Since the time a baby is born, he grows everyday, develops to mature up to his surroundings, and learns to adapt to them as well. One such development is muscle development, from head to toe, which is vital for the growth of the child. This enables the child to control his body and make both voluntary and involuntary actions. It also provides him the ability to stand, walk and move around. However, it should be understood that every child is different and achieves physical and mental maturity at a different stage. In case you are worried about how to get your child to walk, do not panic if he/she hasn’t done it yet, in comparison with the other children of his age. Do not force him; rather encourage him to do so. Check out the tips given in the following lines, on how to get your baby to take his first steps.
Tips to Make Your Child Walk
- Do not leave your child totally at the service of walker, as it does not let his upper leg muscles develop properly. Moreover, it makes the baby prone to a number of injuries.
- Try to keep your child barefoot while he is indoors, as it is easy to learn walking without shoes.
- While you are getting your child to walk, make sure you hold him by the torso and not by his legs or arms.
- Help him to acquire balance. For the purpose, assist your child to stand up on his own strength and then, withdraw your support slowly. While removing your support, correct his stance by making adjustments. Do not leave him to his own abruptly, while learning to stand, because it would make him tremble and fall down.
- Encourage your child to walk, by calling out his name from a distance or by placing a piece of chocolate out of his reach and making him crawl towards it.
- The floor on which your child learns to walk should not be too slippery, as he might find it difficult to balance and he might fall, hurting himself.
- Interact with your child and help his reflexes grow. This is the best way to escalate his growth. Moreover, you will have a lot of fun while teaching your baby to walk, without resorting to your support.
- It takes time for babies to learn new skills. Do not expect him to stand up and start walking immediately after he learns to sit on his own. Your child may be months away from the act of walking. Hence, you should maintain patience all through the process.
- You may apply baby oil on his legs daily, to help develop strength in the muscles, so that he learns to walk without much of a hassle.
- Allow your child to make use of walker only when he develops the skill of walking, without your support. Do make sure to keep an eye on him, when he uses the walker to move around.