Some crawl toward the edge, stop, look, and feel over the edge with their hands. These are the babies who can be trained to back down the stairs safely. Impulsive babies, however, do not take time to slow down and feel for the edge; they are likely to hurl themselves down the steps. These babies and those who show quickly progressing motor and climbing skills (early walkers) are ones who need watchful monitoring and a secure safety gate.Standing SupportedOnce baby has learned to scale a piece of furniture, he likes his newly found skill and the view from up there and decides to stay there awhile, developing the skill of standing supported. But the first efforts are off balance as he tries to unfold his wobbly feet and get off his tiptoes.

Put toys on a low table and watch him entertain himself for five or ten minutes.Safety Tip:Cruising gives baby a motor skill not only to enjoy but also to use to get into trouble. Now that baby as a fascination with tabletop play, he will want to grab and bang anything within reaching distance on his cruise pad. Remove sharp breakable and mouth able objects from your coffee table or any low-lying table that the cruiser is likely to explore. Babies love cruising along desks and reaching for dangling phone cords or any object they can grab. Falling against the sharp corners of coffee tables or climbing on them and falling off are common accidents for beginning cruisers. Either store the coffee table for a year or place protective covers on the edges.From Cruising to Freestanding to First StepsAs the cruiser sidesteps along furniture, he periodically lets go. Amazed at his courage, baby looks up for a cheering audience. His legs quickly give way and he goes boom.

Here's an exercise to put him on cruise control. Arrange furniture (sectional sofas work best) in a circle and watch baby cruise around the inner circle, holding on with one hand for support. Then put increasingly wider gaps between the section. This setup motivates baby to close the gap by toddling across the open spaces. This show may lead to baby's first freestanding and first steps.Standing free.During one of baby's around-the-living-room cruises, watch him let go and free stand. Baby is surprised and puzzled. Now that he's left standing along, he's faced with two decisions: how to get back down and how to move forward. He will plop down on his well-padded bottom, crawl over to the sofa, and pull back up to a standing position and try again, this time standing longer.First steps.

Once baby begins cruising, she is ready to walk in front of you being supported y your hands. Stand baby between your legs, hold both hands, and take steps together. Then, as baby learn to free stand longer, she's ready to take her first solo steps. Watch the balancing act as she figures out that moving forward from a standing position is just a matter of learning to balance on one foot while the other foot shuffles ahead. (Notice how your baby's ankles roll inward, exaggerating her knock-knees and flatfeet. The rubber like ligaments supporting the ankles do not strengthen for several years, so enjoy those flatfeet for a few more birthdays.)To start out, baby widens her stand, opens her arms sideways, and keeps her head pointed forward -- all positions that achieve better balance. Her first steps are quick, staccato, and stiff legged -- like a wooden soldier's.

Her face has a mixed 350MM Strong Industrial Long Tube Exhaust Fan expression of wonder and caution, but after a few days of stepping better, she consistently has an "I can do it" look.Helping the beginning walker.To reinforce baby's walking skills, take her hands and walk with her between your legs or alongside you, gradually letting go with one hand, then the other. And as baby practices her first solo steps, stand a few feet away, holding our your encouraging arms and giving baby a "Come on."From Crawl to Squat to StandEven though baby may be taking a few steps, when he zeros in on a desired toy across the room, the rookie walker usually plops down from standing and clicks into a faster mode of ground transportation -- often cross-crawling or scooting. The next decision for the beginning walker is how to get back to the walking position.

Initially baby needs a crutch, and he crawls over to the wall or a piece of furniture, sales it to a standing position, let's go, and takes a few steps, falls, and begins the same cycle all over."If only I could short-circuit the couch and go directly to standing," baby might imagine.