How to teach a child to walk: basic exercises, useful tips and safety tips. The child does not want to walk and constantly asks to be held

In this case, we start from how the question is posed. If “the child does not want to walk,” this does not mean at all that he will not be able to do it. Look around. Have you ever met a healthy child who did not walk by the age of three? This doesn't happen. And counting the months and comparing your baby with others is just another reason to be nervous. This cannot be done for several reasons:

first of all, you spoil your nerves and mood, which means your child will also feel it and respond to you with a bad mood, whims or unreasonable crying
such a comparison sets you up to believe that your child is somehow worse than others. Such thoughts have a depressing effect on everyone, and underestimating your own child can further affect his self-esteem. A child who is not confident in himself is a bad start to independent life.
Those around you, having heard your complaints, will also begin to believe that if the child wants to walk, then it is underdeveloped. Under no circumstances should such a reason for a negative attitude towards a child be given into the hands of less than friendly people.

Be patient and look at everything with optimism. Perhaps the fact that the child does not want to learn to walk at the same time as everyone else is the first manifestation of his originality and difference from others.

If, nevertheless, you don’t have enough patience to wait for the first steps, then gradually try to encourage your child to take this.

When walking by the handle, do not hold him, but let him hold on to his finger on his own. In this case, if the baby gets distracted and wants to reach something to the side, it will be easier for him to break away from his parents and take the first step.
Give your child more opportunities to move. If he moves freely around the apartment, and not just sits in the playpen, then he has much more reasons to walk independently.
Play outdoor games with your baby more often, call him to you, ask him to bring toys or things that he likes.
You can and should try provocative actions. While the child is standing on his feet and is far enough away from his parents, offer him a new or favorite toy. Very often, kids, in a hurry to get the desired item, forget that they can crawl and take their first steps.

But don’t be too intrusive, otherwise the child will figure out all the tricks and his stubbornness may only increase. If so, don't force him. Just change your attitude to the situation and set yourself a different task, for example, teaching your child to eat with a spoon. More often than not, the situation changes dramatically precisely when it is no longer considered problematic.

As pediatricians note, a child takes his first step at approximately 9-12 months. It may well be that the baby will begin to walk independently later than usual. Many parents ask themselves the question of when their baby will walk, while other people's children are already taking their hesitant first steps by the first year of life. There are a number of reasons why a child does not walk. Let's take a closer look at them in this article and find out which are worthy of excitement and which are completely natural.

Reasons why a child does not walk

A child may not walk up to 16 months; this will not affect the child’s development in any way. Quite the contrary. The age limits for the beginning of walking begin from approximately 9 months and up to 1 year and 2 months. If a child does not want to walk, it means that the baby is protecting his legs, muscles, joints and back.
Dr. Komarovsky wrote that walking on two legs instead of the usual four has brought many problems to people; problems are associated with a fairly large load on the spine.
So, the later the child starts walking, the less load on the spine will be, and this will not lead to problems such as sciatica and curvature. And if the baby does not walk due to a serious illness, or he suffers from physical inactivity, or the child simply has allergies, do not be upset, this is normal, he will just walk a little later.
If the child is completely healthy and does not walk at one and a half years, it may be worth contacting a neurologist or orthopedist.
There is also the difficulty of the first steps, different lengths of the legs or their curvature. It is worth carrying out conservative treatment, the child may have rickets. With the help of massage and exercise therapy, you can speed up your baby's learning to walk. There are preventative and therapeutic massages. Therapeutic massage is prescribed only by a neurologist or orthopedist.

Learning to walk in a walker or jumper

Quite often there are children with weak muscles or hypotrophic ones. Possible incorrect development of foot placement while walking in walkers or jumpers. If your child does not walk, many parents wonder how to get their child to walk. It’s not a fact that walkers will help him with this, but, by the way, they can harm him.

Shoes for babies

What kind of shoes should be? It is better not to wear shoes at home. Walking barefoot strengthens the child's muscles, joints and ligaments. This way, your baby will start walking faster. Shoes should not have too hard soles.

Each parent should know that you should not put your child on his feet at an early age, this can lead to disruption of the development of motor skills and to the curvature of the musculoskeletal system, which is not yet strong. Now you have learned why the child does not want to walk and what can be done about it. We advise you to read our article: “

Babies take their first steps at 12 months. However, there are exceptions. A child may not walk a year for various reasons. Let's list some of them.

Why doesn't a one-year-old child walk?

If a child does not walk, but sits well, crawls or can stand on his feet, there is no reason to worry. Walk with him holding his hand, he is probably just afraid to take the first step. Keep an eye on him, sometimes after several falls the baby loses the desire to walk on his own. Daily training and your support are important here.

A child may not walk independently for a year due to psychological unpreparedness.

The environment and his character influence the baby. Lazy or quiet children are in no hurry to take their first steps. Due to their nature, little fidgets begin to walk the fastest.

If the child does not want to walk and does not try to sit or crawl at all, consult a doctor. The following reasons are identified:

genetic predisposition;
weak muscles;
undeveloped musculoskeletal system;
hypoxia or damage to brain cells;
poor nutrition.

With weak leg muscles, the child relies more on his hands when standing up. With an undeveloped musculoskeletal system, the baby sits crookedly, because it is difficult for him to maintain balance. Hypoxia develops during pregnancy. A woman, as a rule, learns about it before the birth of her child.

What to do if a child walks poorly or does not want to walk

Go for a consultation with a doctor. In addition to the examination, you will need to take tests and undergo a full examination. Once the diagnosis is made, treatment is prescribed.

To help your baby start walking faster:

Get a foot massage, or better yet, trust a professional massage therapist. Swimming will help strengthen muscles and increase their tone.
Help your child stand up by holding onto a sofa or chair. Praise him and ask him to repeat the same thing, but this time on his own.
Take your child by the hands and walk around the room with him. First, hold him tightly with both hands, then with one. After a couple of sessions, hold only the finger, and then release it.
Place your baby close to you and open your arms for a hug. Don't yell at him, but on the contrary, smile and call him to you. Don't forget about praise.

Little tricks will come in handy for motivation. Collect toys from the floor and place them on the sofa, ask your baby to get them for you. The child can be helped for the first time.

Stop using walkers. The child quickly gets used to them and has a hard time weaning off them.

The baby's first steps are a great joy for parents. As a rule, children begin to make independent attempts to walk at the age of one. But it happens that a child does not walk for 1 year, and this worries many mothers very much.

What time do children go?

Let's first decide whether these are really deviations from the norm and. Quite often, mothers themselves invent a problem only because some children from the common sandbox begin to take independent steps a little earlier. Very impressionable parents immediately panic: why their child doesn’t walk, but the neighbor’s is already practically running.

Of course, on average, babies try to move around by 12 months. However, the norm is between 9 and 15 months. If you fall within these limits, there is no reason to worry. More active and inquisitive babies quickly want to let go of their mother’s hand and begin to explore the world around them. For other babies, moving on all fours is more acceptable.

A more difficult situation is when the child refuses to walk some time after he has already learned to do so. As a rule, this behavior is associated with a stressful situation. This could be fear, illness or unfavorable conditions at home. In this case, the child is afraid to walk and needs help and attention from the parents to overcome this fear.

Pediatricians will highlight several reasons why a child does not want to walk.

What to do if the child does not walk?

If the baby has already passed the age of one and a half years and has not begun to move independently, contact your pediatrician. Typically, the causes are poor muscle tone or a problem with the brain. If the baby is only a year old and he is sociable, inquisitive, and calm, there is no reason to panic. In due time, your baby will definitely take his first step.

In the first year of life, the baby acquires many skills and abilities. This is the time of his active development, he grows quickly and learns new things. When a child begins to walk, a moment comes that is associated with quite understandable experiences. Do parents need help in mastering walking skills, what to do if the child does not walk, how to choose suitable shoes? Young fathers and mothers are concerned about a lot of questions about their beloved baby.

You should also not be scared when listening to other young mothers about how early her baby is and at 11 months he is already walking on his own. Of course, there is a certain norm regarding age-related changes, which the pediatrician will tell you about, but each child is individual.

The average child begins to walk at 1 year of age. But this is an approximate figure. The norm is when children begin to walk between 9 months and a year and a half. Any baby begins by trying to stand up, take his first tentative steps, holding his mother’s hand, and only after a while does he take independent steps.

Several factors influence when children begin to walk independently:

Genetic factor. If one of the parents took his first steps early, then you should expect the baby to show independence in walking earlier than his peers. But if dad started at two years old, then you shouldn’t demand anything else from the baby.
Temperament. If a child is fidgety, then his desire to walk on his own will manifest itself early. Balanced and calm children are in no hurry to learn this skill.
Gender. Boys begin to move independently later than girls.
Body mass. The lighter the baby’s weight, the faster he will be and, accordingly, the faster he will walk. A chubby child will start walking much later.

At first, the baby will fall, since he still does not know how to maintain his center of gravity. Parents should closely monitor him, since the child still has difficulty taking his first steps and does not have the skill to soften a fall with his hands. There is a high probability that he could break the back of his head or face. While the baby is learning to walk, there will be many such bruises, but mothers should not panic, because the skeletal system of children at this age is very elastic. The risk of fractures is minimized.

It is important not to overdo it with care. There is no point in portraying fear and horror on your face every time your child takes a flight. Mom or dad's reaction should be calm. They should encourage their offspring with soothing words, not rush to raise him, but wait until the baby gets up on his own.

While the child is learning to walk, it is necessary to remove all dangerous objects in the apartment. He should be in the constant attention of his parents.

Why doesn't the child walk?

When a child does not begin to walk at 10 or 11 months, this is not a reason for distress, but a completely normal situation. You shouldn't force things. You can consult with your pediatrician on how to quickly teach this to your child.

When a child refuses to go one year, there should be no particular cause for concern either. Many children start later than this, at about one and a half years. Parents can teach their child to walk by doing certain exercises with him. The most common reasons why a baby did not go to his first birthday are:

Weak readiness of muscles and spine. The child needs to get stronger and gain strength.
Excess weight. The baby's activity drops if he is frankly chubby. The load experienced by the musculoskeletal skeleton does not allow it to be as mobile as possible. The big kids go much later than their buddies.
Genetic background. Heredity is very important. The norm for a child to walk independently will be approximately the same as for one of his parents.

If a baby has not learned to walk at the age of 2, then this is a serious reason to consult a pediatrician. The child will not only be examined, but also examined. The reasons why a child does not want to walk may be:

Stressful situations. If there is no psychological comfort in the house, this can greatly affect the baby. Quarrels, scandals, sudden changes in the environment will negatively affect the baby’s desire to walk. The child should be created comfortable conditions, he should feel comfort, love and care.
Failures first attempts. If the baby was injured during the first falls, he may still have a fear of walking. He needs his parents' support and time to cope with his fears.
Any disease. After an illness, it is quite natural for children to experience a decline in activity. A weakened immune system is stressful for a child, and sometimes even slows down its development. Care, frequent walks and good nutrition will help him cope with such problems and recover.
Frequent use of walkers. Fascination with this device can lead to the fact that the baby will be afraid to walk on his own. While in, he experiences a strong load on the lower spine. In this position, the body and feet are physiologically incorrect. As a result, the child gets used to an unnatural way of moving.

A cause for great concern will be the fact that the baby does not walk at 3 years of age or older. In this case, he clearly needs neurological treatment and probably has certain changes in the brain.

How to teach a child to walk?

At the preparatory stage, which begins from the fourth or fifth month, you need to teach the child to reach for a bright toy, thereby pushing him to physical activity. It is also necessary to encourage the baby to crawl by placing the desired toy at a distance from him. This is a very important exercise to teach a child to walk in the future, as it develops strong muscles.

When a child begins to walk and is just taking his first steps, you can use a stroller to teach him to stand more confidently on his feet. Leaning on it, he will confidently push it and, accordingly, walk. At one year old, children are happy to follow the stroller rather than sit in it.

If a child cannot move confidently at 11 months or a year, then he must be taught to walk independently. It's time to start actively working with him. A baby who begins to stomp can be interested in an attractive toy, which should be placed in the farthest corner. On the way to it, you need to place chairs and lay out large pillows that will become a support for the baby when moving. He will definitely want to approach a bright thing. Children, no matter how many months or years old they are, are very curious and enjoy exploring this world.

A massage of the legs and feet will be useful; it will help relax the muscles involved in walking. It is recommended to do daily gymnastics, including bending and straightening the legs, and exercising on a fitball. As a result, the baby will not even be two years old, and he will confidently walk on his own.

What if the child refuses to walk?

If the baby refuses to walk on his own, you should consult with specialists. If he does not have problems with the musculoskeletal system, and the child is simply lazy, then parents should conduct interesting activities that will allow the baby to quickly master a new skill. During such training, he will cope with this task faster.

Dads and moms always want their children to start walking early. But early walking is not always a reason to rejoice, because children’s muscles are still weak. And if the baby is also chubby, this can lead to curvature of the legs and improper formation of the feet.

Even if the child is already 1.5 years old and has not yet started walking, there is no need to worry, it is important to pay attention to his general condition. If he is happy and active, he will start walking on his own when he is ready.