8 month old just wants to stand up and walk with our support

[Cafeaulait27]

Since our baby was 6-7 months old he just wants to stand up, and have us help him balance by holding under his arms. He has also mastered putting one foot in front of the other so all he wants to do now is walk around with us holding so he can balance, if we let go he would fall over.

He doesn’t crawl, hates being on his tummy and doesn’t bum shuffle. He gets frustrated after a while sitting and wants us to stand him up, he even plays with his toys standing up.

he has just started to touch the furniture while doing this and look up at toys on the coffee table while sitting and try to get them, but he isn’t cruising yet and doesn’t use the furniture to steady himself or to hold on to.

I know all babies are different and he’ll get there eventually with walking but I was wondering if anyone else’s baby did this and when they started cruising/walking?

at the moment it’s a killer on my back, arms and knees as I’m doing this a lot of the day to keep him happy. He puts his arms up and gets frustrated when sitting sometimes and I don’t like to see him upset so I stand him up, and I am trying to show him how he can grab hold of furniture by putting his toys on the coffee table so he can see them and try to get to them.

i know once they’re walking it’s not easy but my knees, arms and back are not loving this 😂 am I doing the wrong thing by walking him around? Should I be letting him ‘struggle’ so he figures it out?

thanks!

My little girl was like this - wanted to “walk” everywhere from a similar age. Like you say it’s a killer on your back and legs!
With her I just really encouraged a lot to tummy time, Toys just out of reach etc. i would help her to crawl by holding her under the tummy and moving the alternate arms and legs. I got so desperate I would crawl around in front of her to show her how to do it! 🤣
It suddenly clicked for her and she started to crawl around 9 months. After that she didn’t care about the walking at all - to the point where if you tried to stand her up she d lift her feet so she could be put on her bum!
Shes now 11 1/2 months and just showing some interest in walking again. Cruising around the furniture and pushing the walker around.
I think they just want to be able to move independently, and don’t care how as long as they can do something!

We got a little push cart from IKEA that helped our DCs balance themselves to “walk” without us having to help them as much (although for a few weeks we’d hover behind them because the falls could be spectacular). This was pretty much the only relief for our backs and knees. Challenging phase!

get a push long walker. My son was doing this at that age then cruising in no time. Took till 13 months for actual alone steps!

Thank you! With a Walker, do you find it’s just constantly crashing into things? Our home is quite small so I’m just trying to think if he’d actually be able to get around much?

I know I’ll regret saying this but at this point cruising and independent walking would feel like a break 😂

Mine never crawled. We had quite a crowded lounge and she was able to cruise the furniture and get all the way round the room. First pair of shoes and walking at 10 months.

But, she had large feet so a good steady base to stand on.

It’s very important developmentally that he crawls before he walks so do encourage him to crawl. Like one poster said it helps to get down and show them what to do.
I would not be “helping” the baby to walk at 8months or buying them a walker. The difficulties will become evident once they start school.
Well worth researching for more detail but essentially your baby’s neural pathways are forming and the crawling process of criss-crossing arms and legs allows the brain to form problem-solving pathways.

My 2 were both like this, both walking solo at 8 months, never crawled, terrible discomfort and pain for the adults supporting them from 3/4 months until then. Absolutely no sign of problem-solving problems or developmental difficulties and I would question the evidence for this. They learned to crawl between 1-2 yo when faced with play tunnels :)

My son walked from 9 months. There was absolutely nothing I could’ve done to stop him!

@SaltySalad lots of babies never crawl and they’re developmentally fine, I’m not sure where you’re getting this info from? I never crawled and there’s nothing wrong with me.

I can’t not help him to walk, it’s literally all he wants to do. I’m not forcing him to walk, I literally balance him and he does the rest, I just stop him from falling, he sits once he’s tired.

I am hoping for an early Walker like @UrsulaPandress and not months and months of this haha.

@Imissmoominmama wow, did he start off like this or was it different? Thanks

Mine was like this. I didn’t walk her around all the time. She stood up and walked herself across the room at 9.5 months.

What a load of rubbish. Many children walk before they crawl. Ignore this claptrap OP. Encourage the walking exactly as you're doing.

My first walked at 9mths unaided very happy, now a teen competition gymnast has never stopped being active 🤷🏻‍♀️ some kids just do. My other walked at 11mts, I wouldn’t worry just enjoy it.

*It’s very important developmentally that he crawls before he walks so do encourage him to crawl.

I would not be “helping” the baby to walk at 8months or buying them a walker. The difficulties will become evident once they start school.
Well worth researching for more detail but essentially your baby’s neural pathways are forming and the crawling process of criss-crossing arms and legs allows the brain to form problem-solving pathways*

what “difficulties” become evident?

mine never crawled. Walking with a push trolley at 7m, independently by 9m. By 8 was an advanced gymnast, and at 17 is a Team GB athlete.

so not quite sure where not crawling caused difficulties?

@SaltySalad

Seriously?

My son was wanting to be active and upright from 4 months. We borrowed a baby walker from a friend to see if he liked it. It was the type of walker that you put the baby in as opposed to push and yes I know it can be frowned upon. He absolutely loved it. He was always a rubbish sleeper and for the first few months if he was awake he was crying. Obviously we checked with the baby clinic who said if he likes it no harm done. Anyway once in it he was super active and would move constantly. We stopped him going in it from about 8 months when he started cruising around the furniture. He walked properly on the day he turned 9 months. Because he was so active he did sleep better. He started at a childminder at 11 months and then he was with 2 other little ones all day for the first time. He saw them crawling and obviously thought he’d give it a go. So at 12 months he started crawling. His go to though was still walking but he would switch between the two quite happily.

It’s very important developmentally that he crawls before he walks so do encourage him to crawl. Like one poster said it helps to get down and show them what to do. I would not be “helping” the baby to walk at 8months or buying them a walker. The difficulties will become evident once they start school.

Really? One of mine didn't crawl apart from the occasional bum shuffle & was cruising & using a walker at 9 months & walking at 9.5.
He's incredibly coordinated, riding a bike without help at 3.5

Ok I’ve googled it now.

Better hand back her 2:1.

Hadn’t thought of this! My DD walked at 10 months and also had massive feet

I did too and it seems to be a former theory that has been disproved and its more a concern if there is no movement.

Which is just as well as neither I nor DD crawled - she was fairly similar to the OP and was walking by 9.5 months. Hating tummy time and just wanted to be upright at 6 months. At 13 she certainly hasnt been held back

DS on the other hand was crawling at 5 months - simply couldnt wait

If you say so, I think you’ll find that if you speak with paediatricians that they’ll disagree with you.

Of course it depends on your interpretation of “developmentally fine”. It may appear that way yea, but we also know that 20% of children in any classroom have a degree of learning difficulty eg processing.

It doesn’t mean they won’t be “fine” as fine is a very broad spectrum, but personally I do whatever I can to support my children’s development using professional advice rather than what seems to be “fine”.

DH walked at 9 months, broke his leg at 10 months! Then walked on his cast! Not easy for MIL who was meant to keep him off his leg

Stood up and walked across the room confidentiality at 10 months 2 days (so just missed out on 9 months!) And that was him off - he only wanted to "stand" from 4 months

His little sister was a literal potato who didn't move a muscle until 9 months and is only starting to (slowly) walk at 15 months 🤷‍♀️

@SaltySalad some links would be good rather than just scaring the OP. I have spent time googling and it is a mixed bag

Of course it depends on your interpretation of “developmentally fine”. It may appear that way yea, but we also know that 20% of children in any classroom have a degree of learning difficulty eg processing.

Yes I think both my DD and I are developmentally fine thank you. At 13 she is a very competent dancer and at Grammar school. Crawling was simply not something she wanted

This was my youngest, he walked by himself at 9 months!