5 Tips to Help Your Baby Start Walking

Most babies start to walk between 10 and 18 months old. However, before walking, they have to overcome crawling and cruising. These steps are also critical. And remember that all babies are different from others, some can walk comfortably, but others must practice very hard. The essential thing that parents have to do is to encourage and support them whenever they need it.

In our article today, we will introduce you to some tips on how to help your baby start walking.

1. Encourage Your Baby To Cruise

After being familiar with pulling, your baby will begin to cruise. You can encourage him to practice this activity by putting his favorite toy far away from his reach. This will help your baby to cruise more and boost his standing stamina and strengthen the muscles in his hip and thigh. After a long time of cruising, your baby will be more stable with weight on one side and start to walk more comfortably.

2. Help Your Baby To Stand

Step 1:

Firstly, let your baby stand on your lap with his feet. This activity will help his muscles become strong and push them up. Also, teach them how to bend their knees and let them practice this action to create the motor skills to help them stand up and sit down quickly. Being patient with your baby at this step is necessary as it will help create an excellent base for your kid to start walking.

Step 2:

Replace this cradle with a bouncy chair to help your baby stand. You can do this when your baby is 5 or 6 months old. However, remember not to provide him with a walker, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, as it can slow down motor development. Also, using a walker is unsafe and causes back problems for your baby. Therefore, use a bouncy chair only, not a walker.

Step 3:

In this step, you should encourage the baby to stand by himself, even briefly. You can place his toy above them, in a place that is far from his reach. To pick up the toy, he will stand up. Putting the toy where he has to stand to get it is also good practice.

Step 4:

In this step, you need to let your baby stand up and sit down by himself. Most babies can stand up very quickly, but they can still not sit down by themselves. Therefore, do not be alarmed if your baby is in this case. If your baby cries for help while standing, do not pick him up but gradually teach him how to bend his knees and sit down. Remember to support your baby until he sits down safely.

3. Help Your Baby Start Walking

Step 1:

Before start walking, you should encourage your kid to make acquaintance by balancing on his feet. Do not hesitate to stay on the floor to help your baby stand up. You can also count and speak out loud how long he stands. Try to encourage and praise him when he finishes the task.

Step 2:

After balancing, your baby can start to walk. Try to encourage him to walk instead of sitting by putting them in a standing position and encouraging him to walk toward you. You can also put him on one side of the room and make him walk to the other. By cheering, praising and clapping when he completes, your child will become more confident and motivated to continue.

4. Let Your Baby Fall Proving That It Is Safe

When your baby starts to walk, he may fall a lot. Sometimes, he is quite lazy to walk and tends to bump or fall into things rather than walk to them. Provided your house is designed for your baby to walk and you always pay attention to him do not worry when they fall. Choose a suitable diaper for your kids to walk comfortably. Each time your child falls, encourage him to stand up and continue walking instead of picking him up and comforting him.

5. Do Not Compare Your Child With Others

All babies are different from others, so do not compare your kid with others. Also, if your baby does not walk at a particular stage, do not worry, as the walking process depends on many different factors, such as weight and personality. If your baby is scared of walking alone, support him with your fingers for the first step, and do not put any pressure on him. Moreover, your child can quickly learn from his friends, so let him play with other babies or toddlers. For example, your baby will stand up and walk by himself if he sees others play and walk.

Above are five tips on how to help your baby start walking that you can follow. The most important thing is to encourage and praising him when he achieves excellent results. Do not worry or force your baby to walk too early. This will not benefit but harm your kid only. All content provided is for informational and educational purposes. We recommend you consult a healthcare professional to determine the appropriate method.

Author bio:

Emily Pham, a blogger with many years of experience in searching for the best natural home remedies for beauty and health issues.