| Teaching A Child To
Walk. When your baby starts taking their first, tentative steps in the world, you may marvel at just how quickly your baby is growing. It is great to continue encourage walking, but it is also important to remember that walking comes naturally to young children and a baby will tend to walk when it is ready, regardless of how hard you push them to get going. Of course your baby doesn’t just start walking from being completely sedentary. A baby goes from rolling, crawling, and then pulling themselves up to a standing position. Physically active babies will tend to walk earlier than those who are less interested in trying to stand or crawl along the floor. Giving your child the need to crawl will help your baby master the skill that will allow your baby to learn to walk. As your baby becomes more mobile, it is time to start baby proofing the home. Make sure that easily grabbed objects such as lamps, candles or photographs are out of reach of your now exploring young child. Put up gates in any doorways and especially on stairs so that your child does not end up going on the stairs without you. Check for sharp corners and ledges where your child may get hurt and try to soften or remove these edges for the time being. Now that your baby is trying to walk, it is important to remember that they don’t need any special devices. No need for an expensive baby walker or fancy shoes. A baby will learn to walk correctly in bare feet and walking devices only hinder the walking process. Yes, your baby can wear shoes, but just know that wearing shoes will not make the process any easier. If you are insistent on using shoes, make sure that the shoes are comfortable and allow your baby’s foot to move well. Make sure that the shoes have flexible bottoms and are not too short for your baby’s foot. The feet grow quickly in young children and so check shoe size often. If you want to encourage your baby to walk, help your child get plenty of exercise. Games that involve developing balance and coordination or toys that promote good hand eye coordination will give your child the building blocks it needs in order to walk successfully. When you look for toys that will help your baby learn to walk, look for entertaining items that your baby can pull or push around the room. Simple kick balls rolled back and forth will develop hand eye coordination and you and your baby will have fun together at the same time. Even if you want your child to learn to walk quickly, remember that learning to walk takes time. Enjoy the process with your child and praise your child’s effort. Before you know it, your baby will be running around so fast you will not be able to keep up. |
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