Is your baby about to start walking? (Baby Walking) Let's learn about this!

One of the biggest and most beautiful dreams a mother or father has for their child is to see their little feet take their first steps. It is truly a special, unforgettable moment. From a young age, your baby rolls over, sits, crawls, grabs objects, stands, and gradually strengthens his muscles. All of this is done as a preparation for that big day, the day he takes a step or two on his own and begins to explore the world.

How does a baby learn to walk?

A baby doesn't start walking all at once. It happens in stages. They learn many things, such as balancing, coordinating their arms and legs, standing up, and putting weight on one leg and putting the other in front. Only after they master one skill do they move on to the next. This is how they prepare to walk.

There are usually a few key milestones for a baby to start walking. Let's take a look at what they are.

If you feel like you're too late to walk, should you see a doctor?

If your baby is 18 months old and hasn't started walking on his own yet, but has completed other milestones before that (for example, rolling over, sitting up, and standing up), he may need a little more time.

However, if you have any doubts or concerns, especially if you feel that your baby is not reaching other developmental milestones as appropriate for his or her age, be sure to talk to your family doctor or a pediatrician.

What are the reasons for being late to walk?

Most of the time, a slight delay is not a serious matter, but sometimes, for certain reasons, walking can be delayed.

• Delayed motor development: Simply put, some babies take a little longer to develop their muscles and motor skills than others. This is especially true if one or both parents were late walkers as children, which is more likely for your baby.
• Learning disabilities: If a baby has a learning disability, they may experience delays in all areas of development, including walking, talking, and interacting with others.
• Some medical conditions: Some medical conditions that affect muscle strength and development can also cause delays in walking.

• Environmental factors: External factors that affect the growth or development of a baby's brain. For example:
• Conditions such as infections or high blood pressure that the mother had during pregnancy.
• Premature birth.
• Infections such as meningitis that occur in the baby after birth.
• Head injuries.
• Malnutrition, especially conditions like rickets.
• Very high bilirubin levels at birth can cause brain damage ( kernicterus ).

Signs that your baby is about to walk

There are several signs that you may think your little one is close to walking.

• Standing up: This is the biggest and most important sign. Standing up while holding onto objects means that the legs are now strong.
• Standing without help: Although initially holding on, after a while they will try to stand for a few seconds without holding on to anything.
• Furniture cruising: Moves around holding onto the sofa. Moves from chair to chair.
• Crawling: Some babies start walking without crawling, but crawling is also a good sign.

What can we do to help a baby walk?

It's not good to force the baby, but we can get him interested.

1. Let's play together and have fun.

When you are near your baby, he feels very safe. Then he is motivated to do new things without fear. You kneel in front of the baby, hold out your hands, and encourage him to come. Even if he falls, he will not feel afraid because he is near you.

2. Baby-proofing the home environment

It's normal for babies to fall when they're learning to walk. It's part of learning. While we can't prevent every fall, we can reduce the chances of accidents happening.

• Put locks on doors and cupboards, especially where things like medicine and pesticides are kept.
• Pad the sharp corners of items like tables and chairs.
• If there are stairs, install child-proof gates at the top and bottom.
• When cooking , keep things like spices and hot water behind the stove.

Products that help babies walk - what's good and what's bad?

Baby Walkers

The reason is that, although the walker makes it easier for the baby to move around, the muscles in his legs are not strong enough to walk. Also, while in the walker, the baby can touch things that are at a height that he normally cannot reach (hot water kettles, poisons). This increases the risk of serious accidents . If a poison is accidentally ingested, you should immediately contact the National Poison Information Center at the Colombo National Hospital . Therefore, walkers are a very dangerous thing.

Baby Shoes

Babies don't need to wear shoes indoors, except when they're going out. The muscles in their feet and toes develop properly when they walk and crawl barefoot. If it's cold, you can put on a pair of socks.

When your baby starts walking outside, it's important to choose a pair of shoes that fit them perfectly.

• The shoe should fit the shape of the baby's foot.
• There should be room for the fingers to move freely.
• There should be about half an inch of space between the longest toe and the front edge of the shoe.
• It can neither get tight at the heel nor get bigger.
• If possible, choose shoes made from natural materials. It's important to provide ventilation because babies' feet sweat a lot.

Babies' feet grow very quickly, so check their shoes and desks every 1-3 months until they are 3 years old.