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PLAYING: How to encourage baby’s first steps—in 10 steps

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How to encourage baby’s first steps—in 10 steps

It can be both thrilling and terrifying watching your baby’s first steps—or at least, attempted steps. Here are a few ways you can help them when they’re learning to walk so they can make that giant leap for toddler-kind!

2 mins to read Sep 23, 2020
  • Tempt them with an interesting toy placed on a sturdy/heavy chair or sofa.
  • Encourage them to pull themselves up to reach it.
  • Standing up is often followed by a sudden bottom-plonk back down, so stay close by. (Luckily, diapers provide quite a bit of padding!)
  • If your baby’s standing confidently holding onto furniture, try holding their hand to see if they’d like to try walking.
  • Alternatively, you could encourage them to “cruise” along holding on to fixed, stable furniture.
  • A push-along toy can help them start to move away from furniture.
  • Smile and give lots of praise and cuddles for all their attempts, successful or not.
  • When you think they might be ready you can kneel a couple of feet away from them and call them to you, holding out your arms and smiling with encouragement.
  • Once they’re walking fairly confidently make sure you re-check your home to make it safe from obstacles as well as things that were not in reach before. Have a look out at baby proofing action plan to ensure you’ve covered all bases.
  • For ideas to keep them active now they’re mobile, check out our 12-18-month-old’s activity planner.

Sources:

https://www.smababy.co.uk/toddler/teaching-baby-to-walk/