When do Babies Start to Crawl and Walk

Among the many questions that new parents ask, the most common question is "When our baby will walk or crawl?'. Every new parent must understand that all babies are different i.e. every baby’s abilities are different from those of other babies. It is hard to find two babies, who begin crawling and walking at the same age, even if they are siblings. Every child has his/her own individual pace of development, though most babies start developing in almost same period.  

Crawling

As the age at which babies start crawling varies, the crawling methods babies choose also varies. You may see babies crawling on their hands and knees and others crawling army-style across the floor. Some babies never crawl, but they roll or scoot on the floor. Usually, babies start crawling between six months to ten months and  continue to do so until they begin to walk. With the adaptation of back to sleep, babies spend minimal time on their stomach so many babies never crawl or crawling begins when they are 10 months old. Therefore, there is nothing to worry if your eight months old baby does not crawl. If your baby has not started showing signs of mobility by one year, consult a doctor.

Walking

Usually, babies start walking between the age of nine months and 16 months with almost half of them starting walking by one year. Initially, babies start walking by taking support of furniture, wall or somebody’s hands.  Gradually, your baby will start walking by holding onto just one of your fingers to  balance and in a few days, he/she will walk on his/her own. Some babies may be early walkers and others late walkers as the latter may start walking when they are between the 12th and 16th month.  When they start walking, they may do it more competently than the early-walking babies and may take fewer spills. On an average, the early-walking babies take their first steps after nine months. By the 16th month, all babies start walking properly. To walk well, babies need to develop muscle strength and coordination. Their mobility such as sitting, rolling, standing with support and crawling helps them to build muscle strength.

There is no defined age for babies to crawl or walk.  Some crawl at the sixth month,  some at the ninth month and others may never crawl. Usually, babies start walking when they are between the ninth and 16 month.

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