Help me walk

Some do it at 10 months, others wait until their 16th month. What is the normal range for learning to walk? And when should you seek help?

CHILDREN WHO WALK EARLY

Early walkers are those who learn this skill before their first birthday. Some even walk as early as nine months, probably for inherited or genetic reasons.

The part of the brain that controls walking matures faster in early walkers than in other children. Early walkers are usually also fearless and determined. Interestingly enough, girls usually start walking earlier than boys, although nobody really knows why. Remember that it’s not necessarily an advantage to walk very early. If a child is already walking at nine months, it’s likely he spent only a short time crawling. This can become a problem if your baby did not get a chance to develop good shoulder stability. By the age of six years you could see the knock-on effect in his fine motor skills, which may be lacking. However, children do reach milestones at different times, and early walking does not have to indicate any problems. It is more important that your baby’s milestones are achieved in order (from the head down).

CHILDREN WHO WALK LATE

Late walkers are children who start walking between 15 months and two years. This child probably also learned to sit and crawl a little later than the norm. Late walkers often need their gross motor skills looked at and you can also expect a late walker’s fine motor skills development to be a little behind. There is a chance that there could be fine and gross motor skills issues such as being clumsy or struggling with balance. A late walker may also complete tasks a little slower.

DOES IT MATTER WHEN MY CHILD LEARNS TO WALK?

In the end there is no difference between the skills and abilities of a child who walked at 12 months and one who waited until the 15-month mark.

Walking early does not guarantee you’ll have a star athlete on your hands, nor does walking late condemn your child to a lifetime of two left feet and a position on the spectator seats of every sporting team from now on. There is no connection between cognitive ability and when your child started walking.

Having said that, if your child is waiting to walk and you are worried, you could have her assessed. A physiotherapist will be able to spot any physical issues that are impeding walking, or alternatively, if the delayed walking has had any other effects on other physical developments. She’ll be able to assess how strong your child’s back and tummy muscles are, as good trunk strength, control and rotation are important for walking. A child undergoing physiotherapy at this age will probably spend lots of time on the physio ball and balance beam and do lots of swinging activities. Balance apparatus is also used, where the child is treated while in sitting, kneeling and standing positions.

If a six-month-old baby is not showing any interest in sitting, best take him for an evaluation as it is likely walking will also be delayed later.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

■ Play wheelbarrow with your tot.

■ Encourage him to crawl as much as possible.

■ Let him kneel and squat.

■ Let him practise walking while holding onto moving objects such as a little wagon, pram or wheelbarrow.

■ Let him sit on a swing and kick against a surface to get moving.