Your baby may be creeping (pushing around on his or her belly), crawling, or bottom-shuffling (scooting on his or her behind). All of these variations strengthen the muscles that will soon enable your baby to walk. Whichever mode of mobility your baby's using, it's fascinating to see how he or she solves the problem of getting around.
Stand and deliver
Your baby may be able to pull up to standing while holding on to furniture. In fact, if you let your baby hang on to the edge of the sofa, he or she may be able to hold that position!
To help your baby learn to stand and walk, offer plenty of opportunities to crawl, pull up, and cruise – that is, walk while holding on to furniture. But stay close in case your baby gets scared or starts to topple over.
Safety first
Your baby's newfound mobility means that he or she is now entering the land of bumps and falls. These are an inevitable part of childhood, and although your heart may occasionally skip a beat or two, try to enjoy watching your baby explore his or her surroundings and discover limits.
Do make every effort to make your home baby-safe. A good way to do this is to get down to your baby's level to find the possible danger zones. Secure fragile objects so they won't fall, for example, and keep rickety furniture in rooms that don't get much baby traffic.
Now's a good time to move drapery and blind cords out of reach, pad sharp coffee-table corners, install toilet-seat locks, relocate hazardous houseplants to higher ground, lock away poisonous cleaning supplies and medications, cover electric outlets, and secure safety gates at the top and bottom of each staircase.