How to Teach Your Child to Walk
Written by pediatric physical therapist and OASIS CEO, Kristin Ceriani
How exciting!
This is one of the most monumental steps in development. But, first, I need to start with when is it appropriate to teach your child to walk. Sometimes, in all of our excitement to have our children walk, we get a little ahead of ourselves. It is extremely important that your child be able to crawl on all fours first, even if it is just a few feet. I have seen many kids with a modified crawl (one knee on the floor and the other foot flat on the floor, crawling using their head as an appendage, etc.). These modifications are usually more likely on hard surfaces versus carpet. So, try carpet or softer surfaces to encourage crawling on all fours if needed. It is also very helpful if your child can side sit to play with a toy or at least get into and out of that position as they transition between lying><sitting><crawling. Finally, your child should consistently be able to “catch” themselves in tailor/circle sitting to the front and to both sides. This will help them to “catch” themselves while they are learning to walk.
Here are some strategies to assist your child to learn to walk:
Start by walking holding two hands, with hands above shoulder level, and progress to walking holding two hands at shoulder level and then below shoulder level.
Once a child is walking well with two hands at or below shoulder level, walk holding only one hand or the seam of onesie at one or both underarms (I don’t recommend t-shirts).
You can try a sheet or towel wrapped around chest but you have to be careful the kiddo doesn’t slip through and fall as well as that they don’t just lean on the sheet/towel.
It is important to alternate the amount of assistance you give. When you do this, the child doesn’t know what to expect. It takes a lot of concentration on your part. But, this will build your child’s balance and core strength much faster as well as their self-confidence that they can be successful with walking.
It is good to work on walking with and without shoes. Also, you want to make sure that you work on even, softer surfaces at the beginning such as carpet.
Try having your child stand with his/her back to the couch and feet under shoulders as much as possible while playing with a toy, reading a book, etc. This encourages better core strength and balance.
When working on standing balance, try holding your child at the trunk and then quickly letting go and gently grabbing back on. As they improve, it can become a game. You can count, or sing, to see how long your child can stand. This is usually good for 3-5 repetitions. It is fine to do more. But, if your child starts to get silly and “fall” on purpose, make sure you catch them and then stop the activity. We want this to be fun but not dangerous.
Be sure to keep this fun and enjoyable!
Small children will actively fight you in many ways (i.e. tantrums, flinging their bodies around, becoming very silly, etc.) if they are not having fun or are being pushed too hard/fast to reach another person’s goal. In my experience, a child will not often walk truly independently until they can walk with a toy push walker and be able to back it up and turn it independently. They usually need to be able to consistently and independently stand still for 5-10 seconds as well. Every child is different and unique. Kids should learn to walk, at least 5 feet, steadily, safely, consistently and independently by the time they are 15 months old. If your child is not walking by this time, please be sure to speak to your pediatrician. It is important for children to reach these milestones “on time.” It is harder to learn to walk the older, taller, heavier a child is. It also becomes harder on the caregivers to carry them (Trust me- I have 4 kids myself and understand!).
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OASIS Pediatric Home Healthcare offers physical therapy for kids, as well as occupational therapy and speech therapy in Northern Colorado. We help empower children with disabilities or delays, and their families, maximize independence and life satisfaction. If you would like to schedule a call please click the link above, and if you would like to receive more tips, strategies and resources, you can follow along on with our blog, our YouTube channel or social media platforms (links below).
This article was written by OASIS CEO and pediatric physical therapist, Kristin Ceriani
