Toddler Milestones: Understanding Your Baby’s Walking Timeline

When Will My Baby Start Walking?

A child’s first year of life is full of physical milestones, from rolling over to beginning to crawl, but perhaps the most anticipated goalpost might be those first steps. If you’re a new parent, you’re bound to ask yourself: When do babies start walking?

While every baby is different, most children usually take their first steps around 15 months of age, as an average, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). However, walking isn’t just about the physical movement; it’s also about independence and a new tactic for interacting with surroundings. “Getting around on their own allows your child to interact and explore the world in a whole new way,” emphasizes Laura Jana, MD, author of Heading Home with Your Newborn. “It opens all sorts of new possibilities.” Ahead, learn more about when babies begin walking and what to expect for this particularly exciting milestone.

What Are the Signs My Baby Is Ready to Walk?

In order to start walking independently, babies need to master other developmental milestones first. Here’s a quick timeline of what you’ll likely see before your baby takes their first steps:

• Sitting Up: At around 6 months of age, your baby starts solving the puzzle of how to use the muscles in their trunk to stay upright without additional support.
• Pulling to a Stand: The timing of this varies, but many babies pull up to stand around 10 months. “Seventy percent of our body mass is from the hips on up, so the legs need a lot of strength to lift the torso,” notes Jody L. Jensen, PhD, professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas.
• Cruising: Again, age varies for cruising, but when your baby does it, they’ll make their way around the room using whatever furniture is available.
• Walking: The final piece of the walking puzzle is learning how to lift off with one foot while balancing on the other!

How Your Baby Learns to Walk

Every baby reaches the walking milestone at a different time. However, your baby will likely take their first steps between 9 and 15 months. They’ll lurch along like Frankenstein as they get used to their land legs; a wide stance and outstretched arms are characteristics of all new walkers, along with steps that might resemble a waddle.

In order to stand, your baby has to contract a lot of muscles. But to walk, they eventually need to relax their hips and knees a bit. “The challenge is figuring out how to get just the right amount of muscle tension in the legs,” Dr. Jensen says. But 1-year-olds are quick learners—it won’t take long until they loosen up and are tearing around the house.

Once they get going, the next challenge is figuring out how to stop. “We say beginning walkers ‘fall’ into their steps,” says Dr. Jensen. Each step has more force than an adult’s because newbies don’t bend their knees or use a heel-toe motion, both of which absorb some of the impact. They haven’t figured out how to break their forward momentum by stopping with one foot and bringing the trailing foot to meet it. Their way of stopping? Falling. “Usually it goes step, step, fall,” Dr. Jensen says.

How to Encourage Baby to Stand

Note that it’s not uncommon for babies to alternate between crawling and walking. If your baby sees something across the room that requires their immediate attention, they may get down on all fours. It’s like they’re thinking, “I have to get there right away; walking is going to take way too long.”

Why Do Babies Learn to Walk at Different Times?

Like every other milestone, no two children are alike. Whether your child is an early or late walker says less about their future athleticism and more about whether they’re a risk-taker or a wait-and-see type. “Some kids have an ‘I can do anything!’ mentality and want to get up and get going as soon as they discover it’s an option,” says Dr. Jana. “They don’t worry about falls.” Others don’t want to start walking until they are sure they can do so fairly well. These children may turn out to be more cautious and contemplative.

What Being an Early Crawler or Walker Could Mean for Your Baby’s Future

Aside from personality, a couple of other factors affect when babies start walking:

• Recurrent Ear Infections: “If a child is 16 months or older and isn’t walking, we ask about illnesses. An ear infection can throw off a baby’s balance and delay walking,” Dr. Jensen explains.
• Birth Order: A baby with an older sibling may be motivated to walk earlier because they want to keep up and imitate what the big kid is doing.

Ways to Encourage Your Baby to Walk

Let’s face it—some babies are just comfortable crawling and may not feel the urge to get up on their feet! However, there are things you can do to encourage your baby to practice the motions needed to walk. Here are some suggestions:

• Encourage your baby to cruise while holding onto something steady, like a sofa or couch.
• Offer them a push toy to entice them to move around. Note that a push toy is not the same as a rolling baby walker with a sit-in contraption. The AAP has called for a ban on baby walkers, as they have contributed to serious injuries in young children and are considered dangerous.
• Put toys just out of your child’s grasp so they have to reach up or down to get them.
• Support them! If your child is feeling uncertain, hold onto their trunk or hands and allow them to walk with you. Gradually reduce this support over time and see what they can do on their own.
• Praise, praise, praise. Babies and toddlers love to feel proud of themselves, so the more praise and verbal encouragement you can offer them (with a big, beaming smile), the better!

When Do Babies Need Shoes?

Babies learn to walk more easily if they don’t wear shoes, as bare feet allow direct contact with the floor. When you go on outings, of course, your baby needs some shoes. Look for a pair with flexible soles—you should be able to fold the shoe in half. Once your little one is walking outside, consider a pair with skid-resistant soles.

When to Call a Health Care Provider

What if all the other babies in the playgroup are on two feet, and yours is content with the view from the floor? As we mentioned before, all babies develop at a different rate, so this might not be a cause for concern. However, if your baby hasn’t taken their first steps by 18 months, be sure to reach out to a pediatrician or health care provider for further advice and guidance.