How to teach baby to stand up without support

Related Milestones

Some younger infants are able to stand up with support and bear some weight on their legs between 2 and 4 1/2 months. This is an expected and safe developmental stage that will progress to pulling up independently and won’t cause them to have bow-legs.

Babies generally start pulling themselves up to stand at around 9 to 12 months. They’ll use just about anything they can grip firmly to assist them with this, be it the couch, a chair or your jean-covered leg. … For some babies, standing doesn’t come until much later, and some gentle encouragement may be required.

Push, counter-push

This is a great way to strengthen your baby’s legs and build resistance for standing and walking. Holding the soles of your baby’s feet, gently push your baby’s legs backwards and forwards, almost in a cycling motion.

Most babies start walking independently within 2-3 months of learning to stand up by themselves. … In fact, the onset of walking is extremely variable, with some babies walking before 9 months, and others waiting until they are 18 months or older.

Learning to stand too early should not concern parents either. As early as 6 months your baby might be trying out his or her legs! While it’s a common concern that early standers may become bowlegged, you shouldn’t worry.

From ages 7 to 9 months, your baby is likely to experience: Advancing motor skills. … Some babies this age can pull themselves to a standing position. Soon your baby might cruise along the edge of the couch or coffee table.

Better to trust our babies to walk when they are ready, and by doing so encourage mental and physical awareness. Awareness and safety go hand-in-hand, and walking babies makes them less aware — gives them a false sense of balance and of their abilities — which can be dangerous.

The current world record for a baby learning to stand and walk unaided is Freya Minter, from Essex, who learned to walk at just six months in 2019. Most youngsters do not manage this on their own until turning a year old.

Above all else, avoid pushing your baby to walk. Your child may show some signs they’re ready, but it can take a long time to get everything with the brain and body coordinated. Celebrate the small successes and meet your child at their ability level when trying to help them reach the next big milestone.

Baby walkers do not help

Baby walkers don’t help a baby develop their walking. In fact, walkers can impede or delay your baby achieving these important milestones. The more time babies spend in a walker, the more delay they experience.

Don’t Use Walkers

The American Academy of Pediatrics has ruled that babies shouldn’t be using walkers for two key reasons. One, they don’t actually help children learn to walk, and in fact, can delay walking. Two, they may increase a baby’s risk of rolling down the stairs, getting burned, or even drowning.

Cruising: Infants can practice walking by “cruising” back and forth alongside a sofa or short bench. Stand your child next to the sofa and let him hold on with one hand as you hold his other hand for balance. Slowly move back and forth along the furniture and practice walking.

For most babies, standing without support won’t happen until at least 8 months, and more likely closer to 10 or 11 months (but even up to 15 months is considered normal). To encourage your baby to stand: Put her in your lap with her feet on your legs and help her bounce up and down.

Sometimes, delayed walking is caused by a foot or leg problem such as developmental hip dysplasia, rickets (softening or weakening of bones), or conditions that affect muscle tone like cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. Check with your doctor if your baby seems to limp or if the legs appear weak or uneven.