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Calling in the Eat Play Say Physical Therapist for this one!

Your baby is rolling, crawling, sitting, eating, and maybe even sleeping longer stretches. Before you know it, your baby will be running circles around you. But first, they have to figure out how to get up off the floor.

Somewhere between 8-12 months, babies start pulling themselves up to standing…

…at furniture, in their crib, using an adult’s hands, or with a push toy. It’s the first big step towards their first big step! So, how do we help them get there?

5 ways to play with your baby to encourage standing:

Kneeling at a low surface: Place a couch cushion (or two) on the floor and put your baby’s favorite toy on top. The goal is to get them to kneel in front of the cushion - using hands on the cushion for support as needed - to play with the toy. They can either get there from sitting by transitioning over either hip, or from all fours by walking their hands up onto the cushion one at a time. Start small with a minute of play, then encourage your baby to shift weight back to sitting or hands and knees. Another way to do this is to take all the cushions off the couch and use this lower surface as your play surface. Then you can stack the cushions nearby and use it as another low surface. We want baby to play at a variety of different heights in order to strengthen their muscles through the full range.
Pulling to stand at furniture: Sit baby on a low stool or couch cushion with feet flat on the floor facing a couch or ottoman. Put a ring stacker or puzzle board (these knob puzzles are great for this age now that they’re using the pincer grasp and the sounds are motivating) on the couch and give baby a ring or puzzle piece. Help them stand up by shifting their weight forward over their feet and using their hands to pull themselves up. Help them put the ring on or puzzle piece in, then lower back to sitting. Repeat as many times as your baby is interested.
Pulling to stand and standing at vertical surfaces to play: Once your baby is comfortable standing while holding onto furniture, it’s time to work vertically. Stick some spinners to the fridge, wall, glass door, or window at standing shoulder height. Stand baby up (or they may pull to stand on their own) to play! This is more of a challenge because there is nothing for baby to pull themselves up on or grasp onto while standing. They have to use more leg strength vs. relying on arms and trunk strength.
Squatting to pick up toys: Once your baby is more comfortable pulling to stand and standing with one or both hands for support, it’s time to work on going all the way up and down. While your little one is standing at the couch, “drop” something onto the floor next to them. Guide (or ask) them to pick it up and hand it to you, or put it back on the couch. You can also do this outside at the water table for a summer sensory activity! Learning to stand - squat - stand is essential for learning to stand up in the middle of the floor.
Cruising along and between furniture: Set up furniture so your baby has to take a step or two (or reach realllllly far) to get from one place to the next. This is also a great time to put that activity table or cube to good use. Encourage your baby to explore different sides on the table or cube by cruising around it and seeing how things work. Or stand baby at the couch and entice them to walk or reach over to the activity table to play. Cruising side-to-side in both directions is important because it works on weight shifting and single leg standing on each leg!

What about baby walkers?

In 2022, the AAP called for sit-in style baby walkers to be banned from manufacture and sale (although it still hasn’t happened). The AAP’s concern with the sit-in style baby walkers is that they can result in serious injury - from pinched fingers to falls down the steps. Even with close supervision, these injuries can happen because babies move quickly in these walkers (up to 3 feet per second!). Some companies claim to have made their walkers big enough so they won’t fit through a doorway, but why take the risk when there are better, safer options?

The other big deal (especially from a physical or occupational therapist’s point of view) is these walkers don’t help babies learn to walk. Walkers can actually delay walking because babies start to rely on the outside support from the walker instead of using their muscles. Many babies will sit or hang on the “seat” of the walker and just use their legs to propel themselves around.

But walking requires a baby to use every muscle from their toes to their nose!

So, what’s the alternative? Push walkers (like this one), activity tables, furniture, and adult support help babies start to build the strength and balance they need to be able to stand and walk independently. Many parents also love this standing activity center for times when they need a place to put their baby while cooking or showering. And it converts to an activity table for baby to cruise around once they outgrow standing in it! Remember to limit container time to 15 minutes or less.

Is there anything else to avoid when working on standing?

When working on standing, pulling to stand, and (eventually) walking, we want your little one’s arms to stay at or below shoulder level to encourage use of their trunk and leg muscles and reduce the stress and reliance on their arms. So even though it takes more thought (and muscle) from you, get down on baby’s level when working on walking and standing so you aren’t holding their hands from overhead when they’re relying on you for support. I mean, think about it…do you ever walk with your hands above your head? Probably not.

Babies and toddlers need their arms at or below their shoulder level for balance!

So when will your baby stand without holding on? That varies!

Some babies will stand up in the middle of the floor and just hang out there to play, dance, or start walking. Other babies will pull up at furniture and then let go to stand. Some will pull to stand and just start walking from there without really solidifying their stationary stand in the middle of the floor. You can work on standing with their back against the couch or the wall, standing with one hand to hold onto instead of two, or standing while holding something unsteady (like a yoga ball or a hula hoop that you’re also holding) to improve their balance and standing time. And before you know it, they really WILL be running circles around you!