It happens so fast, they say. In the blink of an eye, your baby is no longer a baby. They go from helpless to running overnight, it seems.
For most parents, these mobile development milestones are accompanied by a mix of excitement, pride, and sadness. Excitement and pride because, whoa! Baby’s walking. Sadness because, your baby may not be a “baby” much longer.
There is also often some concern mixed in as well, mostly when your little one doesn’t seem to be hitting his or her mobile development milestones as quickly as other children you know. In general, these concerns are unfounded; there can be a wide range of “normal” when it comes to developmental milestones. But if you’re wondering what that range might be, here are some basic guidelines:
- Solo Sitting Up: This can happen anywhere from 5 to 8 months. You can help your baby to reach this milestone by practicing the sitting position with you always nearby to catch any falls.
- Crawling: Crawling usually happens between 6 and 10 months, though how crawling begins can vary. Some babies start scootching early on, others master the army crawl (pulling themselves around by their arms) others may not attempt to get mobile until they are ready to crawl perfectly, and others still may never crawl at all—transitioning straight to walking instead.
- Cruising: Between 8 and 12 months, your baby will start pulling him or herself up on furniture items and “cruising” around while holding on for support.
- Standing: Between 9 and 15 months, your baby may begin standing completely unassisted for a few seconds at a time.
- Walking: This is one milestone, especially, that has a very wide range of normal. Some babies are walking at 9 months, some won’t take those first steps until just shy of 18 months. In general, the year marker is when your baby will most likely start to show signs of walking. But even if it takes a few more months than that, there is no reason to fret. Any steps before 18 months can be normal.
Once your baby is walking, plenty of other milestones will follow. From navigating the stairs to kicking a ball, your little one is about to conquer the world in leaps and bounds. You can assist in the accomplishment of many of those milestones by providing opportunities for safe practice, but always remember that development rates vary and that it’s perfectly okay if it takes your baby a little longer than the baby down the street.
Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general informational basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.
