First Steps - Toddler Walking - HealthSurgeon - Healthy Living and Fitness

Children start to take their first steps around their first birthday. It is common for most children not to take independent steps until after their first birthday. The range for walking in babies can range between 9-18 months and be considered normal. Do not get disheartened if your child’s first birthday rolls around and they are not walking. Late walkers have no signs of a relation between other developmental milestones or cognitive abilities.

Your child may be close to walking if they are showing prewalking skills. Prewalking skills are the ability to be able to push themselves up into a standing position by themselves, cruising around furniture, or taking steps with a push walker, push toy, or holding on to a hand and taking steps. After these prewalking skills have been mastered it will not be long before your little one is walking on their own.

Once your child starts walking on their own it can take 3-6 months for them to mature their walking pattern. This means that it may take a little bit for them to be able to walk with their hands to the sides and their feet closer together. Toddlers are called toddlers due to the way they “toddle” when they walk. Meaning they toddle from one leg to the other with their legs far apart. This is normal when your child is learning to walk. Other walking gaits or patterns that are normal when your child just is starting to walk are wobble from side to side, walking with their stomach pushed out, walking with their bottom pushed out, hold their arms up, hold their arms straight out, keep their knees bent, not walking with the heel to toe gait, clawing the floor with their toes, hesitating between steps, and needing to gather their balance between steps.

Barefoot is Best but Shoes are Sometimes Necessary

When you are teaching your child to walk barefoot is best. It helps with arch development and provides important sensory input for your child. You should only put your child into shoes for safety or when walking outside of your home. When you look for your child’s first shoe there are some aspects you will want to make sure you find. Look for a shoe that has a soft flexible sole, rigid heel cup, wide toe box, is lightweight, has an ankle strap, good traction, and is breathable. Try to avoid shoes that slip on like crocs, flip flops, or slip on sneakers. When you start putting your child in shoes they may walk funny at first. This can be normal due to their lack of experience with shoes. It may feel funny being heavier than a barefoot as well as not providing them the ability to touch the floor. Shoes can be a new sensory experience for your child. Improper fitting shoes may also cause your little one to not want to walk in shoes.

Walking Styles

Walking styles as your first one walks can vary between children. They usually do not cause any concern and usually they correct themselves as your child’s walking patterns mature.

The most common walking style is the toddle. Rocking back and forth with legs straight and far apart. Your child may look a little bowlegged or walk like a cowboy. Where the knees are far apart but the ankles are closer together. This is also a normal way for your child to walk and will usually correct on it’s own without any concern.

Out-toeing is when your child walks with their toes turned out. This can be caused by poor ankle alignment, flat feet, or muscle weakness. In-toeing is the opposite, where your child’s toes are turned inwards when they walk. This can be caused from misalignment, weakness, or tightness in the knees, ankles, or hips. To help fix out-toeing or in-toeing you will want to do play or exercises that focus on strengthening your child’s big leg muscles. Single leg play, ride on toys, stomping, backwards walking, and climbing can all help with this.

Tippy toe walking is another walking style that is common in first walkers. Tippy toe walking can be considered normal unless it is prolonged. Prolonged tippy toe walking can cause overdeveloped calves, heel cord tightness, and foot deformities. To help stop your child from walking on their tippy toes you can work on walking backwards, walking up inclines, or stepping in and out of low containers.

Most of the time your child will work out any odd walking they are displaying over time on their own. You can always talk with your child’s doctor if you have any concerns about your child’s walking. One reason to talk with your doctor is if your child is showing any asymmetry in their walking. This could be dragging one leg or only one foot turning in. Falls are to be expected in this age as your child is learning to walk on different grounds, and in shoes. If your child has repeated falls or is continuously tripping you may want to ask your doctor about that. Any signs of pain, discomfort, or limping is another reason to talk with your doctor.