Learning to walk

A baby's first few years are marked by many milestones. But the one you'll probably always remember is when he took his first wobbly steps. Walking is a major developmental leap for babies, and parents are often anxious about when it'll happen. Every baby learns to walk at his own pace, however, so just because your friend's child is already toddling doesn't mean yours should be, too! Read on to find out what signals indicate your child is ready to walk, how you can help, and more.

Most babies take their first steps around their first birthday, but the age range varies from 9 to 18 months. Don't worry if your baby takes a few detours along the way. Some kids never crawl -- they go straight from standing to walking -- and that's perfectly normal. What's important at this stage is that your child is using arms and legs together to become mobile. If your child is doing any of the following, walking is not far behind:
• Rolling around
• Crab walking
• Scooting
• Climbing stairs using his hands

Once your baby can stand, Let her walk in front of you while you hold her hands -- and periodically let go of one hand so she can experiment with balance. Or stand a few feet away from her and cheer her on when she's standing on her own. Offer lots of encouragement and praise.
Once your baby can stand by herslef and cruise or walk it’s important to encourage the baby to walk and exercise her little muscles, for that a push walker or a ride on toy will give hours of joy and will help to build stronger leg muscles in a safety way.