Encouraging walking

C takes a few steps while holding on to her walker, and Foofa, of course

It’s official, our baby girl is WALKING. She is practicing about a 70/30 ratio of walking to crawling — still using the latter method of movement to get somewhere fast, but definitely more motivated to test out her new walking shoes when she’s in the mood to explore. Though every little walks at their own pace, there are things you can do at home to help encourage them to go for it — starting with tummy time with your wee babe! Here are the things that worked for us:

• A heavy walking toy. We have the Plan Toy Baby Walker, and I swear the heaviness of this product helped C learned to get comfortable on two feet faster. She couldn’t tip it over easily, which means when she was feeling less than confident, she could lean on it and pull up into a standing position without any funny business. The weight of this walker also promotes walking confidence for C because she has more leverage and stability as she pushes it along. Plus, it has blocks in it – which is an added bonus!
• Strategic placement of furniture. When she was first getting used to the idea of walking, C enjoyed testing it out in small doses while getting from one piece of furniture to the next. If we placed the table in her playroom about 3-4 feet away from the couch, she was definitely up to the challenge of walking in between the two. Having an easy-to-achieve end goal helped her to gain confidence.
• Hanging out with other walkers. C first started eating solids because she saw her older cousin doing it, and walking was no different! After C would spend time with one of her older pals who is walking, we would notice that she would be a little bit more motivated to try it herself. Monkey see, monkey do, I suppose!
• Time and encouragement. For a pretty long while, C was totally fine not walking. She could physically do it, but didn’t really seem to be too interested in trying it out. And that was OK with us! Whenever we would sit with her and encourage her to try it, however, she would take a few more steps, and would feel proud of herself when we clapped for her performance. Finally, at her birthday party, she took a couple of steps in front of an audience (who cheered, of course) and for the first time she got REALLY excited about her accomplishment. Ever since, she’s been walking around everywhere, and we think it’s just a matter of time before its her exclusive mode of transportation.

What put your little over the edge when it came to walking? Tell me your story in the comments!