Tuesday, August 3, 2010

First steps.

The first steps...a milestone that is hard to beat.

One day she is waddling hesitantly holding on to the coffee table, then she is off and running, stepping into toddlerhood, learning to master her first major move toward independence.

Did I just say independence? She is only fifteen months old!!
My little girl wanting to be independent, already, that is a scary thought.

Pretty soon she will be asking for the car keys, or some teenager is going to take her to the prom...All right, let's calm down, she is only fifteen months old and she is finally walking.

She was a little bit on the late side, most kids start walking between eleven and fourteen months. The boys were one when they did their first steps. Now, do not freak out if your child is a little late, some start walking as late as twenty one months. According to doctors, there is nothing parents can do to speed up their child's walking timetable. Words of encouragement are the best thing we can give them.
And please, do not use a walker. these things should not even be on the market anymore. In 1997, baby walkers sent more than 14,000 babies to the hospital emergency room. Walkers were even involved in 34 deaths from 1973 to 1998. A baby in a walker can move three feet in one second, so they are not even safe with close adult supervision.
Do yourself and your baby a favor, there are plenty of stationary playthings on the market that will help your child's growth and development so do not go wasting your hard earned money on a walker.