Is It Bad For A Baby To Walk Early?

You can’t help but get excited for your baby’s first steps. What a beautiful moment. But contradictory thoughts may cross the mind of a new mom from time to time. One being, is it bad if my baby to start walking early?

Good news - there's no peer reviewed scientific evidence that it is bad for a baby to walk early. It’s not a predictor of negative gross motor skill development either.

So no need to Google search terms like: baby walking too early bow-legged. A baby’s gross motor skill development is the crawling, sitting, standing and walking processes.

In this article, we’ll look at the highlights of 6 and 8 months and the average baby walking age. Also, signs baby will walk soon, reasons they’re not walking at all by 18 months and how to trick your baby into walking.

Is It Bad For A Baby To Walk at 6 months?

Babies don’t start walking at 6 months. At 6 months, they’re typically rolling over from their back to their tummy. Or they’re sitting up on their own. Unless your baby is Freya Minter, the youngest baby on record to walk.

Born in 2019 in Essex, UK, Freya is in the Guinness World Records for taking her 1st steps at just 6 months old. What an achievement! She’s really going places. (sorry, for the cheesy pun).     

Anyway, many babies will be getting ready to sit up and begin standing with support in the coming months. So rest easy, if your dream of getting your baby to walk at 6 months, albeit possible, most does not.  

Is It Bad For A Baby To Walk at 8 months?

Babies are crawling around 8 months old. Crawling is good to strengthen the arms, legs and core muscles. This gets baby ready for the walking phase. And begin to develop their central equilibrium and balance.

Keep your eye on them if they are fast crawlers. They can get away from your line of sight if not paying attention. Once out of line if sight, they can get into mischief rather quickly.

Try creating mini obstacle courses to maximize crawling skills. Hide behind an object and as they get to the finish line surprise them with a “peek-a-boo!”

8 Month Old Baby Activities

Infants develop on their own schedule. Don’t get discouraged if you think they’re not where they should be. Focus on is how often your baby begins to learn the habit of balancing themselves. Check for these other activities at 8 months:

• Roll over both ways

• Roll over in their sleep

• Crawl across the room

• Sitting up on their own

• Scoot around on their bum

• Rock back and forth

• Pull themselves up to stand

The more they start 8 month old baby activities, the more likely they’re preparing to get into the frame of standing and walking for the first time. Keep encouraging playtime sessions that stimulate walking earlier.

What Is The Average Age For A Baby To Walk?

Your little one may start walking as early as 9 months. At 9-12 months babies are standing up by holding furniture, canvassing the room and become mobile. Usually taking first steps by 12-15 months.

This is when you’ll see them exploring around walking all on their own. Babies stand without support at around 9 months but can begin to try pulling themselves up as early as 8 months old.

Be careful to not have anything that they can pull down on higher surfaces that may be dangerous and fall on top of them. 

When your baby starts to walk they’ll start to walk with feet wide apart. This wider stance is to maintain a better balance and be less shaky when in motion. As they grow they will learn to stop, turn and change directions.

Next they’ll learn to squat, pick up things and go back to standing position. Once this phase begins, an intense craving for push-pull toys gets them very excited.  

Not Walking At All By 18 Months?

Eliminate all other possibilities first if your toddler’s not walking at all by 18 months. Things like muscular dystrophy issues, vitamin D deficiency, hypothyroidism, rickets and/or delayed motor skills.

Rickets is a condition that includes a deficiency of vitamin D and a softening of bones sometimes resulting in bow legs.

Some reasons for late walking in babies may be foreshadowed by other behaviors. Closely watch the patterns of their growth and development. Precursors that your baby is not walking at all by 18 months may be:

• If your baby is not sitting up without support by 9 months

• Not standing with support by 12 months

• If your baby is carried everywhere

• Not given baby opportunities to walk

If your toddler is not walking at all by 18 months, have your child’s physician check the muscle strength in the feet.

When Should I Worry About My Baby Not Walking?

If you’re wondering, why isn’t my baby walking? No need to hit the panic button. You shouldn’t necessarily be concerned. You should be concerned about your baby not walking at around 18 months.

We found an article written by Webmd editorial contributors discussing, “If your baby is 18 months or older and hasn’t started walking yet, or if you’re concerned about your child’s development, contact your pediatrician.”

If 1.5 years has gone by and you’re not living with a mini walker yet, or you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with your physician. So rather than thinking, is it bad for a baby to walk early, think, is my baby walking late?

How To Trick Your Baby Into Walking 

By gently holding their arms up above their head, let them begin to feel their own full body weight on the bottoms of their feet. This familiarizes them with natural weight distribution and balance.

Have them stand stationary on top of your feet at first. Slowly take steps forward while you hold their hands above their head. They’ll naturally look down at their feet. They’ll learn to mimic the natural walking process doing this exercise.

Another exercise: have them lock and unlock the knees as they contract and fully extend their legs. Hold their hands above their head while trying. Do this for about 5-10 seconds at a time. If they get fussy discontinue practice until their mood changes.

There’s no such thing as walking too early for babies. Encourage the achievements of their gross motor development skills while they’re young. They will only be so small for a so long. So enjoy the process!  Check out our other new parent articles.