When Do Babies Start Walking?

Some parents say that there babies started walking at the age of seven or eight months. While others say that their baby did not start walking until they were a year old. But what if your child is well over a year old and they have not even attempted to start taking a step? Is this something that you should be concerned about? The truth is that very few babies actually start walking by their first birthday. According to many pediatricians it does not mean that you baby is experiencing any type of developmental delays. Most pediatricians will tell you that many babies will start walking at about fourteen months. Just because someone else’s baby may start walking before your child does not mean that their baby is in any way smarter than your child. When your baby starts walking is usually related to their own genetics. When a baby starts walking is something that runs in the family. So if the parents started walking at thirteen or fourteen months than their babies are likely to follow the same pattern.

Also babies that are a more muscular and have sturdy legs will walk a lot earlier than children who are a little skinnier and not as well balanced. It is also related to how well of a crawler they are. For example a baby who doesn’t crawl at all may in some cases walk sooner that the baby is perfectly comfortable crawling. Making sure that your baby has the proper nutrition and a stimulating environment will help them to learn to walk a lot sooner. The one thing that you do not want to do is pressure your child to practice walking several times a day. It is important that you allow your child to learn to walk all on their own. Another suggestion is to get rid of the playpen. A baby who is constantly confined to the playpen where they are not able to maneuver around very freely will not be able to develop the confidence in standing or walking. Putting your baby in a walker will give them a large amount of time being independent and building up their leg strength.

Many people also tend to think that putting shoes on a baby will help them to walk better. This just is not the case. According to many pediatricians that I have spoken with babies learn best by walking barefoot. Babies like to use their toes for gripping when they start to take their first steps. If you have socks on your baby it will make it a little more slippery for them. The shoes will just be too heavy and inflexible for them. If however your baby reaches eighteen months and still has not walked you will want to bring this to the attention of your pediatrician. Your doctor with then have to examine your baby and find out if there is any type of physical or emotional problem that is interfering with their ability to walk. The bottom line is that you should not become overly stressed if you have the only one year old in your neighborhood that is not walking. It really does not mean a think. Just let your child grow at his or her own pace.