Tips for encouraging your baby to stand

Your baby is beginning to show signs of pulling themselves up. It won’t be long before one moment they are sitting, and the next they’re standing. 

Here are our top tips for encouraging your baby to stand: 

• Place toys on a higher surface than the floor for them to pull up onto and explore. 
• Use yourself as a support surface for them to pull up on. 
• Sit your baby on your knee in front of a mirror. Draw their attention to reflections and encourage them to reach out and touch the mirror. You might notice your baby stands as they try to reach forward. 
• Stick things on your walls and windows at your baby’s head height for them to pull off. 
• Put sturdy boxes out for them to use as a prop to push up with. 
• Move a wheeled toy along the floor your baby is sitting on when they're near a wall or a mirror, and encourage them to reach for it. 

With all these suggestions, make sure that you stay with your baby while they play and explore.

They will be negotiating lots of skills, such as defying gravity, balance, coordination and focusing on objects while they try to push up to stand.  

It’s likely your baby will take some tumbles, so it's really important to have a safe space for them to play.