[Article] Developmental milestones: Walking

Article taken from babycentre

Developmental milestones: Walking

Walking

One of the most important milestones in your child's life, learning to walk is a huge step towards independence. As he moves from standing propped up against the couch to tottering hesitantly to your waiting arms to running, skipping, and jumping confidently, he'll be leaving babyhood behind.

When it develops

Over the course of his first year your baby will gradually gain coordination and muscle strength throughout his body, learning to sit, roll over, and crawl before moving on to pulling up and standing at about eight months. From then on it's a matter of gaining confidence and balance -- most babies take their first steps sometime between nine and 12 months and are walking well by the time they're 14 or 15 months old. Don't worry if your child takes a little longer, though; many perfectly normal children don't walk until their 16th or 17th month.

How it develops

For his first few weeks of life, when you hold your baby upright under the arms, he'll dangle his legs down and push against a hard surface with his feet, almost appearing to walk. But this is just a reflex -- his legs aren't nearly strong enough to hold him up -- and will disappear after two months.

By the time your baby's about five months old, if you let him balance his feet on your thighs, he'll bounce up and down. Bouncing will be a favourite activity over the next couple of months, in fact, as your baby's leg muscles continue to develop while he masters rolling over, sitting, and crawling.

At about eight months your baby will probably start trying to pull himself up to a stand while holding onto furniture. If you prop him up next to the sofa, he'll hang on for dear life. As he gets better at this skill over the next few weeks, he'll start to cruise -- moving around upright while holding onto furniture -- and may be able to let go and stand without support. Once he can do that, he may be able to take steps when held in a walking position and may attempt to pick up a toy from a standing position.

At nine or ten months your baby will begin to work out how to bend his knees and how to sit after standing (which is harder than you might think!).

By 11 months your baby will probably have mastered standing solo, stooping, and squatting. He may even walk while gripping your hand, though he probably won't take his first steps alone for at least a few more weeks. Most children make those early strides on tiptoe with their feet turned outward.

At 13 months, three quarters of toddlers are walking on their own -- albeit unsteadily. If yours still hasn't stopped cruising, it just means walking on his own is going to take a little longer. Some children don't walk until 16 or 17 months or even later.

What's next

After those first magical steps towards independence, children begin to master the finer points of mobility:

• At 14 months, your toddler should be able to stand alone, can probably stoop down and then stand back up again, and might even be working on walking backward.

• By 15 months the average child is pretty good at walking and likes to push and pull toys while he toddles.

• At about 16 months, your child will begin to take an interest in going up and down stairs -- though he probably won't navigate them solo for a few more months.

• Most 18-month-olds are proficient walkers. Many can motor up stairs with help (though they'll still need help getting back down for a few more months) and like to climb all over the furniture. Your toddler may try to kick a ball, though he won't always be successful, and he probably likes to dance if you play music.

• At 25 or 26 months, your child's steps will be more even and he'll have the hang of the smooth heel-to-toe motion adults use. At this age he'll also be getting better at jumping.

• By the time your child's third birthday rolls around, many of his basic movements will have become second nature. He'll no longer need to focus energy on walking, standing, running, or jumping, though some actions, such as standing on tiptoes or on one foot, might still require concentration and effort.

Your role (Important to read leh!!!)

As your baby learns to stand, he may need some help working out how to get back down again. If he gets stuck and cries for you, don't just pick him up and plop him down. Instead, show him how to bend his knees so he can sit down without toppling over, and let him give it a try himself.

You can encourage your baby to walk by standing or kneeling in front of him and holding out your hands, by holding both his hands and walking him towards you, or by buying a toddle truck or a similar contraption he can hold onto and push (look for toddle toys that are stable and have a wide base of support). Because baby walkers make it too easy to get around and thus can prevent a child's upper leg muscles from developing correctly, some experts strongly discourage using them. You can also hold off on introducing shoes until your baby is walking around outside or on rough or cold surfaces regularly; going barefoot helps him improve his balance and coordination.

As always, make sure your baby has a soft, safe environment in which to hone his new skills. Follow standard childproofing guidelines and never leave your baby unattended, in case he falls or needs your help.

When to be concerned

As mentioned above, some perfectly normal children don't walk until they're 16 or 17 months old. The important thing is the progression of skills; if your baby was a little late learning to roll over and crawl, chances are he'll need a few extra weeks or months for walking as well -- as long as he keeps learning new things, you don't have to be too concerned. Babies develop skills differently, some more quickly than others, but if yours seems to be lagging behind significantly, bring it up with your doctor. Keep in mind that premature babies may reach this and other milestones later than their peers.