Congratulations! You've almost made it through the first year with your little miracle. With all the ups and downs. We know how quick it goes! Perhaps they are already taking their first steps. Or maybe they need a few more months? It’sall completely normal. Most children take their first free steps between the ages of 13 and 14 months, some walk much earlier and others only at 18 or 20 months. Everyone has their own pace of development. Today, let's take another look at baby milestones, focusing on 12-month baby milestones together with our midwife and expert Katrin Ritter. This concludes our blog series Baby’s developmental milestones with Ergobaby: baby’s first year. What can you already see? What can you look forward to in the near future? And how can you best support your little one so close to their first birthday?
12-month baby milestones: ‘The first step’
Your baby doesn't have to master free standing before they can start walking on their own. Some babies simply rush off because they can keep their balance more easily when walking. They then slow down in the arms of mum or dad. A sense of balance and coordination are super important to be able to take the first steps on their own. If your baby has mastered milestone after milestone over the past few months - crawling, turning, supporting and pulling themselves up - their body will be well prepared for the new way of moving. You will see that sitting upright is easy and the movements look very clean. However, it will be a few months before your little darling can walk safely on all surfaces (uneven ground, grass, gravel, sand etc.). But from now on, they are guaranteed to be unstoppable.
Baby foot development stages
It takes seven years for a child's foot to fully develop. Here are the milestones in foot development:
- In the womb, baby presses their feet against the uterus.
- After birth, your baby takes their ‘first steps’ through the walking or dance reflex, which causes a baby to appear to walk or dance when held upright with their feet touching a flat surface.
- In the 3rd month, the feet help to straighten up when the toes press into the mat in the prone position (on their tummy).
- In the 7th month of life, you can see the child's readiness to stand, i.e. your baby normally stretches its legs when it is placed on its feet.
- The transverse and longitudinal arches of the feet are formed in the half-kneeling position and during coasting.
- The stance phase of the foot is developed in most children at around 14 months. Most children then walk freely. They do this by stretching their arms out to the side and shifting their body to the side with each step. The foot can therefore stand, but it is not yet ready to push off and roll.
- In fact, rolling and pushing off does not develop until the age of 3. Only then has the spine fully developed and the pelvis is erect. Until then, children show the typical kinked foot and bulging belly when walking. The waddling gait resembles that of a duck.
And until then, it's all about running, running, running. Preferably on bare feet and over every possible surface. This is the only way for your little one to feel what their little feet are actually capable of. The foot muscles develop and the sense of balance is stimulated. If it's too cold for bare feet, non-slip socks or thin leather shoes without a firm sole can help. The main thing is that your little one doesn't slip on slippery floors.
Goals within the 12th month
It only takes a few weeks for your baby to develop from a child who lands on their bottom after just a few steps to a confidently walking child who can swing their arms from side to side. Casual, isn't it? Your soon-to-be toddler could master the following by the end of this month:
- Standing up freely from all fours
- Squatting and standing up again independently
- Walking unassisted, standing still and changing direction
By the way: babies will still crawl up staircases for quite a while before they switch to walking sideways up with both hands on the bannister. But even then they still should go down on their bums. Better safe than sorry.
The first solid shoe...
...still has time. Until your child can really walk freely and safely. Until your little one can walk without help, stand up and start walking on their own, stop, and change direction, their little foot isn’t ready for its first solid shoe. And even then they should have a wide box and the soles should be super bendy and flexible for as long as possible so that the foot can develop freely. Walking in their shoes should feel like walking barefoot - which is still the healthiest thing for children's feet. Ideally the shoe is only there to protect against moisture and cold. It is best to seek advice from a specialist shop so that you can find the right size, width and height for your baby.
12-month baby milestones: you made it!
How you can support the baby development step of "learning to walk"
First things first: pulling your baby up by the arms or holding him or her under the armpits and then practising the first steps with him or her is NOT the right support for teaching your child to walk. On the contrary. This can lead to foot misalignment. As with every baby milestone, the following applies: wait until your baby is ready on their own. In this case, until their sense of balance is so good that they can take their first steps on their own.
And then please only provide light support, for example by holding them gently by both hands at first, and later only by one hand. Make sure you are at your child's height so that you don't pull their arm upwards.
Is your baby still a little insecure and you want to give them a sense of security when taking their first steps? Then you can guide them from behind either by the pelvis or by both shoulders. You can also place one hand on the front of the sternum and the other on their lower back to provide stability.
Otherwise, we've already given you the most important tip: walk as much as you can. If necessary, motivate your little one to walk the first few steps or subsequent steps by having two of your baby's carers sit opposite each other on the floor. Your little one will keep trying to get from one to the other. You can then gradually increase the distance between the two people.
If your little one is already a good walker, you can set up a sensory course in the living room by spreading scraps of carpet, furs, blankets, cushions or yoga mats on the floor. Every new surface feels nice or exciting for little feet. You can then gradually increase the level of difficulty by setting up sloping levels, boxes, benches or cushions. See how your baby copes with these obstacles and help them if they need help. You will see that your little one will become more and more secure and self-confident and will curiously discover their little world in this new and exciting way of moving around upright. Watch them and enjoy every moment.
12-month baby milestones: you made it!
And there you have it. These 12-month baby milestones conclude our blog series on baby milestones! If you’re just joining us or you have a baby who is younger than 12 months you can head over to our blog and search “milestones” for all the other instalments. Happy birthday to your baby, and to you too, you deserve to celebrate an amazing year!
Source: Babys in Bewegung, Kienzle-Müller, Wilke-Kaltenbach, 4. Auflage, Urban & Fischer