29 Jul Did you know that it s normal for baby to be able to put weight on their feet when held in supported standing
Did you know that it s normal for baby to be able to put weight on their feet 
when held in supported standing
Typically developing babies 
are able to pull to stand and walk independently between the ages of 12 months to 18 months old. Some babies are able to walk independently by 11 months old. However all typically developing babies should be push through their feet 
to stand when held in supported standing from as little as 1 month old. By 6 months old, most typically developing babies do enjoy being held in supported standing and will tend to try to take steps or shift their weight side to side lifting and stomping their feet alternately.
Here at My Favourite Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists 
see many babies to help the learn to walk and sometimes a parent will ask,”Is it safe to be holding baby in standing when they cannot stand by themselves?”
Parents are concerned that when they hold their baby to stand they are damaging baby’s legs or feet bones.
The truth is holding baby in supported standing for a few minutes does not damage their legs or feet bones. 
It will not cause baby to have bow legs. In fact, supported standing helps hip joints to develop. When baby starts to learn to pull to stand by themselves and cruise around furniture, they will naturally be spending more time in standing which improves their hip joint development and bone growth. 
It is also normal that when babies start to walk, their legs are bowed until 2 years old, then the legs will straighten up before becoming knocked knees until 7 years old. This is the normal development of the shin and thigh bone as baby grows. Holding baby in supported standing does not impact this normal bone development of the legs.
If you are concerned 
about your baby’s development or if you noticed that your baby is not wanting to put their legs down to stand, ring My Favourite Physio 
on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists. We would love to help your child learn to put their feet down to walk today!!