What to Do During Your Baby’s First Steps?
One of the things that parents should consider buying for their newborn is a pair of baby shoes. That is because as their muscles develop, their baby can start crawling and would eventually start walking on their own.
Now, just like crawling, there are some that would walk much sooner than others. Pediatricians can say that is probably due to the fact that there are some babies whose parents have already helped them developer the muscles that are needed for them to start walking.
Although there are some that would walk at a much earlier age, all babies will learn how to do so, so parents, do not worry too much.
But, what are you going to do to encourage your baby to walk and what do you need to do if they decide to take their first steps? Read on to find out.
Ways to Encourage Babies
- Put Something Enticing in Front of Them- Babies are quite perceptive creatures and they do everything that they can to study the environment they are in. To encourage your baby to walk (or even crawl for starters), you can place a toy in front of them. It doesn’t matter if it is an old toy or a new one; what matters is that it grabs their attention- so much so that they want to grab it and would do everything just to do that.
- Place Stable Objects They Can Use on Their Path- There are some babies that can stand on their own and just when you think that they will take their first steps, they are unable to do so. It could be that they do not know how to initiate the movement or it could be that they are afraid because they are unable to support their own weight. To help them start walking, you want to place stable objects that they can hold onto if they want to move. Just make sure that you childproof these things, like, there should be no sharp edges or something that would hurt your baby.
- Get a Push Toy- Fortunately, there are a lot of toys that can actually help your baby start walking. You can buy them a small shopping cart or even a toy lawnmower or something that has a high enough handle that they can start pushing. Again, your baby will need support when they start toddling, so provide that ample support if needed.
- Avoid Baby Walkers- Even though they are intended to help babies walk, the American Academy of Pediatrics actually state that these things, if anything, hampers the right development of key muscle groups in babies (specifically those that are used for walking). Plus, they can be a hazard as well as babies might push these walkers (with them along with it) off of the stairs.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Let Them Fall- As mentioned earlier, babies are quite perceptive and they may have to get hurt in order for them to learn something. That is why if they start walking, they will trip and fall a couple of times. Do not worry as they know what they’re doing. Still, you want to supervise them along the way.