Walking Activities To Do With A 12-Month-Old Baby

Now my 12-month-old baby girl is a full-blown walker, we have been incorporating some walking activities to further improve her walking ability.

If you have been keeping up with the blog, then you know that every few months, I have been dropping activity posts on things that I do with my baby.

First, it was some developmental activities that we were doing when she was 4 months old.

Then it was floor activities that I was doing with her when she was 8 months old and crawling everywhere.

And now that she is walking, we are doing things now that require her to walk around and strengthen her legs.

Ever since my baby girl started walking a little after she turned 10 months old, it is all she has pretty much been wanting to do.

She may take a tumble here and there but best believe she is going to get right back up and start walking again.

And at a year old, she is actually at the point where she is trying to walk fast/jog.

Here I want to share what we have been doing to encourage our baby to walk and improve her walking ability.

If you are interested in some walking activities that I do with my 12-month-old baby girl, then just keep reading.

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When Will Your Baby Start Walking?

Before I get into some of the walking activities that I do with my 12-month-old, let’s answer this question.

When will your baby start walking?

As much as I would love to give you a definite time frame, I can’t because every baby is different.

For instance, my older daughter started walking at 11 months.

While her younger sister started walking sooner at 10 months.

I also have a nephew who didn’t start walking until he was 14 months.

So as you can see, it is all over the place because it depends on the child.

A lot of children are at least cruising or walking independently by 15 or 16 months.

Some children, like my baby girl, are really eager to start walking while others, like my nephew, are a little more hesitant.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a child choosing to walk later.

According to Verywell Family, you should only worry if your child isn’t showing any interest in walking (or cruising along furniture) by 15 or 16 months.

This is especially true if your child is late on other milestones.

You should contact your pediatrician if your child is showing the following signs:

• Suddenly stops walking
• Does not take any independent steps by 15 months
• Cannot walk independently by 18 months
• Walks unsteadily at 2 years
• Has an unusual gait at 3 years

You know your child so if you are ever concerned about your child’s walking ability then you can always reach out to your pediatrician with your concerns.

Now that we know around when our babies will be walking, let’s get into some walking activities that I do with my 12-month-old baby girl.

Walking Activities To Do With A 12-Month-Old Baby

Let Them Practice Barefoot

The first thing I want to mention as I dive into some activities that will encourage your baby to start walking is to let them practice barefoot.

If you all remember when I posted my baby registry for my second child, I noted that one of the items I don’t worry about getting early on is baby shoes.

It is not because I don’t like baby shoes or don’t think they are adorable.

It is because I feel like baby shoes are not necessary until a baby is really walking.

As my baby girl learned how to pull up and cruise along the furniture, I allowed her to do it all barefoot.

In the past with my older daughter, I used to get her those soft baby shoes and when she started up and cruising around she was sliding everywhere in those shoes.

At least when my baby is barefoot at home, she is getting much better traction and learning how to walk on the different textures throughout our home.

Now that she is a much better walker, we have invested in getting her some hard bottom shoes that allow her to walk around outside and out in public.

Place Favorite Toys/Objects At Eye Level

If your baby is starting to pull up and cruise around, then something that you can start doing to encourage them to walk is placing their favorite items at eye level for them to reach towards.

This can easily be achieved by placing your baby’s favorite toy or item on the couch or on a small table that your baby can safely pull up on.

For example, my baby girl is obsessed with our TV remotes.

So what we would do is put the remote on the couch at her level so she would have to pull up to reach it.

Then once she pulled up, we would move the remote down the couch so she would have to cruise towards it.

As she got better with cruising along the couch and other furniture, we started holding the object or toy away from where she can pull up and having her take a couple of solo steps toward it.

Now we can hold up an object that she wants all the way across the room and she will stand up and walk all the way towards it.

Supported Walking Exercises

The next way to help your baby start walking is through supported walking exercises.

This can be achieved by you holding up the arms of your baby and guiding them while walking.

I know some parents will even put their baby’s feet on top of their own feet and walk to imitate the motion of what walking will feel like.

Gradually as your baby gets the hang of walking with support, you can let go and watch as your baby takes a few solo steps.

They will gain more and more confidence the more steps they take and the next thing you know you will have an independent walking baby.

Push Toys

So I have never been a big fan of walker toys where you put the baby in a walker and it rolls around the floor.

But I do like push toys.

These are the toys that are made to provide support for early walkers by allowing them to push the toys around.

Most push toys are built as a 2-in-1 with a sit and stand feature, so your baby can sit in front and play with the toys in the front and then stand up and push the toy from the back.

In the past, we have used this Vtech Sit To Stand Learning Walker which worked great.

But if you know me, then know that I’m a big fan of wooden toys.

If you are also like me, then another option that I like is this Hape Wooden Push and Pull Music Learning Walker.

This walker is made for babies 10 months and up and plays music as you push it.

Climbing Stairs

And the last activity that is great for strengthening your little one’s legs for walking is climbing stairs.

The motions that are used when babies are climbing up the stairs are similar to how they move their legs forward when walking.

We currently live in a 2 story home so we have stairs within our home that our baby girl can practice on.

Like most children, our baby girl started showing an interest in the stairs once she started crawling.

So we began letting her climb up the stairs while we trailed right behind her.

Since our home does have stairs, it is important that we not only babyproof the stairs but also show her how to use them.

We had to do the same with our older daughter and we also started by showing her how to climb the stairs first.

If your home doesn’t have stairs, you can always take your little one to a park or indoor playground that has a small set of stairs that you can help your little one climb.

Your Turn

Well, those are the walking activities that I do with my 12-month-old baby girl. Now I want to hear from you all. What are some activities that you do with your little ones that encourage them to start walking? Let me know in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below.

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Love,

Just Jass