FIRST STEPS

There are some baby milestones that every parent is impatient to see: first smile, first word, first sleep-through-the-night. But nothing — nothing!—causes quite such a stir as that very first totter across the floor. “It’s exciting!” says paediatric physiotherapist Karen Mayes, not least because exactly when it will happen is anybody’s guess: “Every child develops at his own sweet pace, and will only walk when he’s good and ready!”

The earliest a baby will start moving out of the crawling stage and begin trying to pull himself up is at around eight months old. But some babies don’t feel the need to get up on their feet until 18 months old. That’s a difference of 10 months—which can feel very frustrating if your little one is still lounging around on the living room carpet while your best friend’s tot is trotting here, there and everywhere. But once you know just how many skills your baby has to master before he can move from crawling to walking, it’s much easier to relax and simply enjoy supporting him as he goes on his own, personal, walking journey. “And you’ll be amazed at how many skills he needs to develop before he’s ready to wobble across the floor on two feet,” says Karen.

Those skills started developing from the moment your baby was born. You might think your newborn spent most of his time snoozing and feeding,