To help children learn how to walk

Parents can support children while learning to walk carefully
The time from which children take their first steps alone can vary considerably. While some can walk relatively well at the age of one, others need more than a year and a half to learn how to walk. Many parents are worried when their own child does not seem to want to run. However, there is the possibility to support the development of the little ones carefully at this point, reports the news agency "dpa", citing the Federal Conference on Educational Counseling (BKE).

Children learn to walk at different ages. Slight delays are no cause for concern here. (Image: zmijak / fotolia.com)

Many parents are anxiously waiting for their child to start walking independently when the same age children take their first steps. But here it makes little sense to fix on a time at which the child has to be able to walk, said Maria Große Perdekamp from the online consultation of the Federal Conference on Educational Counseling in the announcement of the "dpa". According to the expert, "Parents should not be under any pressure if the child can not walk on their first birthday." As a rule, children would learn to walk between the 10th and 15th month. If the children are late, mother and father can support them carefully when standing on their own legs.

Falling down is part of the learning process
Generally, parents should closely monitor their child's development and counteract it as needed. However, the child does not have to be able to walk at the age of one year. "It is important that it crawls, crawls or moves a lot," cites the "dpa" Maria Große Perdekamp. Also parents should find a middle ground between assistance and independent performance of the child. In addition, it can sometimes help, "not put the child in the buggy, and let it crawl or crawl." For children who only go by the hand, an encouragement of the parents is appropriate to let go of the hand sometimes. Last but not least, "traps to learn how to walk", says Maria Große Perdekamp.

If necessary, therapeutic measures can help
If children can not walk at the age of 15 months or if they already have difficulty crawling, this may indicate a developmental disorder or illness, which is why in such cases an examination with the pediatrician or developmental diagnostics in the educational counseling is appropriate. If a child simply can not stand up on his own, for example, the medical prescription for occupational therapy is possible, reports the expert. Excessive restlessness of the parents is in most cases, however inappropriate, especially since, according to Maria Große Perdekamp, ​​the timing of learning to walk alone says nothing about the further development. (Fp)