The first steps of a child are a great event that parents are looking forward to. But all babies develop in different ways, some begin to walk confidently at seven months, others only take the first step at a year and a half. This does not mean that someone is lagging behind in development, and someone is ahead, if everything happens during the normal period - that is, up to about 18 months.
Ability to walk
The first year of life, the child learns to coordinate his movements, starting with a simple one: first he waves his arms, moves his legs, then tries to roll over, sit down, gradually begins to crawl, and soon he will stand up independently with or without support. Already in the first weeks of life, children begin to touch their legs and push off the surface if they are held vertically. All this is preparation for a more serious and important occupation, walking. When walking, it is important not only to monitor the coordination of movements, but also to train the sense of balance - it is the undeveloped ability to maintain balance that prevents children from starting to walk as soon as they manage to get up.
Walking is not only an important skill for a child, it also marks the end of infancy. As soon as the first steps are taken, development will go much faster: soon the baby will begin to actively move, holding on to the furniture, then he will confidently walk without any support, and for several months he will run and jump.
Approximate timing of the development of the ability to walk
At five months, you will notice that the baby is pushing off the floor with his feet if held vertically by the armpits. He jumps a little, and this activity usually gives him pleasure. This exercise will help you develop your walking skills further. At about eight months old, the baby will start to stand up, holding the parents' hands or furniture. He tries his best to stay in this position, gripping tightly to the backs of chairs or sofa cover.
But at this age, not everyone has a well-developed sense of balance and coordination of movements, so walking is still impossible. Although from this moment the development will go faster - after a few weeks the child will be able to move independently, holding on to furniture or hands. He is actively stepping over his legs, but still cannot maintain balance.
By the age of 13 months, most babies begin to take their first steps - so far hesitantly, but already on their own. There is still a little time left, and soon it will be real walking.
Standards for the development of walking
The terms described above are very approximate, in fact, they are individual for each child. There are many cases when babies begin to walk on their own at seven months. But often this ability appears only at 16, 17 or even 18 months. Even if at the age of one and a half the child still does not know how to take confident steps, but otherwise develops normally, you should not worry too much. Observe the baby, help him move, but also give him freedom - excessive custody can cause the child to not start walking for a long time.
