J started walking at almost 14.5 months old. She was taking steps here and there but didn’t really walk until last weekend when we attended a birthday party and she saw another baby walking and there was a wide padded floor area for her to go for it.
Another factor that could have jumpstarted her walking was taking a class at the local My Gym. We signed up during their anniversary event and got a discount on the membership fee. I’ve also gone to the park more often with her since meeting new friends who are moms of babies the same age as mine.
I’m happy how I’ve chosen to be more relaxed with her hitting milestones, and not overloading our apartment with toys.
We didn’t get her a walker aside from the Little Balance Box, which I discovered at Mommycon this year. I liked how that encouraged her to stand up in the earlier days. She didn’t use it a lot to learn to walk, but I think it helped show her what was possible. Paolo ordered these walking wings, but we’re just going to return it because she hated it and now doesn’t need it anymore. She seems pretty stable walking and I’m not nervous with her walking around at home.
Babies don’t really need much, and it’s something I need to remind myself every day. Now I understand why the Montessori/RIE approach to child development is becoming mainstream and fits so well with minimalism.