Baby mobility and physical skills

When you hold your baby in a standing position on your lap, she won't be able to support herself until about seven months. But she will enjoy "stepping" and bending her knees and bouncing up and down while you hold her securely. As she gains strength in her legs and hips from this and other practice, she will soon stand for a few seconds on her own when you pull her up to a standing position. Between nine and twelve months, she will begin to pull herself up by using furniture, rails, the bars of a playpen, or your clothes. Encourage her by putting a toy on a sofa or low table where she will have to stand up to get it.

Teach your baby to use her feet as a firm base of support. If the feet are turned in, gently turn them out so she can plant herself more firmly. If your baby falls easily, support her legs by placing your hands behind her knees. Once your baby can pull herself up to stand, she may hold on to the furniture or another support to stay standing and look around for a while.

Although your baby may enjoy pulling herself up, standing and looking around, she won't know at first how to sit down and will take quite a few falls. Or she might cry for you to come and rescue her. You can help her learn how to sit down by lowering her body gradually to the floor. She will eventually learn to let go of the furniture and use her hands to help her sit down. Take care that she doesn't lose confidence or hurt herself.

Cruising
As your baby learns to stand holding on to your leg, you will gradually feel less of the baby's weight as she provides more of her own support. Once she is comfortable pulling herself up, standing and looking, she'll inevitably want to begin moving around. She'll begin cruising by inching her way along a sofa or another piece of furniture, holding on for support. At first, she may cruise in a sideways, tentative fashion, moving both hands together, clinging for support. But with practice, she will gain confidence and cruise along faster, moving hand over hand. She'll soon discover that her legs can bear her whole weight, and she'll rely less and less on her hands for support. At some point in her cruising adventures, your baby will let go for a few moments, stand freely, and take those first unsupported steps. These are tremendously exciting developments and a cause for great family celebration.

It's easiest for your baby to balance herself using her bare feet. Shoes can be awkward and socks can make hard floors slippery and treacherous. Once a baby can stand and cruise, she'll be eager to stand and play. Put some of her favourite toys just out of reach to encourage this. But remember that a cruising baby is likely to reach and grab for any object en route. Be sure to babyproof your rooms-remove light, flimsy furniture that would support her or could topple over on her; cover the sharp corners on furniture you can I t remove. Put out of reach any breakable objects and the electric cords for table lamps, telephones, and similar items.

As your baby makes progress toward walking, you'll be excited and want to encourage her. Just remember to allow her to progress at her own pace. About half of babies walk by the time they are one year old, but there is great variation in the age range. Some babies start as early as nine months, others may not walk until they are nineteen months old.

How quickly a baby moves through the sequence of standing, cruising, and walking without support depends on many factors: the baby's self-confidence, motivation, muscle strength and physical coordination, opportunity, and genes. Hurrying a baby on to the next milestone can damage his self-confidence and slow his development. Of course, once your baby is walking, your initial excitement may be tempered by the necessity of keeping up with a fully mobile toddler.