From Pulling Up to First Steps: How Parents Can Provide the Right Support
First, your child pulls themself up on the sofa. Then they move sideways along the coffee table. And suddenly the question arises: Should we help with walking now - or should we interfere as little as possible?
Many parents feel unsure during this phase. After all, you want to provide safety without taking every movement away from your child. That is exactly what the first steps are about: not speeding up walking, but creating conditions in which a child can try things independently.
It is not just about whether your child is already walking
The spectacular moments stay in our memories: standing freely for the first time, taking two steps to the sofa, suddenly walking across the living room. But from a motor-development perspective, the much smaller things that come before are often more interesting.
Pay attention to this:
- Does your child pull themself up independently?
- Can your child sit down again in a controlled manner?
- Does your child move sideways along furniture?
- Does your child move between different pieces of furniture?
- Does your child sometimes try to let go with one hand briefly?
All of these are experiences with balance, strength, and body control. That is why comparing your child with others is usually not very helpful. Much more interesting is the question: What can my child do today that was still difficult a few weeks ago?
When should you help - and when should you simply wait?
This is probably the most difficult question of this phase. When a child wobbles, we instinctively want to reach out. Sometimes that is necessary. But sometimes it only needs a brief moment to find a solution independently.
It calmly keeps trying.
→ Stay nearby and give it time.
It wants to reach something but cannot get any further.
→ It is better to change the surroundings a little rather than taking over the movement completely.
It seems tired, overwhelmed, or is in an unsafe situation.
→ Now, support is helpful.
Especially when learning to walk, “helping” does not always mean holding on. Sometimes help simply means putting a dangerous object away or moving the next piece of furniture a little closer.
The 5-minute living room check
Before thinking about additional toys, it is worth taking a quick look at the surroundings. Often, a lot can already be achieved with just a few changes.
- Is there sturdy furniture that your child is allowed to pull themselves up on?
- Are the routes short enough to get from one secure support to the next?
- Is there enough clear floor space so that sitting down and crawling remain possible at any time?
- Are rugs and small pieces of furniture slip-resistant?
- Are stairs, cables, and furniture that can easily tip over secured?
The home does not need to look like a movement room for this. On the contrary: Everyday situations are particularly interesting because children can decide for themselves whether they want to crawl, stand, hold on, or take a break.
Why does every laundry basket suddenly get pushed around?
Many parents know this phase: A chair moves through the kitchen, the laundry basket through the bedroom, and even a toy box suddenly becomes a means of transport.
What lies behind it is quite a fascinating experiment. A child discovers: When I use my body, I can set something in motion. At the same time, they have to coordinate force, direction, resistance, and balance.
Pushing is not just “practising walking.” It is an experience in its own right involving movement, force, and cause and effect.
If your child can already stand up safely and move along furniture, a sturdy Montessori wooden push walker with motor-skills activities can therefore also be an interesting addition. Not as a shortcut to walking independently, but as something your child can push and explore on their own initiative.
If you choose a push walker, make sure it is not just for those first steps
This is where an important consideration can easily be overlooked when buying: The phase in which a child is genuinely interested in support for pushing is limited. But the toy itself should not automatically become boring afterward.
A better question to ask before buying is therefore:
“What will my child do with this walker once they can already walk safely around the home?”
Here, the child's interests may be more important than the number of functions.
If your child likes sounds, turning things and small cause-and-effect games, a wooden baby walker with a xylophone and activity elements may remain interesting later on for sitting and exploring.
If, on the other hand, your child starts imitating adults while they screw, repair and build things, a activity walker with an integrated workbench may be a better fit.
Some children especially enjoy looking at their reflection, moving elements and small mechanisms. In that case, a baby walker with a mirror and busy-board elements may remain interesting for longer than a simple push walker.
Three things are more important than having as many functions as possible
The walker should remain stable when the child pulls themselves up and pushes it.
The rolling mechanism should not move faster than the child.
Even after taking their first steps, there should still be something to discover.
Ultimately, it mainly needs time
When taking their first steps, there is surprisingly little that parents need to actively “teach”. Much more important are safe opportunities to try things out and the freedom to continue moving on all fours again from time to time.
Sometimes your child needs your hand. Sometimes just a stable sofa. And sometimes they want to push the same laundry basket through the living room ten times.
Perhaps this is the most helpful attitude during this phase: not asking how we can speed up the next step - but observing which step the child wants to take independently right now.