What inspires a baby to walk?

An interesting study was carried out in 2021 into what motivates babies to walk. According to most studies, babies walk because they want to reach a destination: a person, a place or an object. But is this actually true? Here we look at this new study, and the conclusion it came to. 

Learning to walk in the home 

At home, we typically encourage our babies to try and walk to a person or thing they are interested in. We act as a motivational tool using body language and our voice to encourage movement. 

The research 

This 2021 study set out to see if babies needed a physical form of motivation. It was carried out using two rooms: one room contained toys that encourage walking, such as push-along toys, and the other did not. Both rooms had the baby's primary caregiver in them. 

The results 

Amazingly, the researchers discovered that the babies in both rooms moved about equally. The babies moved just as much, regardless of whether they were incentivised with toys! 

Because they had access to resources that allowed for greater movement, the babies who used push-along toys walked further away from their caregivers. The babies who did not have access to push-along toys still moved just as much, but stayed closer to their primary caregivers. They moved around space, just not as far away. 

The researchers concluded that movement can be created by space alone. 

Why is this important? 

What this study revealed is that adults tend to encourage movement using incentives.  

But given the chance to find a place on their own, babies will do so without adult support. They may travel and find a stone, or a piece of dirt on the floor, but this is unintentional.  

A baby can find their own path and treasures, without the help of an adult. 

Does this mean anything for my baby? 

This study suggests your baby doesn't need something exciting to get them walking – just time and space to move.  

The promise of an unexplored area is enough to get them moving to see what they can find. So, your baby might find something interesting along the way, but probably won't set off with a plan!   

However, we know that most babies love playing with some form of push-along toy. If your baby loves to use one, then keep on using it.  

Every bit of experience your baby gets when learning to walk is extremely valuable, especially when they are enjoying themselves! 

Based on the following study: 

Hospodar. C.M, Hoch. J.E, Lee. D.K, Shrout. P.E, Adolph. K.E. (2021) ‘Practice and proficiency: Factors that facilitate infant walking skill’. Dev Psychobiol. 2021 Nov;63(7):e22187.