How to Help Baby Walk Independently in Seconds? | Reasons for Late Walking in Babies | Toys | When do Babies Start Walking Independently?
Walking is not a big deal for all of us!
But I’m sure you are eagerly waiting for your baby to take his small baby step. However, there comes a thing, that babies are more happy and comfortable being carried and crawling.
But, it is not good for the baby to be like this always, I’m sure without taking a second, you all are saying right, right?
Therefore, to let your baby walk you have to do some hard work, everything would be paid when you see your baby walking for the first time.
Here, to help you out, I would discuss how to help the baby walk independently?
Not only this, but you would also get answers like when do babies start walking independently?
How to help baby walk sooner?
And, there are many more answers you would get.
Let’s start with, how to help baby walk independently?
How to Help Baby Walk Independentely? (20 Ways!)
1. Lets Walk Early
You have heard, “Practice makes the man perfect”, right?
This is what your baby needs, practice, practice, and practice to learn how to walk. Mostly, when babies hold upright, they start supporting their legs, themselves, from 4-5 months of age.
That also benefits the muscle memory of the baby’s muscles. Above all, most babies start bending their knees and learn to bounce up and down, not much but a bit. This activity helps the baby to stand on their feet, which further, helps in the building of legs and hip muscles.
At this time, you definitely want to invest in a good baby activity table.
2. Get a Small Stool for your Little Angel
This is one of the best exercises that will allow your baby to walk independently. This exercise would help your baby to strengthen her legs, back, and shoulder muscles.
Before performing this exercise, ensure that your baby can sit unassisted, otherwise, the baby can fall off the stool and hurt himself.
Later, always be around and nearby the baby, here we start.
Allow your baby to sit on a stool, that should be baby-sized. Your baby’s feet should be in touch with the ground and his legs and hips should be at 90 degrees angled.
This will more like squatting, which will ideal for hips and thighs muscles of the baby.
Moreover, place a toy on the floor and ask your little one to pick it up and sit back on the earlier position.
Further, to strengthen varied muscles simply enhance the reach of the toy. This not only strengthens the baby’s muscles but also allows your baby to support the weight by positioning the feet under the baby’s body.
3. Are you Encouraging your Baby?
You can try to engage the baby in encouraging activities to allow them to walk. You can play pass the balloon, balls in the basket games, wheelbarrow walk games, and more.
All this will not only allow the baby to walk but it also has varied benefits such as it enhance the upper body strength, improve coordination, increase the strength of the core, and more.
If not this, then you can simply place your baby’s favorite candy or toy to a distance and this will for sure motivate them to grab these. Come on, it is just like someone is offering you your favorite ice candy or food, which you can not resist.
Also, you can place your baby’s toys at his feet when supported by the sofa. Then encourage the baby to pick them up. This will encourage the baby to do squatting and build the hips and thigh muscles.
Motivation also includes praising, praise your baby even if he makes a small move, yes your baby might not have a great vocabulary. Although, they can understand everything!
Hence, try to keep their will high by motivating or encouraging them to do more.
4. Squeak Walking
Some babies find shoes more comfortable while walking than being barefoot. If that’s the case with your baby you can simply use squeak shoes with a little noise. This noise would end up encouraging the baby to walk.
If this is not working, do not worry, you can go for shoes with bells in laces and other noises that will do the same thing, that will encourage your baby to walk.
If this music or noise is not your baby’s preference, do not worry I have more options for you!
Keep reading.
5. Unshoed your Little Tot
The expert claims that keeping the baby barefoot is best to teach the baby how to learn walking. As shoes can affect the use of bones and muscles of the baby’s feet.
By allowing the baby to walk barefoot, you are providing the baby a chance to adjust their balance by completely following the feel of walking on the floor.
As distinct surfaces require the need of using the different muscles, joints, and posture. And your baby won’t feel these unless he walks barefoot.
Hence, keep the baby unshoed as much as possible.
6. Have you Tried Walkers?
Some parents simply provide toys to their babies to allow them to learn walking. And, the walker is the best toy that your baby can have, you have nothing to do but simply put your baby in the walker and there he goes!
Although, do not forget to keep an eye on your little one while he is in a walker as he might be stuck, fall, and more. Therefore, if you are looking for a toy to teach your kid, how to walk then I would say, walker, is one of the ideal toys to help a baby to walk.
Although walkers are not recommended for a longer time!
7. Hold me Higher Mom!
While teaching the baby how to walk independently, you should hold the baby higher. The right way to hold the baby higher is to hold the baby in the baby’s back and rib cage.
Then, with time your baby would become stable then you should hold him from the hip.
All this would strengthen the baby’s core, which again, enhances stability. Here, comes the answer to,
How to help baby walk sooner?
And, holding the baby’s finger over the baby not only results in soon toe-walking but it also promotes the forward base of support.
8. Say “No” to Bulky Clothes
This is one of the other ways to encourage the baby to walk. Of course, I’m not asking you to keep your baby in fewer clothes or with no clothes, especially during winter. All I mean is that you can keep the baby in the diaper or fewer clothes when he is inside the home.
Do not do it when you are outside as it might end up giving cold or fever to the baby. As to walk, the baby needs the free movement of feet and hip. Because this allows the baby to learn other motor skills too.
For winters, you can buy best baby room heaters to keep the room warm.
9. Can I Explore the Surrounding by Myself Mommy?
As exploring new things is essential for you, the same goes for babies. Only walking on the plain surface is not enough. Hence, once your baby learns to work perfectly on the plain surface you should teach or allow the baby to walk on an uneven surface.
For this, you can take the baby to walk occasionally uphill or downhill. This is the perfect way to enhance the sense of balance. That is important to be an independent walker.
10. Provide Floor to your Kid
Here, I’m specifically mentioning that you should allow your kid to explore the surrounding, instead of letting him walk in a limited area. This further includes allowing the baby to sit on the jumper, bouncer, car seats, and more.
As a result, your baby’s gross motor abilities are delaying. Logically, your baby is depending on these toys to assist them as a result baby’s postural muscles do not working hard to provide support to the baby.
11. Time to Move Legs with the Beat
Imagine, you are doing nothing but here your favorite song plays and you are all set to dance because your legs automatically start moving with the beat. Similarly, your baby moves himself with the music and song they listen to.
You won’t believe but a study shows that the baby responds to the rhythm and tempo of the music. Not only this but baby also synchronize their movements as they hear music.
12. Does your Baby have a Strong Core?
A strong core is the best way to support and help your baby to walk independently. For this, your little one has to do some exercise to get it!
Do not, worry I’m not asking your baby to lift the dumbbell, you can simply perform bouncing by holding the baby. Apart from this, get an exercise ball and let your baby sit on it, to be noted, your baby’s feet should not touch the ground when you hold the baby from behind, for both the exercise.
You simply have to hold the baby then let him sit on the ball. Ensure to support the hip of the baby, not the trunk, this allows the baby to support his trunk himself. Without letting go, roll the ball back and forth and side by side.
As you are supporting his hip not his upper body this will allow your tot to use his muscles to maintain his balance and keep upright.
13. Hey! Mate
So far, if nothing is working, you can let your baby play with the kids of his age who are already walking or your elder kid would be of great help too.
Of course, playing with them by crawling or sitting is not possible, for this your baby has to walk on his feet. All this can motivate your kid to walk.
15. Time to Emulate
It is really easy, all you need is to be supportive and calm during the process. You can hold the baby’s arms and hands up when your tiny baby is trying to walk. This is not just to show them that you are always there but it will also make your dearest feel how good it is to be upright.
Not to mention, it also enhances the confidence of the baby to make them feel safe and secure. However, as your baby is still in the developing phase, therefore, take breaks while teaching baby how to walk independently as baby gets tired too.
16. Let your Baby be a Free Bird
Yes! I understand playing with your baby all day long and holding them is the best time you are having but you gotta stop this. Let your baby down and give them a chance to take his first step to reach you, instead of every time go to him.
You are finding it harsh, isn’t it?
Well, trust me it is for the baby’s best, this would eradicate all the laziness he has, and above all he knows, that you are there to hold him every time he needs you. Give your baby a chance to do things independently.
Keep in mind, here I’m not saying you never have to hold your tot, not at all. What I mean just give him some time to explore the world himself.
17. Stand Behind me Mom/Dad
If your baby is taking steps towards the table nearby, you can simply stand behind them.
As a result, your kid would not take much support and would rotate their body away from the table too. All this may allow your baby not to use the table for support and stand independently.
18. Have you Tried Cruising?
It is the best way to teach your baby to walk, he can practice how to walk independently by back and forth cruising apace with a sofa or short bench.
You do not have to do much but allow your baby to stand next to a sofa or short bench then hold one hand of the baby. Also, the baby’s other hand should hold the sofa, this ensures balance.
Then, practice walking by moving back and forth. With practice, your baby would able to do the same without your support. To motivate the baby to do it, you can place your baby’s favorite toys at the end of the sofa.
19. Are you Assisting your Baby in Walking?
Here, you can help your baby to walk by helping it out yourself. For this, all you need is to stand behind the baby, by placing your hands around the baby’s upper arms. Moreover, pull the baby into a standing position.
Do not worry about the feet, start by pulling an arm of the baby forward. Further, do the same and the feet of your baby are going to follow because the baby’s hips rotate to take the step.
You have to teach your baby the same until he can walk independently.
20. Let your baby be a Footballer, Simply Cruise and Kick
So far, if you have understood how to cruise, to complete this activity, all you need is to place a ball of foam on the floor, right next to the baby’s feet.
While moving back and forth, your baby might kick the ball, unintentionally. But as you keep the ball right next to the baby’s feet he would start kicking the ball intentionally.
Additionally, do not place the ball on a side of the baby’s feet but place it on both sides, this will allow your baby to kick the ball with both of his legs.
Precautions to be Taken While Teaching the Baby How to Walk
- Do not force the baby, let him figure out things
- Allow your baby to walk and explore rather than letting him walk in a restricted area
- Childproof your home
- Do not rely on walker entirely
- If your baby sat late or crawl late that is the sign that he is developmentally not ready, and there are chances your baby is probably walking too, you can visit the doctor
- If your baby is lazy or bed-bound try to engage them in fun activities and do not, every baby is different
- Avoid holding the baby all the time
- Take breaks while teaching how-to walk
When Do Babies Start Walking on an Average?
On average, some babies start walking anywhere between 9 months to 17 months and a half. Some babies might walk between 9-12 months.
To be noted, if your baby is taking uneven steps and keeping their feet wide apart withholding arms overstretched. You have to help your baby with making balance.
As waking is a completely natural process, your baby can walk 14-15 months but still, there are still chances of bumping and falling, often.
Later, as your baby reaches 16 months, he/she can walk up and down the stairs. And finally, by 18 months, your baby probably will be ready to walk unassisted.
When Do Babies Stand Up Unassisted?
If you are wondering, when do babies stand up unassisted?
Then, here is your answer.
By the age of 12-14 months, your baby is all ready to stand up independently. Before that, babies learn standing with the help of furniture, this is between 6 to 10 months.
However, all the babies are distinct and would likely walk in their own time. Surely, you can support your baby but you should not force them.
What are the Reasons for Late Walking in Babies?
Here, I would mention the reasons for late walking in babies.
Usually, late walking is normal, which is termed as delayed motor maturation or familial. The aspect that delays walking of the baby is,
- Abnormalities in muscles and tone such as hypotonia, muscular dystrophy,
- Maternal antenatal infections or toxic, head injury, rickets, malnutrition, or infections such as encephalitis, meningitis, and other environmental factors
- Severe jaundice could also affect the walking
- Issues in pregnancy such as hypertension, antepartum hemorrhage
- Overprotective or immature mother, result in holding the baby all the while
- Cerebral palsy is also one of the reasons
- Overuse of walker
- Keeping the baby in cots, also delay gross motor skills
- Bedbound baby
- Emotionally deprived baby
Conclusion
So far, you have understood, how to help the baby walk independently? When do babies start walking on average or stand up unassisted?
I hope you understand that you do not have to force your baby to walk but make things fun for him so that he can enjoy it. Always remember that walking is a natural process.
Support the baby, play with him, and allow him to walk in his own feet!
Happy Parenthood!
