The first important piece of information is that a 12-month-old child does not have to walk yet. On the other hand, once it does, it's not yet a paragon of grace. It is therefore important to appreciate its achievements, so that our child stays motivated. Then it is worth knowing which problems you should worry about and which you just need to watch closely.
- The most common mistakes of parents – taking the first steps and learning to walk later on are a very important and complex skill. The child has to learn motor coordination, focus their attention and keep balance. Often, if we want to help a child, we put it in a walker, assuming that this will support their process of learning to walk. However, this is a mistake. As we have emphasized many times in our articles, if your child is not walking yet, it means that they are not ready for it.
- Flat feet are completely normal in early childhood. The bones and joints in a baby's foot are still very flexible, and the muscles that strengthen them are not fully developed yet. Our child must work them so that they develop properly. Considering that it is just starting, the muscles have not yet had a chance to strengthen, so the arch of the foot will not stand out. We should also remember that the layer of fat effectively hides any groove in the sole of the foot.
- Stumbling – this is also normal in the early stages of learning to walk. This is due to the inability to maintain balance and coordination of movements. We should not be concerned about this, it will become less and less frequent with time. However, if your child is older, they have mastered the art of walking, yet at the same time they trip over their own feet and lose balance – you should go to the doctor for a neurological consultation.