Encouraging LO to walk more?

[ajlj1126]

Hi! My DD is turning 1 in exactly one week (Sept 3rd!!) and she just recently in the last couple of weeks started "walking." She's not walking across the house or anything, but she'll take 5-6 steps as long as I pick her up, put her on her feet, back up, and "catch" her a few steps later. She won't even try to walk if I put her on her feet and leave her, she just sits back down and crawls. She can stand for quite some time on her own and often will get up from crawling to stand, only to sit back down and crawl some more. She will walk fine with one hand on the couch or the wall, and if I hold her hand she'll walk all day! But she just won't do it independently.

Is there any way I can encourage her to walk more on her own? I'm not trying to rush her at all but she took her first steps two weeks ago and hasn't tried to do it on her own even once.

Thanks mamas!

 

[Larkspur]

Sounds pretty normal to me. If you're not trying to rush her, just let her get there in her own time. You don't need to encourage her in any way.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

My daughter is 15 months old and still crawls around some. The grandparents gave her "walking" toys that she holds onto and walks while pushing them, which she has loved, and she has some small chairs she pushes around the house while giggling madly. I think those helped encourage her to walk more. Otherwise she progressed just fine on her own, and kept walking further distances little by little. I'd say just let her do her thing if you're in no rush, it sounds like she's heading in the right direction already.

Edit: This was her favorite when she was learning to walk

Vtech Sit-to-Stand Walker

 

[kirstybumx3]

Rio took his first steps a few weeks before his first birthday and has only just started walking full time independently at 14 months. She will definitely just do it when she's got the confidence and is ready.
Most of the time when we are out shopping now and I'm not alone I have someone else push the buggy so that rio can walk holding my hand, he likes this and he's managing to walk for longer periods of time each time we do it before he gets tired

 

[MrsPear]

I think the best thing to do is just make sure you go to a lot of places where walking would be fun/more interesting/convenient. Like soft play, the aquarium, even the shopping centre etc. That way it'll naturally seem like the exciting thing to do. In my experience Joni got quite anxious about it when i was actively 'encouraging' her and I think it made her less likely to do it. x

 

[staralfur]

It was 2-3 months between my LO taking her first steps and wanting to walk independently. I think it's naturally a slow progression. I'd just keep letting her walk as much as she wants holding into hands/objects and eventually she'll start to venture out on her own.

 

[iiTTCii]

My LO took her first steps about 8 weeks ago, it has only been in the last few days where she is wanting to walk all around the house and outside. She is still crawling a lot but I think she has now found the confidence she needs.

 

[Kanichen34]

This is a good thread to read as my LO took her first steps last Thursday and has only done one or two since. I can see it's just confidence so she'll get there, but nice to see it can take a while and that's normal.

 

[embeth]

She will walk more as soon as she's ready, my lo has been taking steps since 9 months. He is 1 in two weeks and has bee. Walking around properly for the last 2 or so weeks, now there's no stopping him!!

 

[CaptainMummy]

I would just let her do it in her own time. My lo was the opposite, first steps at exactly 9 months and by 9.5 months she had stopped crawling completely.
Your LO will get more and more confident and will eventually realise that walking is much easier/quicker the more she does it

 

[ajlj1126]

My daughter is 15 months old and still crawls around some. The grandparents gave her "walking" toys that she holds onto and walks while pushing them, which she has loved, and she has some small chairs she pushes around the house while giggling madly. I think those helped encourage her to walk more. Otherwise she progressed just fine on her own, and kept walking further distances little by little. I'd say just let her do her thing if you're in no rush, it sounds like she's heading in the right direction already.

Edit: This was her favorite when she was learning to walk

Vtech Sit-to-Stand Walker

I wanted to get her a walker but her pediatrician told me not to. He said it encourages babies to walk on their tippy toes. I think a push-walker would be okay though! Thank you for the suggestions!

I think the best thing to do is just make sure you go to a lot of places where walking would be fun/more interesting/convenient. Like soft play, the aquarium, even the shopping centre etc. That way it'll naturally seem like the exciting thing to do. In my experience Joni got quite anxious about it when i was actively 'encouraging' her and I think it made her less likely to do it. x

I will have to try that! On a side note- I've heard a lot about "soft play" but i don't know what that is. Is it something we have here (I'm in the U.S.) or is it just in the UK? Thank you!


I'm not rushing LO to walk, I want her to figure it out on her own. She has with everything else! I have family coming from out of town (and some from over seas, France!) to see her for her 1st birthday. They are saying they want to see her walking, and she "should be walking by now." I told them I'm not rushing her for anyone's convenience. When she starts walking on her own, I'll post videos on Facebook and they'll have to be happy with that.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

We skipped the walkers too, I read too many injury stories associated with them. She walks flat-footed with the push toy though, and all of the music keeps her entertained.

 

[NoodleSnack]

It's just a confidence thing. My son took his first steps around 10-11mo and only walk regularly from 13m. I wasn't keen on the crawling stage, he wouldn't be carried but I didn't want him to crawl on dirty floor when we were out.

 

[sue_88]

My LO as like Mrs Murphy's, at 11m we had first steps then by 11.5m she had taken off and won't be stopped! I. Just walked with her a lot to build her confidence and set her down in the room on her feet and she soon grasped it.

She's 13m now and walking is very the norm, she just gets on an does it.

 

[MrsPear]

My daughter is 15 months old and still crawls around some. The grandparents gave her "walking" toys that she holds onto and walks while pushing them, which she has loved, and she has some small chairs she pushes around the house while giggling madly. I think those helped encourage her to walk more. Otherwise she progressed just fine on her own, and kept walking further distances little by little. I'd say just let her do her thing if you're in no rush, it sounds like she's heading in the right direction already.

Edit: This was her favorite when she was learning to walk

Vtech Sit-to-Stand Walker

I wanted to get her a walker but her pediatrician told me not to. He said it encourages babies to walk on their tippy toes. I think a push-walker would be okay though! Thank you for the suggestions!

I think the best thing to do is just make sure you go to a lot of places where walking would be fun/more interesting/convenient. Like soft play, the aquarium, even the shopping centre etc. That way it'll naturally seem like the exciting thing to do. In my experience Joni got quite anxious about it when i was actively 'encouraging' her and I think it made her less likely to do it. x

I will have to try that! On a side note- I've heard a lot about "soft play" but i don't know what that is. Is it something we have here (I'm in the U.S.) or is it just in the UK? Thank you!


I'm not rushing LO to walk, I want her to figure it out on her own. She has with everything else! I have family coming from out of town (and some from over seas, France!) to see her for her 1st birthday. They are saying they want to see her walking, and she "should be walking by now." I told them I'm not rushing her for anyone's convenience. When she starts walking on her own, I'll post videos on Facebook and they'll have to be happy with that.

I don't know if soft play is in the US or what you would call it! It's like a play centre with a ball pool and slides and general soft structured obstacles etc. They are ten a penny round here, I've got two writing walking distance and quick bus ride to about 4 more. X