Maria, mum to 13 month old Ivy is looking for some ways to encourage her daughter to take her first steps.
“Ivy started crawling at about 9 months, and she’s been pulling up on the furniture for ages but still hasn’t taken that first step! All my friends babies who are a similar age have been walking for a month or two now and I’m starting to get a bit worried that she’s never going to do it.
I don’t know if I should be concerned that Ivy isn’t walking yet or if I should just relax. I know there’s a wide range of “normal” when it comes to these things but it seems like every other baby I know walked earlier than mine! I don’t want to put pressure on Ivy but at the same time I would like to encourage her to take those first steps. I’m not sure what might help her though, and was wondering if anyone else had some advice.
I have thought about getting one of those baby walker things but I’ve heard they can be dangerous and that they can actually discourage walking rather than help it, so was wondering is there anything else out there that might be better? It would also be great to know what ages other peoples’ children were when they took their first steps?”
Was your child an early walker? Or, like Maria, did you despair of them ever taking those first steps? Either way, please share your experience and help Maria. By answering a few questions, you may be able to help other mothers who might be anxious about their child’s physical development. Thanks, Shona x







