Walking
When will Baby start walking?
Baby spends their entire first year gaining the strength, balance, and body awareness needed to get upright. By around 9 to 12 months, most babies are pulling up and standing with support. First independent steps usually come between 12 and 15 months, and by 15 to 18 months, those steps get steadier and more confident. Every baby develops at their own pace, and walking a little earlier or later within these ranges can still be perfectly typical.
Signs Baby Is Ready to Walk
Before Baby takes those wobbly first steps, you'll start to notice smaller signs that show they're getting ready to walk. Watch for:
Pulling up to stand: Is Baby using furniture or your hands to rise to their feet?
Cruising along furniture: Are they taking sideways steps while holding onto a surface for support?
Standing solo: Can Baby balance for a few seconds without holding onto anything?
Shifting weight: Do you notice Baby rocking side to side or forward and backward while standing with support?
Reaching in standing: Is Baby starting to reach forward for toys while standing, using their core to help stay balanced?
How Walking Progresses
The journey to walking is a long one, and practice starts earlier than you might think! From the very first months, Baby is building the strength and body awareness they'll need to get on two feet. Here's how it all comes together:
1. Early supported standing
In the newborn months, Baby can handle short bursts in standing while you hold them securely under the arms with their feet flat on a surface.
2. Bearing full weight during supported standing
By 4 months, Baby can bear their full weight while standing with your hands lower around their ribcage. They may even shift their weight side to side.
3. Stronger standing with support
By 6 months, Baby can keep their head upright in supported standing and their core is strong enough for your hands to drop to their hips. They may even start reaching forward for toys!
4. Pulling up to stand
Around 9-12 months, Baby begins using furniture and people to pull themselves up to standing, and may start experimenting with lowering back down, too.
5. Cruising
Baby shifts their weight side to side and moves along furniture, eventually transitioning from a sideways shuffle to forward movement with just one hand on a surface for support.
6. First steps with support
Baby takes steps while holding your hands or pushing a toy, getting a feel for the rhythm and balance that walking requires.
7. Independent first steps
Those first few wobbly steps all on their own happen around 12-15 months! Baby's arms will be out and their legs will be wide for balance. Falls are totally expected!
8. Walking with confidence
By 15–18 months, most toddlers are striding more steadily, falling less often, and starting to pick up speed.
Different Styles of Early Walking
Not all babies walk the same way at first! You may notice:
Cruising
Walking sideways while holding onto something for support, like furniture or walls.
Two-hand supported walking
Walking forward while holding onto a caregiver’s hands.
Push-toy walking
Holding onto wheeled toys, like carts or “lawnmower”-style toys, for support while walking.
Toe-walking
Walking on the balls of their feet or toes without their heels touching the ground. Note: It’s perfectly normal for toddlers to go through a toe-walking phase, but keep an eye on your child if it continues past age 2.
Start-stop walking
Switching between crawling and taking steps to move forward.
Tips to Help Baby Walk
You can support Baby’s journey with simple activities:
Start standing practice early: Starting in the newborn months, hold Baby securely under their arms for brief standing sessions. Gradually lower your hands toward their hips as they grow stronger.
Make standing a game: Say "down, down, down" as you lower your hands to give Baby less support, and "up, up, up" when they need more.
Encourage cruising both ways: Put a toy just out of reach along a couch, then move it to the other side once Baby reaches it so they practice cruising in both directions.
Guide first steps from behind: Stand behind Baby and offer your hands for support, slowly moving them forward to lead Baby into walking. Once they get comfortable, try holding at the hips so Baby engages their core instead of relying on arm strength to stay upright.
Offer a push toy: Toy carts and lawnmowers provide great support for stepping. Add some weight to slow it down and encourage Baby to engage their legs and core.
⚠️ Heads up on equipment: While exersaucers and baby walkers might seem like a convenient way to get in standing practice, most pediatric physical therapists recommend against them. These devices don't require Baby to actively engage their core, can encourage toe-walking, and can't respond to Baby's needs the way a caregiver can.
Falling is natural part of learning to walk. Here’s what to do when it happens:
Shoes or No Shoes?
Barefoot is best while Baby learns to walk indoors. Feeling the floor helps build balance, body awareness, and foot strength. Save shoes for outdoors: choose soft, flexible ones with a wide toe box that allows Baby to wiggle those toes! Find more info on how to pick the best shoes for Baby here.
When to Check In
Every Baby develops differently, but reach out to Baby’s healthcare provider if:
Baby hasn’t tried standing and taking one or two independent steps by 15 months
Baby shows little interest in standing or cruising
Baby strongly favors one side of their body when moving
Baby consistently walks on toes
If you need help talking about your concerns find more information here.
Walking Activities to Try
Want more hands-on ways to practice walking? Explore these:
https://pathways.org/activities/stop-and-shop
https://pathways.org/activities/clown-time
https://pathways.org/activities/stand-and-reach
https://pathways.org/activities/push-toys
https://pathways.org/activities/walk-and-carry
https://pathways.org/activities/rise-to-stand
