I’m sure you are quite eager to find out at what age your baby’s first step occurs. It’s something every parent is excited to see! From learning how to crawl, soon enough, your child will take that first step. So when exactly does this happen?
Hold your horses and let me tell you more about your baby’s first step and when exactly this will happen so you can start baby-proofing your home very soon!
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When Can I Expect to See My Baby’s First Step?
It’s important to note that babies learn new skills in their own time. There’s no hard rule on when a child should learn how to walk or take the first step. But what’s typical among most babies is that they usually take their very first step once they reach 9 to 12 months of age.
You will see them with their wobbly legs, yet on their way to taking a step before they blow their birthday candle at 1 year old. As they start early, or at least within months 9 and 12, they should be walking more smoothly and more easily at 14 to 15 months. Pretty soon, you’ll be chasing after these kiddos all over the house!
But before we fast-forward to that super fun and challenging years for moms and dads, one word of advice - let your child take his time. Don’t worry or get concerned at all if your little one is not walking too soon.
Your neighbor’s baby may be walking at 9 months but don’t get pressure at all if your child is still barely walking at this age. Kids develop differently. In fact, other babies start walking at 16 or even 17 months old.
What Happens Before Your Baby Takes His First Step
Once your child reaches 1 year old, his body is in the process of developing muscle strength and coordination. This is why it is during this age that you’ll see a lot of crawling, sitting, and rolling over action!
Your little one is basically trying out every possible movement his body can make at this age. So every little sign of improvement definitely is worth celebrating!
So many things are definitely going on in your child’s body before he turns one…
During all these experimentations with rolling over and crawling, your baby needs to maintain balance and feel confident to take on the next level. This is why with your assurance and support, your child will soon be standing quite nicely against the headboard of your bed or the couch. He may slide along it but this is how it all starts!
From sliding and kind of losing a bit of balance while standing or leaning against your couch, he will begin to totter slowly into your direction. Maybe there’s a little bit of hesitation to let go of the comfort of the couch but you should see him setting forth towards your arms waiting to catch him!
It all begins with testing the waters and getting some support while standing. Next thing you know, little Junior is running and taking one step after another!
It’s these first steps that give your child a feeling of independence and accomplishment. He must be so proud of what he can do, and I bet that goes for the two of you.
How Babies Take Their First Step
You see your baby kind of wobbling even just to attempt to stand. It’s absolutely normal. You know why? It’s because his legs are not quite strong yet to give his body the support it needs. But here’s what’s interesting to notice - when you hold him up with your hands underneath his arms, you’ll find his cute little legs dangling down and actually pushing against the ground with his tiny feet.
This thing your child does makes him look as though he is walking. And in his mind, he wants to walk except his body can’t do it yet. So what’s happening here is a kind of reflexive action. It’s something you can expect him to do for just 2 months or so.
When he’s 6 months old (again, this is not the same for all babies), you will notice him bouncing up and down on your thighs when you hold him up and balance him there. This is why it is typical to find babies who enjoy bouncing a lot during this age.
It is his way of exercising his leg muscles and allowing them to continue and become stronger to handle more intricacies involved in crawling, sitting, and rolling over.
Interesting Timeline of Your Baby’s First Step
Let’s break down your baby’s first step into parts to give you a better understanding of what goes on before and during this process.
At 9 months, you will notice your baby attempting to stand by pulling himself up while getting support from anything he can hold onto. Be sure to give him a nice, soft spot to land in case he loses his balance. Stand on guard as he tries to stand and clear the area of anything sharp or hard that can hurt him when he lands.
What’s interesting is that at this age, your little one will start to learn how to sit or bend his knees right after standing. Looks simple for you but this is actually quite a complex process for your baby!
Give him a few more months to master the art of standing in a more stable manner, and he will begin to cruise and zip from one chair to another, looking for support as he takes several steps. Soon enough, he will learn and feel more confident about letting go of this support to stand on his own.
Unsteady at first but definitely making progress slowly and consistently. But my advice is never to pick your child up or plop him back down when he starts to cry and feel stuck with not knowing what to do next. Instead of plopping him down, show your little one how to bend the knees slowly to sit without falling over.
Slowly but surely, your child will learn how to walk more confidently and in a more stable manner. No need to buy him a walker or shoes. Just allow him to continue practicing with standing and taking small steps while going barefoot, and he should be able to enhance his coordination and balance that are important keys to walking!
Finally, at 12 months, or whenever your baby’s body is ready, he will start walking on his own.
