Have Walker, Will Travel

Matthew has been all about the walker the past two weeks. He still cannot walk independently so the walker is great for helping him get around the house in addition to crawling on his hands and knees. I look at him pushing the walker around the kitchen floor, almost running down our cat (get out of the way Yuri!), and I feel so proud of him. It may be no big deal for some, but it's an outstanding achievement in my book.

I remember it was in December (he was 14 months old) when we began practising walking with him. It was very trying at times especially when he locked his knees and not move his legs to take steps. It was the same story when I held his hands or supported him under his arms to take steps. I had to move them forward for him while he held on to me or the walker in an effort to show him. I think he had a hard time with it because he had not developed the left-right-left pattern yet, even for crawling. His commando crawl was one-sided, using his right arm to drag himself forward and the left leg to push off. Also, he needed more strength and stability in his leg and hip muscles. He began to take baby steps in January, when he was almost 16 months old. Realizing he could go forward, he took more steps at a time each day we practised. We went from moving 2 feet to 12 feet without falling. He was fast too! We steered for him and caught him if he lost his balance. He learned to steer in the past two weeks.

"It just happened one day," some moms can easily recount. Some moms, on the other hand, need to give their kids more guidance. In our case, the lesson for learning to walk (i.e. push a walker) has to be broken down into steps (no pun intended). His physical therapist (PT) says that cruising sideways along our coffee table helped him develop the strength and stability in his hips which are needed to move forward. Stepping sideways also taught Matthew to shift his weight from one leg to the other and maintain his balance, which is key when stepping forward. Cruising from one piece of furniture to another, placed side by side, helped him develop balance. Cruising from the couch to the coffee table required more balance since he had to twist his trunk and let go with one hand in order to reach out for the coffee table.

Other than cruising, Matthew had to master other skills before he could move forward more reliably. Pulling up against the sliding glass door or fridge or any similar surface helped reduce the amount of arm support needed to get up to a standing position. Practising standing unsupported, even for just a few seconds at a time, allowed Matthew to gain confidence on his own two feet. Walking with two hand support is another important skill. He is very motivated to kick the ball around while Bill or I hold his hands. His PT mentioned that a product available at Target called Walking Wings Learning to Walk Assistant. It's a harness-type contraption and may be a good way to teach Matthew to walk without holding on to our hands. There are other similar products out there but his PT just happened to mention this particular one. We have not bought it for Matthew though, and I don't know if we will.

Until now, I had been clueless about these body mechanics. Granted, he is my first child so I have no prior experience and knowledge on teaching a baby to walk. His PT and the book "Gross Motor Skills in Children with Down Syndrome" by Patricia C. Winders have been a great help. I've also learned to read cues from Matthew in order to tell if he was willing and ready to learn more. It's been an educational and incredible journey so far. Bill and I are happy to be travelling with Matthew. And when he gets to walk independently, we'll be there to cheer him on!