The child is afraid to walk on his own, what to do?

Hello, dear readers. Today we will talk about the problem when the baby is afraid or cannot or does not want to walk on his own. We will figure out what reasons can provoke the development of such a situation and find out how to help the child. You will also find out which doctor you need to go to if you suspect health problems with your baby.

What influences the start of walking

There are a number of factors that are responsible for whose baby begins to walk independently earlier and who later.

You might be interested in reading how to teach a child to walk.

Gender. Girls, by definition, begin to walk much earlier than boys.
Active children, essentially choleric and sanguine, begin to move in an upright position earlier, without additional help, than calm children.
Larger and more well-fed toddlers begin to sit and walk independently much later. So it turns out that a peer of such a child can walk without fear for several months, while a well-fed toddler is just beginning to move vertically, and then with his mother’s support.
Heredity plays an important role. If the baby’s parents went out late, most likely the same thing awaits him. If it’s early, that means the little one will go earlier.

Why is a child afraid to walk?

The most common reason is fear of falling. Probably, the first attempts were unsuccessful; the baby could have fallen and been hit hard. And now I’ve decided that it’s much safer to crawl, and if you walk, then only by holding onto a support.
Perhaps the child is so used to moving around with the help of a walker that now he does not want to make any effort to walk independently.
The baby may have become frustrated with walking or simply become bored, so he decides to return to his usual position. In addition, he walks quite slowly, but crawls many times faster.
The child may have muscle dystonia or a delay in the development of gross motor skills. Or maybe the muscle corset is simply not strong enough, in fact, the little one is simply not ready yet, his spine is not strong enough to take on such a load.

Why is a one-year-old child afraid to walk independently?

All children are completely different, and there are many reasons why children are afraid to walk on their own:

Perhaps it all lies in the walkers that are so beloved by adults. Parents find it fun and exciting to watch their child run around the house in this device, but they do not pay attention to the downside. When the time comes to say goodbye to them, the baby simply does not understand how he can now run on his own legs without help, because he was hoping for support;
fear of falling - if a child falls and gets hurt during the first and subsequent steps, then he will intuitively slide onto all fours, because it is more familiar and faster for him;
laziness - some kids simply don’t consider it necessary to strain. This behavior is especially often observed in children with a body weight above average.

Sometimes there are no obvious reasons for refusing to walk, the baby is healthy and has no deviations. In such a situation, watch him, try to understand what causes his reluctance to move independently.

Video: baby refuses to walk without support

How to help your baby

If the toddler’s fear is due to the fear of falling and hitting himself, then your task is to provide the child with a safety net. But you shouldn’t press the baby and persuade him to go again. The child must make this decision on his own, and you must be there in time and provide him with discreet help.
It happens that the child’s parents, and especially the mother, are very worried that the baby will fall and may be injured. Her worries are transmitted to the child. Therefore, it is important to calm down and not panic.
If the baby is lazy and crawls, then you can go this way: put the toys with which he likes to play at a certain height and in a visible place. Then the child will have to rise from his horizontal position in order to reach them. And sooner or later he realizes that it is much easier to move in an upright position.
Be careful when using walkers. It is better to either eliminate them altogether or minimize their use. In addition to the fact that the baby gets used to moving in this way, there is a delay in the timely development of gross motor skills.
If the reason that the baby does not walk is the child’s weak muscles, then you need to wait, he will soon begin to walk. But it's better to contribute to this. You can massage and perform gymnastic exercises with your child. This will strengthen his muscle corset and back.
When a baby cannot walk without support, you should not scold him for this and refuse your help. This way the little one will withdraw into himself even more and will not walk on his own.
It is important that the baby walks more often with his peers, especially those who have already begun to walk. He will see that it is safe, and soon he will want to try it himself.

Be prepared for the fact that perhaps your baby is simply not ready to get up and go, and it’s not a matter of fears. So please be patient. Soon your little one will be able to delight you with his first independent steps.

If a child is afraid to walk without an arm

How to understand that a child is mentally ready to take his first steps without outside help:

He can independently hold himself upright for forty seconds.
When you go for a walk, the child does not hold you by the whole hand, but only by a finger or two.
The little one guides your movements. He pulls mom’s hand to stomp in the direction he wants.

All this indicates that the baby is ready to become independent and will very soon let go of his mother’s hand, will not hold on to the support, but will take it and walk on his own. But perhaps he is afraid to do it. At least in such a situation, you can be absolutely sure that the child is healthy and has strong muscles, and is holding on to his finger because he is afraid of falling. In this case, you can try to stimulate it.

For example, when you're at the playground, give your baby's favorite toy to another mommy. Let her call your child and show her what she has, and invite her to come and take it. It’s just important that the child has support on the way to the toy, for example, his stroller, and then nothing. So the little one stomps to the end of the support, and then stops, thinks and, perhaps, decides to go. But here you need to be very careful and not miss this moment. You must insure your child against a possible fall, because if this happens, the baby will not want to try again for a long time.

Preparatory exercises

Each baby's first attempts to get up and walk occur differently. Some people do them at the age of eight months, while others show no desire even after a year. This is not a reason to panic. The fact is that all children develop differently, it all depends on the individual characteristics of the little one. He himself will understand and show when his time comes. Parents should wait for this moment and then support him mentally and physically.

It should be noted right away that more active children, as a rule, get on their feet much earlier than their phlegmatic peers. In any case, mom and dad are required to carry out several preparatory activities; in this case, you can quickly teach the child to walk independently.

The famous pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky recommends the following daily procedures that will help significantly accelerate the physical development of the baby:

Lying on your stomach. It is best to start with this exercise; it really helps develop the back and neck muscles, so you need to encourage your child to spend as much time as possible in this position.
“Tricks” are very useful exercises. They can be done while changing clothes, for example when changing a T-shirt or changing diapers. Manipulations can be performed as early as two months of age, at a time when the baby begins to actively roll over. Such turns will develop the muscles of the back, neck and limbs.
Already at four months you can begin more active movements. You need to try to ensure that the little one does not stay in one place for a long time; you can put his favorite toy away so that the child tries to crawl or reach it on his own. In this case, he will have some incentive to walk.
At the age of six months, babies already actively begin to crawl, they are curious and try to get any objects that interest them. At this time, parents should help their baby master a new space for him. Since all this provokes the baby to learn a faster method of movement, namely walking.

In addition, you need to understand that the key to proper walking is healthy and strong muscles. The legs should hold the baby securely and confidently. That is why, before teaching a child to walk, pediatricians advise doing joint exercises with the child every day for a month: bending and straightening the limbs at the knees. Bouncing movements also help a lot.

You can’t just pick up and put the baby on his feet. We must first prepare his body for this. If in doubt, contact a pediatrician or children's massage therapist - they will advise on all the nuances.

Which doctor should I go to?

If you suspect something is wrong or just want to be on the safe side, you can always go see a doctor. First, you will have to visit a pediatrician, who will examine the general health of the baby and, if he already has doubts, will refer you to a specialist:

See an orthopedic surgeon if you suspect hip dysplasia or muscular dystonia.
See a neurologist if you suspect a delay in the development of gross motor skills, problems with reflexes and response to stimuli.

It is important not to delay visiting the doctor, especially if you are already experiencing some problems. The sooner treatment is prescribed, the better for your child. Advanced conditions are much more difficult to treat and can have irreversible consequences.

Adviсe

If the baby's first attempts resulted in a fall, you need to do everything to prevent this from happening again. Of course, you won’t be able to be a child’s tail 24 hours a day. However, if the floor in the apartment is slippery, then you can wear rubberized socks, and some mothers immediately begin to accustom their baby to shoes. Just remember that it must be a product made of high-quality material, natural, with a hard back and closed toe.
It is very important to praise your little one for every step he takes. This way the child will have an incentive, and he will strive to take new steps.
Never compare your baby with his peers. All children are unique. In addition, there are a number of factors, including physiological ones, that influence the time when a child will be able to start moving independently and without fear.
It is recommended not to use a walker. And if you already have them, then minimize the time your child spends in them.
You can deliberately place your little one’s favorite toys at a certain height, let him try to reach it himself.
When the little one is ready to take his first steps, be sure to take care of a safe space around him. Make sure that there are no sharp corners in the room and that there are no knives or breakable objects within the baby’s reach.
Do gymnastics and massage with your child. It is very important to strengthen the toddler’s muscle corset.
Never force your child to go against his will, there is a time for everything. Your persistence may, on the contrary, discourage all desire.

My son was not afraid to walk. He quickly moved from walking, holding my hand, to moving independently. I didn’t have any fear that he would fall, I just tried to always be there and protect my little son.

Now you know what reasons there may be for a baby’s fear of walking without assistance and the desire to move on all fours. If necessary, do not delay visiting the doctor. Follow the recommendations and help your little one overcome his fears. Remember that gymnastics and massage, starting from the first months, have a positive effect on the development of gross motor skills and taking the first steps.

When do babies start walking

Before sounding the alarm, it is necessary to take into account one important factor - each baby is unique and always develops at its own pace. Some children try to take their first independent steps quite early (around 9-10 months), others begin to walk at the age of 11 months, and still others do not attempt to walk until 13-15 months.

Important! Experts say that if a child begins to walk before 18 months, there is no serious cause for concern, since this indicator is considered the absolute norm.

If the baby diligently avoids trying to stand on his feet, does not tear himself away from the support and prefers to move on all fours, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician to find out the root cause of the problem.