Talk to me about walking

[SamraLee]

How did your little one start walking and when? What are the stages of walking and how long do they take? I know every child is different, I'd just like to hear your stories about when and how your child managed this big milestone!

Mine took her first step at 11mo exactly. She then spent the rest of the month before her 1st birthday practicing and working up to it slowly. By 11.5 mo she was taking some steps well (&falling on bum a lot); by 12mo she was walking well. Now at 13mo she's flying.
Mine has worked up to all of her milestones quite methodically. But I've heard of other babies 'suddenly doing' x or y - like for ages nothing and then 2 weeks later they have x or y mastered.

I believe, though, that once they're pulling up on furniture and cruising it's only a matter of time.

My dd started pulling herself up and walking around the furniture at just over 6 months, a couple of weeks after she mastered crawling. She would walk behind a push along toy fairly confidently, although she face planted many times if the toy got away from her. She took her first independent steps a couple of days before her first birthday. My niece walked at just under 11 months but didnt crawl.

Mine was 9,1/2 months, she never crawled, went from shuffling/rolling to standing & then wanking within a week, within 2 days more she was running up & down stairs like she'd been doing it all her life, caught us on the hop, which she has been very good at doing ever since :)

wallking damned ipad

DD1 crawled at 6mo and was standing/cruising by about 8mo. She didn't show any interest in walking until 15mo though, and would walk holding someone's hand, then was walking unaided by 16mo.

My DD was walking freely and confidently by 9 months. She was a small and light baby. She rolled over onto her tummy at 14 weeks, crawled at 5 months, cruised holding onto furniture at 7 months and then was away by 9 months. However, she didn't really say a great deal until she was nearly 2! And now at 8, she never stops chattering, she tall and very slim.

My DS (now 9) was walking freely by 11 months and was, and still is, incredibly active. He was a climber and climbed out of his toddler bed at 18 months. They are 17 months apart - it was rather hectic at times.
All children are different!

Sorry rockin but that made me laugh and laugh and laugh :o :o - times like these, an 'edit' button is definitely needed :o

DD1 walked at 13m having 'cruised' round the sofa since she was about 8m

DD2 walked the day before her 1st birthday and had been trundling around on a trolley for weeks beforehand

DS1 walked at 11m but was pulling himself to standing early (5m or so). He was a massive baby so he was like a 3m old when he was first born :o

ds started pulling himself up on things at 6 months. started crawling/shuffling wierdly across the floor at 71/2 months. Then took first steps and faceplanted while trying to reach a massive box of jaffa cakes at 91/2 months. Poor little man had a really nasty bout of illness not long after, and stopped walking/talking/eating for a few months. But after he was over that, was back to running around like a lunatic at 13/14 months. Hes always had terrible balance though! :p literally runs straight into walls and misjudges corners. Hes 22 months now, and only recently developed the ability to spenda bigger portion of his time on his feet rather than on his bum. lol Actually took him to the health visitor as was convinced he had some kind of balance issues etc ( paranoid first time mum ) health visitor watched ds in action , then laughed.....alot.....and said ' poor little duck is just a clumsy bugger. Lets hope he grows out of it before he has to start impressing the lassies!!!' made me chuckle.

Both my daughter and my son started crawling and cruising round the furniture at about the same time - just gone 10 months. The crawling, pulling up and cruising was very much all the same stage, they all happened together.

Then DD took first steps at 14 months exactly, was walking confidently inside by 15 months, and toddling round outside by 15.5 months. Running outside and climbing at soft play by about 16.5 months.

DS took first steps at 13 months exactly. But then he didn't really bother choosing to walk (though he would do it if you held out hands etc). From 14.5 months he was walking around confidently inside as his mode of choice rather than crawling. He started toddling around outside confidently at about 15 months and now at nearly 16 months is running around outside and climbing about boisterously at soft play.

PS both mine were very tall children - I think lighter/shorter babies are more agile and tend to walk/crawl sooner. No scientific basis, just what I've observed.

Bumpsadaisy mine was exceptionally tall for her age, slim too, often mistaken for much older even at that young age, but she was a very earlier walker, so that wouldn't fit for her :)

Sorry rockin but that made me laugh and laugh and laugh - times like these, an 'edit' button is definitely needed

Oh gawd yes, I NEED an edit button - - I'm not safe let loose on a keyboard at the moment, add to that autocorrect [rollseyes]

8 months - sliding around on her belly
10 months - crawling and cruising
11 months - walking holding 2 hands
15 months - walking independently on knees
16 months - walking holding 1 hand
20 months - walking independently...finally!

At 11 months started walking but only making few steps at a time, then at 12-13 months one day just stand-up and walked and haven't stopped since :)

Thank you all for your responses! I think my daughter is well on her way. She's walking very confidently holding onto hands and pulling up. In fact she refuses to crawl and will whine if you make her do it, but will gladly pull up and walk toward whatever she wants holding hands.

It's all happening so fast, but I'm so excited. I can't wait, but don't want it to happen. lol.

:o rockinhippy (still chuckling :o)

Dd started to let go and stand alone at about 9 months and took a few steps, she was walking independently at 10 months. Ds starte to do a few steps here and there just after his first birthday and was walking well at 13 months.

9 months (totally independently). And he is/was HUGE so not necessarily smaller/lighter babies who walk early.

My teeny tiny DD2 is 11 months and is walking very well! She stands up from seated (doesn't need to pull up) can stop and turn and even runs awww she's so cute! She crawled at 6 months cruised by 7 mo took first steps at 9 months and is now well and truly off!! My DD2 crawled at 9 mo cruised at 10 mo took her first steps at 13 mo

I mean Dd1 crawled at 9 mo...!

DS was pulling up to standing unaided at 6.5 months and started walking at 9.5 months. He fell over quite a bit to begin with but once he was walking he more-or-less refused to crawl anywhere.

DD1 pulled up to standing at about 8 months, took her first few steps at 10 months but clearly decided that crawling was far more effective and went back to crawling until just before her first birthday when she started walking properly.

DD2 pulled up to standing at 6 months, rapidly progressed to cruising, but instead of going on to walk she concentrated on climbing. She had no real interest in walking until she'd perfected the art of climbing all the pieces of furniture in our living room, and took her first unaided steps just after her first birthday.

Mine was quite late. He took his first tiny independent steps at 13 months, but he was a very fast crawler and seemed to decide that walking was too slow and precarious, because after two tiny steps, he reverted back to crawling for another six weeks and despite all our encouragement, didn't make any effort to walk again and was happy to crawl and cruise, although he was a perfectly confident stander-upper. At nearly 15 months he gave it another go and it clicked properly, and he never looked back. Handily we were out at the beach with a friend who's a professional photographer when he took these first proper big steps and we have a fabulous series of photographs of them - maybe he was just waiting for a suitably wide and appreciative audience!

DD was in the last couple of weeks of her 10th month. We had a jumperoo and I think that helped her build the leg muscles. Then I got her a blue toy pram to push about. At first she would try to lean on it like the walker but soon realised it wouldn't take her weight (oops, sounds a bit cruel now I type it!) and I think her desperation to push it encouraged her to walk. Oh and chasing the cats. She's been desperate to get her hands on those buggers for ages. Funny how fast they can run when they look so fat...

My DD also spent a lot of time in the old Jumperoo before she took her first unaided steps at 10 months (maybe 6 steps or something like that). We got all excited but then she suddenly had a growth spurt at the same time, put on some weight and I guess her balance was different so she didn't walk again for a good three weeks, so properly walking at nearer 11 months. Prior to this she loved having her push-along truck for a bit of independence.