9 Mistakes To Avoid When Your Child Is Learning To Walk

The stimulation a child needs for its development varies from stage to stage. Some stages require less stimulation than others, but all are important. For example, prenatal stimulation can sometimes be omitted altogether when our child is learning to walk.

During other stages of childhood, stimulation goes undetected. Sometimes, though, it’s better to overlook stimulation than to do it the wrong way.

During his development, a child is able to learn many things independently. They can do certain tasks or achieve goals with little or no outside help.

Still, it is always important for a child to have the support and encouragement of their parents. During each stage of learning, the presence of mom and dad should be understanding and full of patience.

Stimulation is important for children to develop adequately. This also means giving your child the tools they need to adapt to their environment.

But there are some things that parents should avoid. Sometimes parents tend to exaggerate a bit. Overstimulation is not good for children. And there are also certain specific stimulation methods that you should not use.

Mistakes to avoid when your child is learning to walk

All parents can choose how to raise their children. However, experts have found that sometimes we make mistakes that really should be avoided.

It is believed that the most common mistakes in stimulation occur when a child is learning to walk. To ensure that our little ones are not affected by our bad habits, we should take a moment to study and consider the following recommendations.

don’t force it

Avoid taking your child by the hand to “help” him walk. It is better to encourage the child to walk alone. This will lead to independence in the future. You should never force your child to walk if he doesn’t want to or isn’t ready yet.  It is vital that your child moves as he chooses.

Try not to be afraid of everything

It is important for your child to master his new skill. We must guide our children without putting pressure on them. Your child should never feel overwhelmed by excessive expectations or fears.

Using a walking frame

When your child is learning to walk, using a walker can delay the point where he feels safe enough to walk without any support. The use of a walker can also have long-term consequences. We are talking about structural changes in your child’s legs and feet. Walking frames are also known to be one of the leading causes of accidents in the home.

Shoes for walking

Baby boys don’t need the support of hard shoes. On the contrary, babies would spend as much time as possible without wearing shoes. According to experts,  the soles of a child’s feet are still developing when they start to learn to walk. Instead of helping, we can actually do harm by putting shoes on the baby’s feet.

If you really want your baby to wear shoes, by all means take them off when your child is walking. The shoes your child uses should have flexible soles. Their only function is to prevent your child from sliding and to protect him from possible injury. Shoes that hinder arch formation can cause your child to lose balance and stability while walking.

Overstimulation

It is common for parents to use toys to encourage their baby to walk. However, you need to make sure that your baby can focus on his task.  The toys you choose for your child should be something he can play with and nothing more.

This could be a toy or other object that poses no danger whatsoever and can be used as a single point of interest. You have to be careful not to overfeed your baby with several objects at the same time. Also, avoid toys with flickering lights or loud noises. These objects can be a little too intense for your little one’s senses.

Hanging up mobiles can be useless

When dressing the baby’s room, some parents have a habit of hanging mobiles in the wrong place. If you hang a mobile next to the crib or cot or if you hang it too high, it is of no use.

The correct place to hang a mobile is above the center of the crib. It should hang at a height that your child can reach if he tries his best. This will motivate your baby to move and will prevent him from having to twist his neck in a weird way.

Leaving your baby unsupported

If your child is not yet able to sit alone, he must have the right support when sitting. It is very common for parents to place their children so that they lean against pillows before 5 months.

This can be very dangerous because their bodies are not yet able to stay in this position. You can even hinder your child’s development of his muscles by putting him in positions that are not suitable for his developmental stage.

Running ahead of your child

Many parents try to motivate their children to walk by chasing them. Or they place themselves in front of the child with a toy and walk backwards when the child comes to them. As the child progresses, the parent moves further and further away, so the child has to keep walking. This is of course not wrong, but you should not go further back just when your child has reached you.

In other words, if your child is learning to walk and is about to reach you, you need to let him reach his goal. This prevents your child from getting frustrated. If you keep going backwards while he tries to get to you, he won’t want to play anymore.

Walk with your hands high in the air

The right way to support your baby while walking is to place your hands just under his armpits or on his pelvis. Experts recommend this to help your child walk naturally. Nobody walks with their hands high in the air. It is therefore better not to walk in strange positions when you teach your child to walk.