Crawling, cruising and walking

The path from sitting to walking is one of the most watched developmental sequences and one of the most variable.

The usual sequence

Approximately.

Sitting unsupported, commonly between six and nine months.

Some form of mobility — commando crawling, hands and knees crawling, rolling, or bottom shuffling — commonly between seven and ten months.

Pulling to stand, commonly around eight to eleven months.

Cruising along furniture, commonly around nine to twelve months.

Standing independently, commonly around ten to fourteen months.

Walking independently, with an average around twelve to thirteen months and a normal range extending to around eighteen.

Which means a fifteen-month-old who is not walking is within the normal range, and eighteen months is the point at which assessment is generally recommended.

Crawling is optional

A common source of unnecessary worry.

A meaningful proportion of children never crawl on hands and knees.

Bottom shufflers are a well-described group who tend to walk later than average and who are otherwise entirely typical.

Some children go from sitting to pulling up to walking.

Claims that skipping crawling causes later learning difficulties are not supported by evidence, despite being widely repeated.

What matters is that the child is progressing and using both sides of the body symmetrically.

What helps

Opportunity, mostly.

Floor time, in a safe space, with room to move.

Time out of seats, bouncers, walkers and prams, since a child in a device is not practising.

Tummy time from the early weeks, which builds the strength the whole sequence depends on.

Bare feet indoors, which supports the development of foot muscles and balance and which the evidence generally favours over shoes for pre-walkers.

Varied surfaces — carpet, hard floor, grass, slopes — which develop balance.

And motivation: something interesting placed just out of reach does more than any exercise.

Baby walkers

Where the position is clear.

Paediatric bodies in several countries advise against baby walkers, and they are banned in one.

The reasons: a substantial number of injuries, particularly falls down stairs and access to hazards at height, and no developmental benefit — some evidence suggests slightly delayed motor milestones.

Stationary activity centres are safer, and time in them should still be limited.

Shoes

Later and simpler than the shops suggest.

Shoes are for protection outdoors, not for support.

Pre-walkers do not need shoes at all, and soft-soled shoes or socks with grip are sufficient for warmth.

Once walking outdoors, shoes should be lightweight, flexible, with a wide toe box, a flat sole and a fastening.

Feet grow quickly and should be measured regularly, since children do not complain about shoes that are too small.

Hand-me-down shoes are generally advised against because they mould to the previous wearer.

Feet and legs

Findings that alarm parents and are usually normal.

Flat feet, which are normal in young children — the arch develops over years.

Bow legs in the first eighteen months, which straighten.

Knock knees between around two and four years, which also resolve.

In-toeing, which usually corrects.

Toe walking, which is common in early walkers and generally resolves — persistent toe walking beyond around two, or with tight heel cords, warrants assessment.

What is not normal: asymmetry of any kind, pain, limping, a leg length difference, or regression of a skill.

When to seek assessment

The practical thresholds.

Not sitting unsupported by around nine months.

Not weight bearing on the legs by around twelve months.

Not walking by eighteen months.

Persistent asymmetry: always using one hand, one side dragging, or a hand preference before around eighteen months.

Marked stiffness or floppiness.

Frequent falling beyond the expected clumsiness of a new walker, particularly if worsening.

Loss of a previously acquired skill, at any age.

And a limp at any age, which is never normal and needs same-day assessment if the child is unwell, febrile or in pain.

Safety once walking

The risk profile changes immediately.

Stair gates, window restrictors, furniture anchoring, and hot drinks and hobs out of reach become urgent rather than theoretical.

Falls in new walkers are constant and mostly minor.

And the most valuable equipment at this stage is a safe space in which a child can fall over repeatedly without consequence, which is what learning to walk consists of.

General information only, not medical advice. Consult your health visitor or clinician about motor development concerns, particularly asymmetry, a limp, or not walking by 18 months.