Encourage Your Baby To Walk - MS Baby

Nothing is more precious than the moment when your little one takes her first steps, and there is a lot that you can do as parents to make sure that your baby learns to be mobile quickly, efficiently and safely. By making minuscule efforts, you can motivate your baby to develop the required strength and go that extra mile in order to start walking. [no_toc]

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When Will The Baby Walk?

Every baby takes its own time to learn, so don't rush them into doing something they are not ready for. If the baby is forced to walk prematurely, it can bend and deform her soft bone structure. Generally, babies start walking anytime between the ages of 9 to 18 months. Be patient during this period as your child slowly develops her muscles and learns how to balance.

 

How to Encourage The Baby to Walk?

In order to start walking, your baby first needs to develop the muscle on its back and this she does by lifting her head when lying on her tummy or rolling around in the crib. You can encourage the baby to lift her body off the ground by placing her favorite toys just out of reach.

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• Once your baby can sit, you can take a toy and move it sideways in front of her face or play with her in such a way that the baby has to lean from side to side. This helps in strengthening her back and maintaining the neck balance.


• Once your baby can stand, then you can hold her hands and make her walk or stand a few feet away and cheer her on with lots of excitement. Provide physical support when needed so that she can freely experiment with balance.

[/su_list]Slowly as your child makes progress and starts stumbling around the house, you need to make sure that she doesn't get hurt. In other words, your house needs baby proofing!

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Taking Safety Precautions

Initially, when your baby starts to walk, it will grab on things to pull herself upright or to lower herself down. Therefore, you need to make sure that your child stays away from any kind of injury.

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• First, you need to remove or rearrange all furniture in your house that has sharp edges or is unsteady. Install safety gates on the stairs and baby proof the toilet seats.


• Once your baby can stand and walk it can also access various new portions of the house so make sure that all dangerous and harmful objects are kept out of reach.


• Ensure that there are no loose wires or strings lying on the floor in which your baby can trip and injure herself.

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8 Stages of Baby Walking

Your baby will not stand up miraculously one stay and simply start walking. It is a process and as parents you have to help your baby at each and every stage. Read on to learn more about how to identify the stage your baby is at.

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Stage 1: When The Baby Can Sit

Babies can sit upright without any support between the ages of 4 to 7 months. In this stage, the baby develops the muscles on her back, neck, arms and legs by rolling around and leaning from side to side.

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Stage 2: When The Baby Starts to Crawl

At around 7 months, the baby develops enough strength in her arms and legs to lift her body off the ground. Most importantly while crawling, the baby learns to coordinate her limbs to move forward.

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Stage 3: When The Baby Can Pull Herself Up

When the baby is around 8 months, she can finally grab hold of objects by stretching her arm and pull herself up into a standing position. In this stage, the baby learns to acquire the much-needed balancing and strength in her knees.

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Stage 4: When The Baby Can Walk with Help

At around 8-9 months, the baby gets stronger and curious. As the baby pulls herself upright, you can hold her hands and then pull her forward in order to teach her how to put one foot in front of the other.

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Stage 5: When The Baby Starts Cruising

This happens when the baby is around 9-10 months old. Once the baby learns how to step, she will start moving around by grabbing the furniture or the walls for support. In this stage, it becomes important to baby-proof the house so that she can safely practice balancing her weight while moving without hurting herself.

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Stage 6: When Your Baby Can Stand Unsupported

After the baby has learned to walk with support, she has developed enough muscle strength and balancing power to stand upright without support. This happens around the age of 9-12 months. Practice makes perfect, so encourage your child to stand unsupported till she becomes confident.

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Stage 7: When Your Baby Takes Her First Steps

Eventually, your baby will let go of the support and take her first tiny wobbly steps. At this stage, offer lots of encouragement to the child and guide her to improve her balance and walk steadily. This is likely to happen when the baby is 9-12 months old.

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Stage 8: When The Baby Can Walk

Let the baby stumble around the room. If she falls, encourage her to stand up again and start walking. Babies start walking steadily at the age of 12-15 months. Motivate the baby and try to make her walk as much as you can so that she can gain confidence.

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Actual Video Of Baby Learning To Walk

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How to Help Your Baby Learn To Walk Video

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The first year of the baby is full of exciting developments, and her first step is something that you will always remember. Be patient and be supportive !