Misconceptions about a child's first steps

It is quite common to believe that if a child does not walk by the end of the 1st year of life, it is a sign of abnormal development. In fact, everything is not so straightforward. Experts note that a child "has every right" not to walk until 16 months. There is no correlation between the timing of the first steps and the child's further development.

Janusz Korczak, a well-known Polish educator, writer, and doctor, wrote many years ago:

“When should a child already walk and talk? — When he walks and talks.

When should teeth come through? — Exactly when they come through.

And the fontanelle should close exactly when it closes.

And a baby should sleep as many hours as he needs to get enough sleep.

Well, yes, we know when this generally happens. Every popular brochure gives these truisms for children in general, which turn out to be lies for one, yours.

Because there are babies who need more sleep and less sleep; there are early but decayed teeth and late healthy teeth of healthy children; the fontanelle closes in the 9th and 12th month of life, and in the 14th in healthy children; silly kids sometimes start babbling early, and smart ones take a long time to speak.”

By the way, the fact that a child starts walking early may not be so good. Here’s what Dr. Komarovsky, a well-known Ukrainian pediatrician of the highest category, candidate of medical sciences, thinks about this:

“A subject of particular pride for many moms and dads is often expressed in the following phrase: ‘And ours, by the way, sat at 5 months, and started walking at 10 months.’ In this regard, I would like to draw attention to the following point. Bipedalism, that is, walking specifically on two legs and not on four, has created quite a few problems for humans as a biological species, primarily associated with a rather serious load on the spine. Early stress on this very spine can lead to a variety of problems in the future (curvatures, sciatica, etc.).”

With the same impatience, many parents also look forward to the first words spoken by their child. And if the baby has not started talking by the time the neighbor's child already knows 5 words, panic begins, although it is obvious that this is not at all an indicator of the more successful development of this neighbor's child. Each child, except in rare cases of truly serious illnesses, begins to speak precisely when it is necessary for them by their nature, and not in accordance with a mythical norm. Of course, speech is an indicator of a child's development, but not the only and not the main one. Impatient anticipation of the first word is a common mistake, proof of the educational immaturity of parents.

But back to the baby's first steps. There is an opinion that a child under the age of one should have firm shoes, otherwise he will not learn to walk. It’s actually the opposite. The more he moves barefoot, the stronger his muscles, ligaments, and joints become, creating the conditions for the baby to walk. As for shoes, their purpose is protection from injuries, dirt, and cold, and not assistance in learning to walk.

Sometimes they say that you should not put a baby on his legs too early, otherwise they will be crooked. Well, in those days, when severe forms of rickets were quite common, such a relationship could indeed be observed. Now it is not recommended to do this for the simple reason that it can disrupt the natural development of the child's motor skills.

Many parents, wishing their child to learn to walk faster, buy special devices for this. Walkers are especially popular. Opinions on walkers among specialists vary. Let's first consider the opinion of doctors in favor of walkers.

If parents buy walkers and many generations have grown up in them, then most likely they have a right to exist. As the child grows, he needs more space for communication and exploring the world around him. But he himself still cannot move around the apartment, and his mother is busy with household chores and does not always have time to travel with the baby. So the problem is only when to put the child in the walker.

Walkers are designed in such a way that the main support falls on the child's pelvis and spine, he only pushes off with his legs. Therefore, you can put the baby in the walker only when he has learned to stand in the crib or when he sits on his own without support. It is not necessary for him to be able to sit up from a lying position (some children first stand up and then sit down), but he should sit with a straight spine, with good support on the pelvic bone, not bend while sitting, and not tip over.

At the same time, many experts are confident that there is absolutely no need for special devices for a child to learn to walk. And next we will look at popular myths about walkers.

Some mothers believe that, since walkers have a fence and a backrest, any child can be put there — like, he won’t fall out, and thank God. This should not be done. The child cannot complain of a tired spine, and he chooses a position convenient for him — bends over, crouches, thus creating an extra load on the spine, which leads to scoliosis, displacements of the vertebrae, osteochondrosis and other deviations that will deprive him in the future of good posture and cause pain syndromes.

Some parents believe that thanks to walkers their child will learn to walk faster. But, first of all, what's the rush? The child starts walking when it corresponds to his development. And secondly, it also happens that children who spend a long time in these devices get used to constant support, as a result of which they are afraid to take the first step on their own. Moreover, in walkers, the child gets used not to walking, but to a different way of moving in space.

When Melanesians (a people living on the islands of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean near Australia) are told how Europeans teach children to walk, they laugh heartily. They say: “When it's time, the child will walk on his own. Then let's teach fruit trees how to bear fruit.”

Dr. Komarovsky is convinced that walkers do not accelerate a child's learning to walk. Moreover, they can cause dangerous injuries. Learn more about this and other myths about children walking in the following videos.

 

Dr. Komarovsky: Benefits and harms of walkers

 

Dr. Komarovsky: Myths about tiptoeing

 

Dr. Komarovsky: At what age should a child learn to sit, walk, and so on by themselves