How can I help my child stand?
You can hold your child in a standing position from when they are very young. This lets them feel their body weight through their feet. They might bounce up and down to make their leg muscles stronger.
You can stand your child in different ways, like on your lap when you are sitting, in front of a coffee table, or on the sofa next to you with their back against the cushions.
How can I help my child to start stepping?
When your child is good at standing, they will want to explore by taking steps. They will usually side-step along furniture first. This is called ‘cruising’.
As they stand at a sturdy coffee table or sofa, place a toy just out of their reach. This will encourage them to try and step sideways along the furniture towards it.
Walking along furniture helps them get stronger and more balanced. As they get more confident, they will hold on with one hand only and eventually let go.
You can walk along with your child holding their hands until they are ready to let go.
Push-along toys can be fun as your child moves from cruising to walking on their own. Heavier wooden trolley-style toys give more stability than lighter plastic ones.
Pulling to stand
Babies pull themselves to standing at furniture to get ready for standing without holding on and eventually walking.
A child might start to pull to stand as early as 9 months old or as late as 18 months. Children who bottom shuffle rather than crawl are often later in pulling to stand.
At first, they might not be able to sit back down in a controlled way and will ‘plop’ back onto their bottom.
How can I help my child to learn to pull to stand?
You can kneel-sit on the floor in front of a sturdy coffee table or low sofa. Place toys on the furniture.
Encourage your child to reach forward and hold onto the furniture.
Put your hands around their hips and help them into standing by moving their hips forwards as they straighten their legs.
You can also place your child in the kneeling position.
What can delay my child learning to pull to stand?
It is important for your child to spend lots of time every day on the floor playing in different positions.
Tummy time is very important as one of these positions, as is side sitting and the crawling position.
Baby bouncers and baby walkers can actually delay a child’s ability to learn to pull to stand and to stand without help. This is because they support the child in a position that they are not ready for. They do not let the child develop strength in the right muscles. As you have to lift a child in and out of the equipment, they cannot learn how to move in and out of standing on their own. Avoid using equipment and support your child in a standing position at your household furniture.
Last reviewed February 2026