Toddlers can be worse than a hurricane sometimes because, well, they talk back.
Toddlers are talking, and many of them also start walking, double trouble for first-time parents.
Babies are incredibly diverse when it comes to their development and progress at vastly different rates.
Walking is a big milestone, though, and parents want to ensure that they are doing everything they can to help prepare their future walker for success.
Most pediatricians will say that babies begin to walk anywhere between 8 and 18 months, but it has taken some babies up until 24 months to learn to walk successfully on their own.
One of the youngest babies to ever learn to walk was Xavier King.
Xavier King was only three months old when he sat up unassisted and was six months old when he learned how to walk on his own.
The good news for parents is that babies don’t typically just wake up and start walking; there are certain milestones along the way that help parents assess the baby’s readiness to walk.
By the way, after this, you should check out these 24 exercises to help your baby walk.
So, When Do Babies Start Crawling And Walking
First, Crawling
Babies become mobile between 6-13 months old. Crawling on your baby’s hands and knees helps them move at surprisingly quick speeds.
Note: Some babies actually never crawl, and they might skip the crawling stage altogether and opt straight for pulling up and walking assisted.
Crawling is an exciting stage as babies start to explore the world around them.
Then, Standing
Babies always start by pulling themselves up to a standing position before they can walk. This happens at around 8-11 months.
This usually happens after babies learn to sit up on their own. Before toddlers learn to walk on their own, it would make sense that they need some support to start.
Then, Assisted Walking
Assisted walking is the next stage that parents will see from their kiddos.
This can happen between 6-13 months, and this is a really important step for toddlers.
Assisted walking helps babies build the motor patterns and balance needed to allow them to walk on their own.
At this stage, it’s important to make sure that you’re toddler-proofing your furniture.
This involves making sure that there is no furniture that might topple over if the baby decides to try and use it to pull himself.
Lastly, Standing & Walking Alone
Next, babies need to learn how to stand without help. This can happen between 6-14 months, and this can really help the baby’s balance.
Balance is the key skill in helping baby gain the confidence to start walking on their own.
Again, don’t stress if your baby is just getting good at this skill a little after their 1st birthday. It’s totally normal.
After the baby has learned how to stand on their own, the first steps will likely follow!
Your baby has an innate drive to become mobile, so as they are learning, it can be best to try and sit back while they explore their abilities.
Strategically placing toys just out of reach, calling them toward you from a few steps away, or asking them to go get something might be the little bit of motivation they need to take those first few steps.
When To Seek Support
If they aren’t standing on their own and attempting those first few steps by the time they’re 18 months old, it might be time to talk to a doctor and have them evaluated.
Some other possible signs that babies might need more support as they learn to walk is if they are walking lopsided.
If your baby is better at moving on one side than another, they might need some physical therapy.
Also, if your baby learns a skill but then loses it entirely, that would be another good reason to reach out to your pediatrician for support and to figure out what the next steps might be.
In Conclusion
Try not to stress too much as your baby goes through all of these stages.
Many parents expect that kids will breeze through each stage and move effortlessly on to the new one, but that’s almost never the case.
Setbacks, falls, and failures are all normal parts of development, and it can be hard to see babies stumble and fall, but they will get back up and on their feet.