Crawling, Standing and Walking

By eight to nine months, the baby has more control over his legs and back and begins to creep or crawl. Some babies move around very fast on their buttocks, pushing themselves with their legs, so to speak. Others crawl on all fours and can go all over the house.

This, of course, plays havoc with clothes, particularly leggings. Not only do they get dirty, they also get holes very fast. Now is the time to keep watch over the baby all the time. Make sure that the floor is even, keep it clear of furniture, and do not keep breakable and dangerous things in his way.

He wants to survey everything, so keep electric wires, knives, pins, blades, hot things out of his reach. This is the time to put away some of your precious breakable treasures also. Soon he learns to stand, holding on to something and can walk for quite sometime.

Around his first birthday, he will venture to take a few steps without support. He seems a bit unsure, and even has a toll or two, but he perseveres and is soon steady on his feet.

This is a big achievement and he is proud of it. Between one year and 18 months, most babies are walking fairly well. A baby walker is quite useful once he has learnt to sit. He can move around and explore quite safely. It is convenient but not something you or the baby cannot do without.