Many babies have already learned to walk without support between 12 and 18 months. Some may have taken their first steps earlier, others will learn later. Babies develop differently: from sitting alone, crawling, standing up, and walking (and later, running and jumping!)

If your child is one year old and still shows no signs that he wants to walk or is afraid to walk alone, there is absolutely nothing wrong. But if you want to encourage your baby to walk, here are 3 easy ways to do it:

Helps strengthen your muscles

Getting your baby to do some simple exercises to strengthen his muscles will help his body get ready to walk. One thing you can try is to let her sit without help. Place a toy in front of her and ask her to reach for it and return to a sitting position. Position the object in various positions and distances to help improve stability and also strengthen the muscles of the back, shoulders, and legs.

Just make sure you are around to keep your baby safe in case he stumbles, especially at first.

Allow him to travel from one place to another

When your child is able to stand up by himself (while holding onto an object), he will begin to take his few steps, shuffling while holding onto a table, sofa, or other furniture. This helps with your mobility. So make him move from side to side with one hand on a piece of furniture while you hold the other. You can try placing a toy at one end of your sofa to encourage your baby to get closer to it.

Before you know it, he’ll let go of the couch and grab you with both hands!

Bring toys to push or pull

Push and pull toys are very entertaining for babies because of their bright colors, sounds, and lights. But they are more than just toys – they have been proven to help babies learn to walk. Push and pull toys help improve a child’s balance and confidence in taking their first steps without support. Your baby will also love that he is able to move freely (especially after months of pacing up and down on furniture), which will help give him more courage to walk on his own.

Try these 3 easy ways to help encourage your baby to walk and he’ll be up in no time.