“Why is your baby not walking yet? Is something wrong?” Living as we do in Asia, there’s no escaping the kepoh comments about your child. Hear it often enough and you’ll start to wonder if you really should be worried.

Don’t worry, mama: all babies learn to walk at their own pace. They’ll take their first steps usually between 9 and 15 months. It’s not a race and every child is unique.

Here are four main reasons why babies learn to walk at different ages:

Personality

Some children are risk takers, others are more cautious. Observe how your baby reacts in different situations.

If your baby prefers to watch before taking action, what you can do is boost their confidence. Get baby to try walking by helping them balance. Give praise whenever they succeed in taking small, wobbly steps.

Before long, baby will be running to greet you when they see you!

Size

Bigger babies need more strength to stand up than smaller babies. This is normal and your child will figure it out on their own. In the meantime, help your baby train their muscles and coordination.

Give baby a hand in pulling themselves up. Then, help them bend their knees to get back down to the floor. With practise, they’ll learn to fall gracefully and get back up again.

Next, sit on the floor and guide baby slowly as they take their first steps. When they’re more stable on their feet, encourage walking by setting baby down in a standing position whenever possible.

Siblings

Often overlooked, birth order does play a role in when your baby starts walking. Babies with a kakak, abang, jie jie or gor gor to play with may start walking earlier to keep up with their older sibling.

Baby may also want to imitate their older sibling and hence, start walking earlier than other babies their age.

Ear Infections

Frequent ear infections can affect a baby’s balance and delay their walking progress.
If your child is 16 months or older and hasn’t walked yet, share your concerns with your pediatrician and check for illnesses.