when do babies walk?

Your baby's first steps might happen within a few days or a few months of when she first learns to stand. But once she does, it's just a hop, skip and a jump (in other words, practice, practice and more practice!) to toddling and walking.

Ready to chase your cutie around? Here’s when babies and toddlers usually start walking, signs your child is getting close to walking and ways to encourage her every step of the way.

Some children start to walk before they are 1, but many others take those initial steps after their first birthdays, usually around month 14, on average. Babies often take a few early steps once they’ve graduated from pulling up to cruising (or walking by holding on to the couch, coffee table or ottoman) around month 9 or 10.

When early cruisers make their first attempts at letting go of that piece of furniture they’ve used to stay upright, it might mean that you’ll witness some of those first toddling steps. Most children don't take independent steps until well after their first birthdays (most children are walking well by 12 to 15 months) but if your child is not walking by 18 months, check in with your provider.

Some of it may be in her wiring: Your little one may follow in her parents’ (early or late) footsteps. Build and temperament play parts, too. A high-energy baby will probably strut her stuff sooner than a mellow, happy-to-sit baby. And some kids are more cautious and only want to take a step when they’re positive they won’t tumble; others are daredevils and will dive right in — literally.

Your toddler will eventually learn to walk — but on her timetable, not yours. Sure, there are ways you can lend her a helping hand (see below), but rather than focus on the finish line, embrace the baby steps along the way. This way, her victory lap will seem that much sweeter.

Learning to walk is a process, of course, and each baby is different in his or her approach. Here’s a look at the stages your baby may pass through on the way to actual walking (remember it’s completely normal to skip some or all of these phases):

You’ll know walking is in the near future if your baby has already tried one or more of the above learning stages. Other soon-to-walk signs you might spy include better balance from your baby and the ability to stand upright for longer (which means greater strength). And if your cutie is walking like a pro while pushing a handled toy with wheels, she’ll likely be ready to let go soon!

Walking may also be imminent if your baby is going through a sleep regression. This setback in your tot’s usual snoozing routine is often connected to new skills she’s picked up during the day. So, if you’re in a 12-month sleep regression, her walking might be getting in the way of a good night’s sleep.

There are lots of ways to encourage walking, but the best one is let your baby have as much opportunity to explore with her body and try it out for herself.

Let your child have plenty of time outside of the stroller or carrier — and away from the playard or swing — so she can see where her busy self takes her. Here are some specific ways to prompt those first steps:

Patience is key, as every child develops differently and at her own pace, so if your baby is not cruising by month 10 or walking by her first birthday, it's not a cause for concern. You can’t really speed up a baby's development, so continue to provide of safe, fun chances to practice walking during playtime.

However, there are a number of idiosyncrasies you’ll notice as your child waddles around — all of them perfectly normal:

Do talk to your pediatrician promptly if you notice your child repeatedly favoring (or stumbling to) one side, falling excessively or if her legs seem unduly stiff, as these may possibly point to nerve, joint or spinal problems.

Babies usually start walking sometime between about 10 and 18 months old. Before walking, babies will usually have been crawling (between 7 and 12 months) and pulling themselves up to stand (usually between ages 9 and 12 months).

A baby’s first stumbling steps are an eagerly anticipated milestone in their early years that will have you beaming with pride. This proud moment marks the beginning of the transition from baby to toddler and is one of the first signs of their independence as they learn to move around all by themselves.

Walking is one of the major development goals, so many parents can’t help but worry about when their baby will start. But it’s important to remember that every child is different and will learn at their own pace. Some may be scuttling off on their own after just six months, while others will be over a year old before they decide to start walking.

Learning to walk is a steady, slow process for babies that begins during their first few weeks and months. We’ll talk you through some of the early signs that your baby will walk soon, including scooting, pulling up and crawling. We’ll also give you some top tips on how to baby-proof your home once your little one starts exploring more.

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The average age a baby starts walking on their own is around 14 months, but those first steps can come anywhere between 10 and 18 months. And while it may seem that their first step comes out of the blue, that magical moment is, in fact, the culmination of a long development process that begins in the first few months of a baby’s life.

From a very early age, your little one will start trying to build their skills in several areas, including coordination, and balance. Each new skill they develop will build on the previous skills, until they’re ready to start walking. They also need to build up their muscles in preparation for walking.

All babies develop at their own pace, but milestones will include:

As with most major milestones, babies will start to walk at their own pace and every baby will be different – but a good marker is any time between six and 18 months.

Learning to walk is a slow process. It requires your baby to have strong enough muscles, good balance and coordination, and the confidence to move around on two feet. Once they’ve mastered the art of crawling, steady walking development can include a number of stages, such as:

Tummy time is exactly what it sounds like. It’s where you give your little one time on their front to help strengthen their muscles and see the world at a new angle. Having this time helps your baby develop their motor skills, strengthen the muscles in their back, neck, and shoulders, and encourages them to start trying to roll over. But you shouldn’t rush tummy time.

Start with just short stretches of two or three minutes on their tummy two or three times a week. As their confidence develops and they start to show they’re enjoying tummy time, you can gradually increase the length of these sessions.

As babies grow, their muscles become stronger and more able to support their own weight. In these first few months, their legs and back are often too underdeveloped to support them standing upright. But as they start to learn to roll over, your baby will begin to build strength in their neck, back and arm muscles – all of which are important in helping them walk. Rolling also improves the coordination necessary to control their limbs for the first time.

Some babies start rolling from as young as three to four months, with most starting to do so by the age of seven months. Giving your baby plenty of tummy time will help them roll from their front to their back, which is what most babies learn before being able roll onto their front. Try placing toys around them so they’re encouraged to reach for what they want to play with.

Most babies begin by crawling, although some skip this stage altogether and jump right into standing up and eventually walking.

Babies will usually start crawling around the six-month mark, though each child is unique and will develop at their own rate. They may also develop their own style, as not all babies crawl in the same way. Some shuffle on their bottoms, some wiggle on their tummies, and some may even move backwards. How they do it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you’re on hand to support them so that they’re safe as they start to explore.

If your baby is an experienced crawler, they may be trying to attempt more challenging manoeuvres such as crawling up stairs. While stair-climbing may help them learn how to judge height and depth and develop their sense of balance, for safety reasons, it’s important to install stair gates so they can't attempt climbing them without you on hand to help.

As adults, sitting up is something we do without thinking. But, for a baby, it’s not as simple as it looks. They’ll need to develop strong muscles and be able to control their movements before they can sit up by themselves. Everything should be in place for your little one to start showing signs of sitting by themselves by around eight months old.

As your baby builds their core and leg muscles, they’ll be able to tentatively start standing on their own. They may lack the balance and won’t be able to hold themselves up for long, but these brief attempts at balancing are the start of walking upright.

At this stage, your baby is quite confident using anything at hand to pull themselves around the room – table legs, sofa edges – if they can use it for balance, they will.

Keeping your baby upright and holding their hands as they walk can be a great way to improve coordination and balance at this stage – usually around the six-month to a year point.

Very mobile babies will attempt to stand up and take a few steps while holding onto a piece of furniture – a technique known as "cruising”. If your baby is becoming confident, they'll soon discover how to move across a room using pieces of furniture as balancing aids.

Learning how to cruise like this is the last physical skill your baby needs to master before they begin walking without assistance. Encourage them to cruise and eventually walk by holding out your hands. Show them how to bend at the knees to sit down. If they reach a favourite toy by maneuvering themselves across the room, remember to give them plenty of praise.

Sometime between six-months old and a year-and-a-half, your child will be confident enough to potter about on their own. Be sure to not miss this magical first step moment.

Generally speaking, babies will learn to walk when they’re ready, but there are still some steps parents can take to help them along the way. Using toys and games as motivation can help them engage in moving. Remember though, each child will take things at their own pace. Some may even skip some stages and power straight through. So, don’t be disappointed if your baby doesn’t take to a certain stage as quickly as you expected.

Not only will these methods aid in their development on the way to independent strolling, but they’ll also help strengthen the bond between you and your child. Some useful tips and tricks to consider include:

Learning to stand up is a major milestone on the road towards walking independently, and most little ones start out by pulling themselves up on a piece of furniture. You can help them with this by encouraging them to use furniture that’s secure, solid and low enough. You could also try putting some of their favourite toys on top of the furniture as motivation, so your baby has to pull themselves up to reach them.

If you notice your baby hasn’t tried pulling themselves up yet, you could encourage them by kneeling in front of the furniture with them on your knee. You can then help them to stand. At first your baby might pull up using their arms but as they get stronger, you’ll notice them pushing with their legs more. You might need to help in the beginning by placing a hand under their bottom to get them fully into a standing position.

Holding your baby upright, or holding their hand to support them as they totter around can be a great way to get them to feel comfortable with standing upright without the fear of falling over.

If you’re trying to encourage your baby to walk towards you, or between two of you, extend the distance between you both to try and encourage your little one to walk the distance.

Should your little one fall over, helping them stand back up can encourage them to become more comfortable standing upright and trying again, rather than resorting to crawling.

To be able to walk, babies need to know how to balance. You can help them practice their balance by encouraging them to kick a ball while standing on one leg or playing games like stepping stones.

Sitting in reclining carriers or seats, or seats that prop them up in a sitting position for long periods of time, can delay your baby's ability to sit up on their own. Try to keep the use of bouncers, seats and walkers to no more than 20 minutes at a time to ensure they don’t hamper your baby’s development.

Shoes are all well and good, but, if it’s safe to do so, it’s better to have your child learn to walk with bare feet. This will help them build balance and keep a natural stride.

Though walkers and strollers can encourage your baby to stand up and assist with their balance, you don’t want them to become overly reliant on them. Encouraging your baby to stand unassisted is a good way to get them comfortable with moving independently.

Using toys, treats, fun and games can all help encourage your baby to do the activity you want.

Every parent wants to be sure their little one is developing as they should, so it’s normal to feel concerned or nervous if you’re not sure they’re hitting their milestones. If you’re not seeing signs that your baby will walk soon, try not to panic. Remember, all babies progress at their own rate and some will take longer to become mobile than others. You can encourage them using the techniques mentioned above and support them in whatever stage of development they’re at.

If your baby still isn’t walking by the time they’re 18 months old, speak to your health visitor, GP or family nurse for help and advice.

Once your baby is up and about, there are more safety precautions you’ll need to take so they can explore safely. The key thing is to prepare in advance. While it may seem a bit over the top to start baby proofing your home before your little one can even roll over, you’ll be surprised at how quickly they suddenly start moving. Plus, baby proofing in advance means you can get it done before baby arrives and you’re not too busy or tired from all those night feeds.

Here are some of our top tips for preparing your home for when your baby starts walking:

I'd been waiting to put my son on the swings at Mommy & Me, and another mom had overheard me bemoaning his steadfast refusal to move under his own power. "He's 8 1/2 months and still not crawling?" she asked incredulously. I stood speechless. I was the bad mom whose kid didn't crawl, would never crawl, and thus would never get into a good college. Or at least that's how it played out in my new-mom mind.

"He's probably just content where he is," my pediatrician said, unconcerned when I brought it up at Fletcher's 9-month well-baby visit.

Basically, in my doctor's gentle way, she was telling me to relax. But how do you know when you're making a big deal out of nothing or if your concerns are spot-on? To help you decide, here's a guide to the four stages babies go through to get from facile kickers to speed walkers.

A baby's first few weeks are spent stretching out their arms and legs, basically "unfolding" from the scrunched-up position they were in for so many months inside the womb. Within the first month or two, and certainly by month four, your baby should be actively lifting their hips and wriggling and kicking their legs. "The baby is beginning to test the waters to see what they can do with those legs," explains Charles Shubin, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

If your baby's legs appear a bit bowed, don't be alarmed. Eventually, most infants' legs straighten out by themselves, adds Dr. Shubin. And don't be afraid to prop your baby up on their feet. "The stresses of standing help straighten bones," he says.

Between 4 and 6 months, babies discover their chubby little feet, grabbing them and putting them in their mouths. They may also use their feet in the same way they use their hands, picking up toys and exploring the floor.

You may notice that your baby's feet curve inward. In most cases, this is normal—another result of being cramped in the womb. If the bones are flexible enough for your pediatrician to gently pull the feet into a straight position, there's no need to worry, says Kristin Hannibal, M.D., clinic director of the Primary Care Center at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. But if they seem rigid, you may be referred to a pediatric orthopedist.

Contact your pediatrician if by 3 to 6 months, your child isn't wriggling their legs, seems to flop in your arms, or if they don't put their feet down when you try to support her in a standing position.

Sometime between 7 and 10 months, many babies get up on their hands and knees and begin to rock back and forth. This move signals their readiness to start crawling. Of course, some kids find other ways to get around, such as scooting on their bottom.

Whether babies crawl or not may be simply a matter of temperament. "Some babies are more driven; other babies are more laid-back, happy to play with what's within their reach," says Dr. Hannibal. And some kids never crawl (really). It's usually nothing to stress over as long as they're meeting their other developmental milestones, such as pulling to stand, cruising on furniture, and using their hands properly, explains Dr. Hannibal.

If your child can't support their body weight or doesn't have the energy to move around, tell your pediatrician. Your baby may have low muscle tone (when the brain doesn't send nerve impulses to the muscles or the muscles don't receive them, which can lead to muscle weakness) or maybe they're not spending enough time on their tummy, says pediatric physical therapist Gay Girolami, executive director of the Pathways Center in Glenview, Illinois.

Another potential red flag: Tell the pediatrician if your baby isn't scooting, rolling, or crawling at all by 1 year, or seems to favor one side, particularly if they're not meeting other developmental milestones, says Dr. Hannibal.

Around 9 or 10 months, kids' curiosity motivates them to pull themselves up for a better view of the world. And by 11 to 12 months, they're generally taking their first steps while holding on to the furniture—known as cruising—or your hands. During this period, you might also notice that their feet appear flat. That's partly because the arch hasn't entirely formed yet and because it's somewhat hidden by a fat pad, which disappears around age 2 or 3.

While low arches in young kids are normal, feet that remain flat may need shoes with arch supports to encourage the arch to take shape, says podiatrist Alan Woodle, DPM, of the Greenwood Foot and Ankle Center in Seattle. Otherwise, baby shoes shouldn't have any support.

Your baby's feet may also turn in. Again, this is usually nothing to worry about and is likely the result of your baby's position in the womb. Generally, both feet and legs straighten out by 18 months, and unless the in-toeing is totally rigid (which would require a visit to an orthopedist), causing pain, or interfering with your child's ability to walk, most pediatricians allow children to outgrow it with no intervention.

Does your child only use their arms to pull to stand, seem to have difficulty getting up because their legs are stiff, fall more than would be expected, or frequently fall to one side? These are red flags that could signal a range of problems, including joint disorders, spinal cord abnormalities, and cerebral palsy. Discuss the signs with your pediatrician.

Kids need balance, coordination, and confidence to take their first steps. That's why children reach this milestone at different ages. "My 18-month-old started cruising around 9 months, but he didn't walk until he was a year," says Robyn Kaminski of Windermere, Florida. "On his birthday, he took three steps, then the next day a few more, and he was off and running."

Meanwhile, my friend Maria's daughter, Sofia, walked at 8 months, but my pal Jesse's daughter, Anjali, didn't walk until she was 15 months. "Most pediatricians aren't going to worry about a child who doesn't walk until 15 months if she appears to be neurologically normal in other ways," says Dr. Hannibal.

If your child isn't walking independently by 15 months; their balance hasn't improved (for instance, they can't walk alone or have an unsteady gait); or they fall frequently, seem clumsy, lurch around, and take very tiny steps, tell your doctor as soon as possible.

On the other hand, toe-walking by itself isn't a concern. Alarms start going off, say pediatricians, when a child never puts their feet flat on the floor, and the toe-walking continues past 2 1/2 years. Still, before you panic, have your child evaluated by a physical therapist or pediatric neurologist, because it's likely that constant toe-walking caused the foot muscles to shorten and tighten.

Low muscle tone could also account for difficulty walking. Joanna Hunter of the Bronx, New York, thought her 17-month-old daughter, Julia, simply wasn't as active as her older brother until a pediatric physical therapist diagnosed low muscle tone in her legs and torso. "She told us that at 17 months, Julia had the capacity of a 10-month-old," Hunter recalls. But within six months of twice-weekly physical therapy sessions, Julia was climbing stairs by herself.

While being aware of the different stages of mobility can be helpful, it's also important to keep in mind that some kids are earlier movers, while some are later. As a guideline, remember this: "You can still wait two to three months beyond the milestone before you panic," says Michael Wasserman, M.D., a pediatrician at Ochsner Health Systems in New Orleans.

Even so, despite my own pediatrician's reassuring words, irrational thoughts got the better of me. And so, when Fletcher was six weeks shy of his first birthday, my husband and I did what all good parents do: We led by example and got on our hands and knees to crawl on the floor. That didn't work. Even standing at a coffee table, Fletcher was content to stay where he was, playing with whatever was easily within reach. Then we hit on it.

Apparently, the way to Fletcher's mobility was through his stomach. We planted his sippy cup at the far end of the coffee table, then watched as the boy who refused to crawl slowly sidestepped the length of the table in dogged pursuit of that cup. Call it thirst or pure bribery, but our boy was finally cruising.

If you're looking for ways to help encourage your little one to walk, remember that barefoot is best. Baby shoes are adorable, but don't be in a big hurry to put them on your child's feet. As children learn to walk, the best shoe is actually no shoe at all, says Charles Shubin, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who recommends that his pediatric patients go barefoot or use socks. "Feet develop more naturally without the artificial support that shoes provide," he explains.

That said, there will come a time, such as when you go outside, when you'll need to cover your child's feet. Look for soft, flexible shoes with nonskid soles and no arch support, so your child can easily feel the ground. "You want less support because you want him to learn to use the muscles he has," says Dr. Shubin.

And remember that children outgrow shoes quickly, so check them every two to three months (four to six months for preschoolers) to be sure they still fit. Too-tight shoes can cause hammertoe (when toe joints curl under). There should be about a quarter inch between the big toe and the end of the shoe, says podiatrist Alan Woodle, DPM, in Seattle.

There are also some exercises you can do with your kids to encourage movement. Try these exercises to help your baby build the strength, balance, and confidence to learn to walk.

Try playing in baby gyms, jumpers, and stationary activity centers. These types of activities will help condition arm and leg muscles for pivoting, creeping on bellies, crawling, and walking.

Place a toy beyond your baby's reach or put something against their feet to get them to push off to encourage crawling and movement in general.

Stand your baby next to a low table and put appealing items on it to get them to step sideways. This will help promote coordination and at arm and leg strength that's necessary for standing and cruising