When Should Your Baby Start Walking?
You may find yourself comparing your baby’s walking milestones to those of other children. For instance, when friends’ babies are already taking steps. But babies literally start walking at their own pace. There’s no one exact schedule. The typical age range for a baby to start walking without help is 8-18 months. And it’s defined by the child’s ability to take a few steps without support or falling.
If a baby isn’t walking by themselves by 18 months, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggest that the baby see a doctor for an evaluation.
“All children should have regular developmental screening by their primary care pediatrician,” says William Ide, MD, pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at UVA Health. “The pediatrician can determine if your child may need added referrals or early intervention for motor delays. This screening is a part of your regular well-child checkups.”
When Should Parents Ask About Delayed Walking?
You don’t need to wait until 18 months if you’re concerned. If your baby seems unusually stiff or limp, isn’t meeting earlier motor milestones, or has lost skills they once had, it’s worth checking in sooner.
Ide says, “The most important ‘red flag’ for any developing child is regression. This is the loss of a skill they once had. Keep in mind that your baby will have some day-to-day variability in their activity, especially with recently attained skills. But if you notice your baby doesn’t seem able to do a skill they used to show consistently, this is a reason to get checked out.”
Milestones That Happen Before Walking
Before walking, babies usually build movement skills in a general order. By 9 to 12 months, the baby can:
Sit without support
Roll to both sides, grasp, and transfer objects
Pull to stand
Cruise (shuffling, holding on to furniture)
“Crawling is the most variable of the motor milestones and is skipped entirely in up to 14% of typically developing children,” says Ide. “The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t consider this a required milestone. I would be more concerned about delayed walking in a baby who can’t sit without support by 9 months. Or if a baby isn’t pulling to stand or cruising at one year.”
Other signs for parents to watch for, which may indicate issues with motor development, are:
Asymmetry, such as a baby appearing to be right or left-handed before 18 months
Abnormal body tone (feeling floppy or unusually stiff)
Persistent fisting beyond 7 months
Not reaching for things
How to Encourage Baby to Walk Safely
There are several ways you can encourage pre-walking motor development and walking.
Start With Tummy Time to Support Movement Skills
Begin shortly after birth when the baby is awake and supervised.
Gradually increase to at least 15 to 30 minutes total per day by 7 weeks old.
Make Floor Play Part of the Day
Create a safe space for movement and exploration.
Place motivating toys slightly out of reach.
Encourage reaching, rolling, crawling, scooting, pulling up, and cruising.
Spend time playing and modeling movement.
Let Babies Go Barefoot When It’s Safe
Research supports barefoot walking as best for early walkers.
When shoes are needed for protection, choose flexible-soled shoes.
Notes Ide, “Creating a safe environment for exploration is important when maximizing floor play and other ways to encourage motor development and walking. It’s a good idea to start ‘baby proofing’ strategies in the home early. Secure furniture or objects so they don’t tip when babies use them to pull up. Protect or remove sharp edges to reduce injury risk.”
When you’re engaged in how to teach your baby to walk, it makes a difference. If you want to help baby walk, you’ve already taken the first step (no pun intended!) by wanting to learn more. Spend time playing with your baby. They’ll learn from watching you and will respond to your enthusiasm.
Are Baby Walkers Safe to Help a Child Learn to Walk?
There are several products available that deserve caution, says Ide. “It’s recommended that you avoid mobile baby walkers entirely,” he says. “These devices are linked to thousands of emergency department visits due to falls, often down stairs. Most of these injuries occurred with direct adult supervision. So, we can’t assume they are safe even when babies are watched closely. Also, these devices don’t help babies learn to walk and can even be harmful to walking development.”
Stationary devices, such as bouncers, swings, and baby seats, are safer than mobile walkers. But they should still be used within limits. Ongoing daily use is associated with lower motor scores.
Why Walking Matters Beyond the First Steps
Clearly, walking is a very important motor milestone. But there’s also a wide range of growth gains it triggers. Walking allows children to actively explore their environment. It helps babies learn where things are, understand more about the world around them, and build stronger bones, muscles, and joints.
The main thing to remember is that all children are unique and will make progress as individuals. A child may be delayed in achieving any given milestone. And while it’s important to know when you should seek more evaluation, it doesn’t always mean there’s an underlying problem. And it certainly doesn’t mean that they’ll never achieve a given skill.
Adds Ide, “In my clinic, I often tell families that everybody, and I mean everybody, does the same basic activities. Everybody communicates, everybody eats, everybody socializes, and everybody moves around. The only question is how you do these things. Some kids require a little more support than others to do them. And this is totally okay! The practice of pediatric rehabilitation medicine involves making sure that children have everything they need to reach their full potential.”
If you’re worried about your child’s walking or movement, talk with their pediatrician. They can help you decide if your child would benefit from extra support. UVA Health Children’s offers a developmental pediatrics specialty that diagnoses and treats babies, children and teens.
