When Does Your Baby Start Walking and How to Encourage Your Baby to Walk
- Genesis Childcare 1989 - Tampines
- Oct 11, 2022
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Watching your little one take their first steps is one of the most heartwarming milestones of parenthood. As a new parent, you might find yourself eagerly wondering, “When will my baby start walking?” and “What can I do to help my baby learn to walk safely?”
Understanding how babies develop strength, balance, and coordination step by step can help you support your baby’s journey with confidence. At Genesis Childcare 1989, a trusted Tampines infant care and Tampines child care center, educators nurture each baby’s growth through a safe, stimulating environment that promotes both motor skills and emotional confidence.
Let’s explore how walking develops—and how you can encourage your baby along the way.
Building Strength: It Starts with the Trunk and Neck
Before your baby can walk, they must develop control and strength in their trunk and neck. These are the foundation muscles that support balance and coordination.
In the early months, your baby learns to control their head before gaining full control of their trunk. You’ll notice them rolling from side to side, lifting their head during tummy time, and gradually using their arms to push up. These small but powerful movements strengthen their core muscles, hips, and shoulders.
Without stability in these large muscle groups, the smaller muscles in the arms, legs, feet, and hands cannot function effectively. That’s why it’s important to encourage floor-based play and tummy time from early on.
At Genesis Childcare 1989’s Tampines infant care, caregivers carefully design age-appropriate activities that help babies strengthen their neck and trunk muscles. Through guided play and sensory experiences, babies gradually develop the strength needed for milestones like crawling, standing, and eventually walking.
The Importance of Balance
Did you know that babies are born without a sense of balance? It’s something they develop gradually during their first year of life. Balance is key to walking, and your baby needs time and practice to master it.
You can help by interacting with your baby throughout the day—talking, singing, and reading aloud. These activities stimulate your baby’s inner ear, where the balance system (vestibular system) develops.
Encourage your baby to experience different positions—lying down, sitting up, crawling, and standing. Each position challenges their muscles and helps their brain understand spatial awareness.
When using baby carriers, choose one that keeps your baby upright against your chest. This position forces your baby to hold their head steady, strengthening neck muscles and improving balance.
At Genesis Childcare 1989, balance and coordination are developed through playful movement sessions in our Tampines preschool and Tampines nursery programs. Children are encouraged to explore their bodies’ capabilities through crawling tunnels, soft play zones, and balance games—all designed to nurture physical confidence and control.
Floor Time and Crawling: Essential Milestones
Crawling may seem simple, but it’s one of the most crucial stages for building walking skills. It strengthens the core and hip muscles while developing coordination between the arms and legs.
During floor time, let your baby move freely on a clean, safe surface. Avoid keeping your baby in seats, swings, or walkers for long periods, as this limits their ability to practice natural movements.
Crawling also teaches spatial awareness, helping babies judge distance and direction. This skill later supports confident walking and running.
At Genesis Childcare 1989, we emphasize sensory and movement play in our Tampines child care curriculum. Babies have ample opportunities for supervised floor time, allowing them to explore textures, reach for toys, and strengthen their muscles at their own pace.
Pulling Up and Standing: A Sign of Progress
Once your baby masters crawling and sitting up, they’ll soon try to pull themselves up using furniture, your hands, or the crib rails. This exciting stage shows they’re developing the muscle strength and coordination to bear weight on their legs.
When your baby starts pulling up, let them practice standing under supervision. You can also introduce a baby jumper to help them build lower body strength and balance. However, limit jumper time to no more than 20 minutes per session and always keep a watchful eye.
This stage also requires a safe environment. At Genesis Childcare 1989’s Tampines nursery, all play areas are designed with safety in mind—soft flooring, stable furniture, and baby-safe equipment to support standing and walking practice safely.
The First Steps: A Moment to Remember
Most babies start taking their first steps between 9 to 16 months old, though every child is different. Some may be early walkers, while others prefer crawling longer.
When your baby takes those first few steps, they’re still learning how to balance. Don’t worry if your baby goes back to crawling occasionally—it’s a normal part of development.
If you ever have concerns about your baby’s walking progress, consult your healthcare provider. Remember, every child develops at their own pace, and pushing too early can sometimes cause strain.
At Genesis Childcare 1989, our Tampines infant care educators work closely with parents to track each child’s developmental milestones. Regular progress updates help families understand how their child is growing physically and emotionally in a nurturing environment.
Tips to Encourage Your Baby to Walk
1. Let Your Baby Go Barefoot
It’s tempting to buy cute little shoes for your baby, but walking barefoot helps them feel the floor’s texture and improves balance. Toes help grip the ground, giving babies stability as they learn to stand and step.
In our Tampines child care setting, barefoot indoor play is encouraged for young learners. This practice strengthens their feet and allows for natural movement during exploration and play.
2. Childproof Your Home
As your baby becomes more mobile, safety becomes the top priority. Get down on your knees to see the world from your baby’s perspective. Look for potential hazards like dangling cords, open electrical outlets, or drawers that can pinch little fingers.
Ensure that furniture your baby might pull up on is securely anchored to prevent tipping. Soft corner protectors and baby gates can make your home a safe space for your little explorer.
Similarly, Genesis Childcare 1989 maintains the highest safety standards in our Tampines nursery classrooms. Every corner, toy, and piece of furniture is baby-safe and regularly inspected to ensure a secure learning environment.
3. Rethink Baby Walkers
While walkers seem to offer independence, they can sometimes do more harm than good. Babies in walkers may move too fast before they’re developmentally ready, risking falls or strain on their knees and hips.
If you choose to use a walker, do so sparingly and under close supervision. It’s usually better to encourage natural walking through supported standing and cruising along furniture.
At Genesis Childcare 1989, our educators focus on natural gross motor development through play-based learning. Children learn balance and coordination at their own pace—without relying on restrictive equipment.
Creating a Supportive Learning Environment
Encouraging your baby to walk isn’t just about muscle strength—it’s about confidence, curiosity, and trust. Babies thrive in environments where they feel safe to explore and supported to try again after a fall.
That’s why Genesis Childcare 1989, a leading Tampines preschool, fosters a warm, nurturing atmosphere where every milestone is celebrated. From the first time a baby pulls up to stand to those wobbly first steps, our caregivers are there to guide and cheer each child on.
Our holistic curriculum combines physical play, sensory experiences, and emotional bonding, helping your child develop not just physically, but socially and cognitively as well.
Final Thoughts
Your baby’s first steps are a magical moment—a symbol of growth, independence, and discovery. Every baby develops at their own pace, and that’s perfectly okay.
By giving your baby plenty of time for floor play, tummy time, and exploration, you’re helping them build the strength and confidence needed to walk.
At Genesis Childcare 1989, our dedicated team at Tampines infant care, Tampines child care, Tampines preschool, and Tampines nursery programs understands the importance of these early milestones. We’re committed to partnering with parents to nurture every child’s journey—one tiny, wobbly step at a time.
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Genesis Tampines Childcare 1989 is one of the best preschool and childcare in Tampines. Our Preschool Tampines have over 30 years of experience in nurturing thousands of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. At our Tampines Childcare, we advocate that every child is unique and precious who needs to be loved and cherished.
As a leading early childhood center in Singapore since 1989, we are committed to nurturing our early learners holistically through various learning areas and positive learning dispositions. We place a strong emphasis on the way our teachers facilitate and interact with the children.
Our Childcare Tampines believe that every child is unique and precious who needs to be loved and cherished. Hence, our holistic curriculum aims to create meaningful learning experiences for each and every one of them!
Our Playgroup Tampines provides parents with the confidence that their children are in the good hands of our trained and caring teachers.
Our professional team of preschool teachers has a good understanding of child development and learning principles. We apply them efficiently and set the stage to create a meaningful learning experience that supports your child's discovery.
We consistently create a positive and cozy environment that will give your child a sense of security which builds their self-confidence to explore the world around them.
If you are looking for a good Tampines infant care or Tampines preschool or Tampines childcare near Tampines Central, do consider Nurture Infant House or Genesis Childcare 1989.
Located alongside our childcare in Tampines is our Nurture Infant House. If you are looking for Tampines infant care or infant care in Tampines, do visit Nurture Infant House. It is for infants aged 2 months to 18 months old. You can learn more about our infant care Tampines here.
Lastly, would you like to visit our Genesis Childcare 1989 to find out more about our environment and setup as well as understand our operations by talking to our teachers and supervisor?
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Playgroup to Kindergarten 2)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-63/65 S(520433)
Nurture Infant House (2 to 18 months Infants)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-61 S(520433)
Opening hours: Monday to Friday (7am to 7pm) & Saturday (7am to 2pm)
Public Bus services: 8 / 21 / 28 / 29 / 293
Tel: 96664141
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