Baby Development: Cruising

By the time she was nine months old, Gabrielle mastered crawling. Now she's ready to take on her next milestone, cruising. It's only natural to be excited about what to expect from your curious cruiser. An early sign your baby is on the road to cruising is her ability to pick up small objects with a thumb and forefinger. There you go. You see, she has very good pincer grasp. One-year-olds often are able to have what we call pincer grasp. So when they feed themselves, they can actually pick up that piece of food and have the fine motor skills to get that into their mouth. Babies usually develop this skill at the same time they figure out how to use their large muscles to stand. Most baby center parents say their babies were able to stand on their own around eight months old. Gabrielle is already a pro. Gabrielle likes to pull herself up on coffee tables, chairs, people, anything she can get a hold of. Babies develop their body strength from their neck muscles working down to their ankles and toes. Once they're strong enough to pull themselves up and brave enough to take their first step hanging on, they're officially cruising. Between falls, Gabrielle is attempting one-step transfers from the coffee table to her dad. Experts say it's a good idea to let your budding cruiser spend two to three hours a day on the floor. Once your baby starts to cruise well, push toys in an enclosed environment are a fun and practical way to practice walking. To keep your baby's travels exciting and safe, move furniture closer together. Offer your hand with transitions, cover or remove sharp edges, and turn on the tunes. Once they are standing up and holding on, your baby is going to be trying to walk. From the womb to walking, your baby's on the move. ♪