Look out! Whether crawling, toddling, or walking, your baby is very likely on the move by now! This is because at 12-18 months, he has improved Active, Coordinated Movement skills, greater large muscle control and coordination, and the self-confidence to experiment more with his actions. You may find him trying to climb onto furniture by himself, even though he may still need your help to make it up successfully or back down again!¹ Very likely, he can sit in a chair on his own (though not unattended!) as well as move more easily from sitting or squatting to standing.² He may even start to take more of an interest in the stairs, so be on the look out!^2,3 Be sure to stay close behind your baby when he starts to climb and offer support as needed to keep him from falling and hurting himself. You’ll want to close off the tops and bottoms of staircases with a sturdy, lockable baby gate to avoid any accidents caused by him climbing on his own.⁴

Many children begin to walk, or toddle, more than crawl at this age. This is why they’re called toddlers; when walking, “they toddle, keeping their legs wide apart and seeming to hesitate between each step, jerking from side to side as they move one foot forward, then the next.”⁵ As they gain confidence, they’re able to bring their legs closer together and step from heel to toe, and the toddling transforms into walking.

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It can be a wonder that any of us learn to walk with children appearing to get around so quickly by crawling and walking being so slow and clumsy at first. However, appearances can be deceiving! Adolph et al. (2012)⁶ found that crawlers spent less time moving about than walkers and fell nearly as often as early walkers. New walkers also practice an awful lot: “the average toddler takes 2368 steps, travels 701 [meters]–the length of 7.7 American football fields–…per hour.”⁶ With all that practice, the walkers in the study rapidly gained skill, increasing their step length and speed and quickly outpacing their top crawling speeds.

In addition to providing a faster form of locomotion than crawling, walking provides other advantages. A 2013 study showed that walkers have a visual advantage over crawlers.⁷ When crawling, children tended to look down at the floor and needed to crane their necks up or sit down to be able to see any distance off the floor. Walkers, with their heads naturally aimed forward instead of down, can see more of what’s around them while they’re moving.

Do you ever find yourself comparing your baby’s ability to walk with that of his playmates? If you do, you’re probably not alone. It’s hard not to compare your baby to others his age, but understand that children often learn their various skills at different rates, so don’t fret if he appears “faster” or “slower” at learning how to walk relative to his peers.⁸ In fact, a child’s ability to first walk is often based on his genetic background, health, and available space to practice moving around in. However, if your baby does not appear to be “toddling” or walking by 21 months, consider talking to your pediatrician about the potential for a motor delay.⁸

Regardless of when your baby starts to walk, he’ll find all the advantages discussed above, and once he starts, there’s no turning back! By 18 months, he will likely be able to walk more smoothly and without any support whatsoever. Get ready for some exercise. Before long, walking will turning into running, and he’ll be racing the world over with you chasing close behind!

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your baby’s development of these Active, Coordinated Movement skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Offer easy, safe climbing challenges.³ At this age, your baby is growing more interested in climbing. Consider making simple obstacle courses out of cushions and low chairs that let him practice climbing on his own. You can also check out local playgrounds with toddler-friendly equipment for another fun way to encourage climbing and gross motor development. These activities will help build his muscle coordination as well as self-confidence in tackling physical challenges.
2. Practice going up and down stairs safely.⁹ If you live in a multilevel home, your baby will probably want to climb those stairs that he sees you walking up and down every day. Teach him how to safely go up and down the stairs by modeling the action and supporting his motions. When first learning, always encourage your baby to face the stairs regardless of whether he is going up or down. Be sure to supervise the entire activity and keep child-proof safety gates up when you aren’t using the stairs together.

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Active, Coordinated Movement developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Walks unsupported.

Sources:

¹California Department of Education (2009). California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations.

²Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

³Early Steps: Louisiana’s Early Intervention System (2005). Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Program Standards: Birth through Three.

⁴WebMD Health News (2001). Baby-Proof Your Home: A How-To Guide. WebMD: Newborn & Baby. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/news/20010615/baby-proof-your-home-how-to-guide.

⁵Gavin, Mary L. (2011). Movement, Coordination, and Your 1- to 2-Year-Old. Kids Health.Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/movement/move12yr.html#cat165.

⁶Adolph, K. E., Cole, W. G., Komati, M., Garciaguirre, J. S., Badaly, D., Lingeman, J. M., Chan, G. L. Y. , & Sotsky, R. B. (2012). How do you learn to walk? Thousands of steps and dozens of falls per day. Psychological Science, 23, 1387-1394. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://psych.nyu.edu/adolph/index.php?page=publications.

⁷Kretch, K. S., Franchak, J. M., & Adolph, K. E. (2014). Crawling and walking infants see the world differently. Child Development. Retrieved February 3, 2014, from http://psych.nyu.edu/adolph/index.php?page=publications.

⁸Gellens, Suzanne R. (2013). Building Brains. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

⁹Gavin, Mary L. (2013).Household Safety: Preventing Injuries from Falling, Climbing, and Grabbing. Kids Health. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/safety_falls.html.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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