Key points:
- Babies acquire muscular strength and coordination by practicing standing up with support.
- After gaining confidence, babies will try to stand up on their own, but may still need reassurance from a caregiver.
- An exercise to encourage standing up involves sitting on the floor, letting your baby’s feet touch the floor, and helping them stand up while supporting their hips.
- Patience and encouragement are necessary for babies to learn to stand up on their own, and participation in play dates with other children can aid in their development.
We’re pretty sure that when your baby was learning to stand up, you were there to help them and hold them. Each time they did this, they acquired more muscular strength and coordination. Now, after a few months, it’s very likely that they are trying to stand up without your help. Maybe they’ll wobble a little bit, but they’re putting in a lot more effort than before.
After practicing many times by holding on to furniture or your hands, your baby has reinforced their balance to stand up alone. However, sometimes and even though they have enough leg strength to support their weight, they prefer to hold on to you to feel safer and protected. This is totally normal. Maybe they just need to gain a little more self-confidence. That’s why, to encourage your baby, you can try this exercise and repeat it several times.
Exercise for learning to stand up
- Sit on the floor and cross your legs. Then, sit your baby on your knee and let their feet touch the floor.
- Put your hands around their hips and help them stand up.
- See if they keep their balance long enough to let them go for a few seconds.
Sitting like this will allow you to be near your child in case they fall. However, remember that falling down is part of the learning process, so don’t worry if it happens frequently. Always encourage your child to try it again.
To make these exercises of standing up more fun, you can organize a play date with other children! Kids learn by imitation and, that way, your baby can observe and copy the skills of their peers.
Usually, babies start learning to stand up and develop this skill when they’re around 7 to 12 months; this means that it takes several months to consolidate it. You’ll need to be patient and project the confidence your baby needs to help them achieve this milestone. Maybe they’ll wobble and fall a lot before getting the hang of it. Don’t worry, each child learns in a different and unique way. What’s important is that you’re there to celebrate when they finally stand up by themselves!
