Our first steps: how to encourage your child to walk?

When a baby turns one and does not yet walk on its own, parents often start looking for ways to encourage their child to walk. Do healthy children need help learning to walk? Do gadgets such as walkers, walking harnesses and pushchairs really support a child's development and are they worth buying? 

In today's article, we will tell you how to properly encourage your child (even one and a half years old) to walk independently.

Help, my baby is one year old and doesn't walk on his own yet: how encourage your child to walk?

Right from the very beginning, we want to reassure all concerned parents - every child develops at your own pace, that's why not all babies start walking on their own at the same age 12 months.

According to WHO, the development window for the ability to walk independently is between 8 and 18 months - it is during this time period that almost all healthy children begin to walk without support.

How to encourage your child to walk Is it even worth doing?

If we want to encourage a child to walk, first of all, we must remember that healthy children do not need to be taught how to walk. All you need to do is provide them with an interesting, safe environment to play and... do not interfere with them learning to walk on their own. Of course, we are talking about normally developing babies who have already achieved so far other development milestones, including:

• sit without support;
• crawling on all fours (although WHO states that approximately 4% of healthy developing children do not crawl on all fours);
• standing with support and pulling yourself up on furniture to a standing position;
• walking sideways on furniture, in both directions (this is a very important stage of learning to walk, and it is worth encouraging your toddler to do so).

You should consult a pediatrician or physiotherapist when you are concerned about your baby's motor development in any way, or when your child is over 18 months old but does not walk independently and/or does not attempt to learn to walk independently.

A walker, harness, or maybe a pusher: what will be useful, jak we want encourage your child to walk?

The use of equipment is not recommended such as a walker or a harness for learning to walk, because the child using them does not learn:

• correct walking pattern;
• proper transfer of the center of gravity;
• maintaining balance;
• appropriate load on the feet.

It is true that this type of walking learning gadgets reduce the risk of the child falling and possibly getting injured. However, if we want to encourage a child to walk, remember that every fall and getting up again to a standing position are harmful to the child irreplaceable lessons including: balance and motor coordination.

Learning to walk: will a pushchair work?

Is it worth buying it if we want to encourage a one-and-a-half-year-old child to walk? Yes, stable pusher is a toy that, in many cases, effectively encourages toddlers to walk forward with support. A pusher can be purchased when the child is already very good at walking sideways on furniture (in both directions) and increasingly moves forward against the wall/furniture, supporting himself with only one hand.

If we want to encourage a one-and-a-half-year-old child to walk, buy a pusher however, it is not necessary. Chairs, poufs and boxes with toys also work great as a home "pusher". However, if we buy a pusher, make sure that it does not roll too fast. The child must not give the impression of "chasing" the escaping pusher (this promotes the consolidation of incorrect walking patterns). If necessary, weight the pusher with a few water bottles/heavier books to make it roll slower.

How to encourage a one and a half year old child to walk: preferably through fun!

If a child performs very well in higher positions, e.g. gets up next to the furniture, it is worth giving him some courage and encouragement to take his first steps more boldly. Below are some suggestions for games that can encourage your baby to walk:

• Place interesting toys and books a little higher: e.g. on the sofa, on a low, stable table or shelf (but within the baby's sight). If we want to encourage the child to walk, we can arrange the toys one behind the other, move them around in a playful way, or place them on furniture that is close to each other, which will naturally encourage the child to move.
• Suitable substrate: 

• March between parents: If we want to encourage a one and a half year old child to walk independently, we can also organize a "march between parents". When the baby stands up next to one of the parents, the other person moves 2-3 steps away and encourages the baby to move towards him (you can grab an interesting toy in his hand).

If we are trying to encourage a one-and-a-half-year-old child to walk, it is also worth visiting a pediatric physiotherapist who, after carefully observing and examining the child, will advise parents what exercises to use at home to encourage the baby to walk independently.