19 Jan 👶🏻Is your baby cruising along the furniture and never letting go to walk by themselves? 🤔Wondering what can you do to help your child learn to let go of the furniture and walk by themselves?

The age at which babies start to walk can vary widely, as each child develops at their own pace. On average, most babies begin to take their first steps 👣between 9 and 12 months of age. However, some babies may start walking as early as 8 months, while others may not start until 15 months or later. If babies are not walking independently by 18 months old, they are considered to be delayed in their gross motor skills.

Here at My Favourite Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists 🤓often see babies who are stuck at cruising along the furniture and not willing to let go to take their first steps. Here are the Top 3 reasons why a child may be stuck furniture cruising for months and not let go to stand by themselves to take their first steps:

😬1. The environment does not encourage them to let go of the furniture to walk by themselves. For example, the layout of the room allows a child to be holding onto furniture to walk around the room.

😬2. The child has ankle instability which causes the ankles to collapse in or the foot to turn in. As a result a child feels unsure and “scared” to take a step independently by themselves.

😬3. The child has low muscle tone which causes them to have weaker trunk muscles and leg muscles. As a result a child needs to hold onto supports to walk.

The solution to each of these situations is different, and the key is to identify the cause of your child’s refusal to take their first step.

If your child has been stuck on cruising along furniture, reach out to one of our Expert Physiotherapists at My Favourite Physio 📱on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists 🤓today. Let us help your child learn to walk independently today!💪

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