing time
The best way to prepare your baby for standing and eventually walking is to provide plenty of time playing on the floor and encourage crawling. Usually by 9 months, a baby will master pulling herself up to stand by holding onto a parents hands or nearby furniture.
#2 Help your baby to stand
You can help your baby improve her strength, balance and visual tracking by doing an exercise where you hold onto her hands or forearms and gently start to pull her up, giving her the opportunity to engage her core muscles as she gets herself into a standing position. After having her stand for 5-10 seconds, slowly lower her back to a sitting position and repeat again multiple times as your baby tolerates. You can also help your baby into a standing position and place her hands on a sofa or another piece of furniture.
#3 Allow your Baby to support her own weight
Allow her to support her own weight for as long as she can while you are close by. Once your baby is able to pull up to stand without help, you can transition to an activity of putting your hands above her hips while she is standing. Slowly shift her body weight from one leg to the other in a side to side rocking motion, as if you’re doing a little dance. Make sure your baby’s arms are free for her to use for balancing.
#4 Encourage your Baby to hold on to different objects
To encourage your baby to start cruising around, while she is in a standing position and holding onto furniture such as a sofa, place her favorite toy just out of reach to one side. Once she makes a move towards it, you can keep moving the toy to get her to keep cruising along the length of the sofa. If you’re finding this information helpful, please give us your feedback.
#5 Use toys and other objects as motivation for standing up
To teach your baby to stand independently without support, while he is standing and holding on to a piece of furniture, hold out a favorite toy item within reach. As he lifts one arm up to get the toy, transition it closer to the other hand to encourage him to have both arms off the supporting surface. Be patient and don’t rush him. It will take time to develop this skill. As her muscles get stronger and she becomes more confident, she will start to independently stand up on her own for brief periods of time.
#6 Make your Baby to walk bare foot
Make sure you have your baby barefoot while he is learning to walk. It gives him the opportunity to feel different surfaces and textures and these sensory signals provide more awareness to the feet.
#7 Hold her hand while walking
Set aside several times throughout the day to practice walking with your baby as she is learning. While holding her by the hands, you can walk around the room. As your baby is getting more confident standing on her own, try to remove your support and give her a chance to support her own body weight. Also give your baby a chance to take steps by having one adult standing out in front of her with arms outstretched motioning for her to come or holding a favorite toy, while another adult is supporting her in a standing position by holding on to her waist, so her hands are free to help her with balancing
#8 Try to avoid Baby walkers
The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends against parents using them with their babies. Thousands of kids end up in the Emergency room every year due to injuries associated with using these types of baby walkers. The most common are injuries due to rolling down the stairs. Other babies get burns, because they can reach higher in a walker to grab pot handles off the stove or spill a hot liquid or food on themselves. They can more readily reach radiators, fireplaces or space heaters as well. There have also been cases of babies drowning because of falling into the pool due to increased ease of getting around while in a baby walker. Also the way that the babies legs are positioned when in a walker is not a natural stance. It can teach the hips and knees to take weight in an abnormal position, which can lead to long-term changes to the child’s walking pattern and can sometimes cause long term hip problems. Also baby walkers teach babies to scoot around on their tip toes and this strengthens the wrong muscles of the legs. However push walkers like this one are fine to use. They help build strength, balance and confidence in a baby as she is learning to walk. Remember learning to walk is a gradual learning process for your baby that takes patience and practice. Continue to encourage your baby along and celebrate the little wins as your baby progresses closer to taking those first independent steps. In the comments section below, let me know which of these recommendations you found to be most helpful. I’m looking forward to seeing you suggestions