Come on, let's do the locomotion – just take it one step at a time

One of your baby's biggest accomplishments will be locomotion. We're not talking chirpy pop songs here; we mean the body moving from one place to another. It is not simply movement – locomotion requires the body to travel. 

Locomotion that has gone before 

Your baby may have explored locomotion in the form of rolling, shuffling, crawling and cruising, and is now starting to take their first few steps. 

Locomotion now 

Not only is your baby learning how to move their body using two legs, but they have to adapt their style of walking in response to a variety of factors. 

Locomotion in the future 

And by future, we mean the next minute! Your baby must quickly adapt to and learn about the challenges of two-legged locomotion. Their experience will likely change every time they attempt it. 

Constant change 

Your baby is starting to take their first steps and they’re at the beginning of their long journey to learn how to walk. Over the next few days, months and years your baby will adapt and refine their locomotor skills. 

They will have to deal with a variety of environmental changes, like different weather and navigating various surfaces, as well as subtle changes in their own bodies, including growing and transitioning to pants. Your baby's style of walking will change over time in accordance with the surroundings that they are exposed to each day. 

Problem-solving 

Psychologist, Karen Adolph, sees the development of locomotion as a process of constant problem-solving.  

According to Adolph, your baby must not only modify their understanding of how to move in response to physical changes, but also guide themselves and learn from their experiences. They must encounter their first uneven surface, first slope and the first experience with, let's say, sand. All these new experiences force them to find a solution to be able to locomote, albeit under ever-changing circumstances.  

Teaching themselves 

Adolph suggests that babies teach themselves all day every day.  

They will need a few years to perfect the art of walking because they deal with so many different factors each time they walk. Enjoy watching this incredible journey!

Based on:  

Adolph. K.E. Learning to Move. (2008). Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2008 Jun 28;17(3):213-218. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00577.x. PMID: 19305638; PMCID: PMC2658759.