8 Month Old Crawler Clamors for Help Standing and Cruising

I don't see what would be wrong or bad with grabbing his hands and helping him walk. If he wants to walk then great!!!!!

Try not to over think this. He's just trying to learn more about the world around him. If he wants to try and stand/cruise and looks to you for assistance then help him.

I'm not a specialist (or even close!) but I don't think crawling is really that big of a deal as long as they're finding a way to get around and are motivated in doing so. Neither of my children crawled and pretty much went straight to walking at 10 1/2 months. (Don't get so excited about the walking though...it is lots of fun and really cool at first until you realize that your level of vigilance must now shoot straight through the roof because they are into everything yet are not the safest little movers yet. Talk about a nervous time!)

My advice? Spend quality time with your child and show him he is loved and be sure to praise his efforts. Make it fun and he'll be fine.

He's going to walk early! Look out! :)

My DS only crawled for about a month before he walked - at 9mos, 1 week.

Don't discourage anything he's doing - he's developing on his own track! Not all kids need to crawl. Some don't at all.

My DD is 10mos and doing the same thing with lots of cruising. If anything, we try to let go of her to encourage her balance to stand by herself. But, she'll get there when she's ready.

I wouldn't carry him or pick him up all the time, if you think that's what he wants. But certainly, don't discourage his development. Time to baby-proof!

Babies know when they are ready to do something and there really isn't much you can do about it! Some babies totally skip crawling. My friends son started walking when he was 9 months. I thought for sure my son was going to be an early walker because he was always pulling himself up and cruising around and took a couple of steps on his own, but he didn't start walking until he was 11 months. When my daughter was around 8 months old she got a push toy to walk around with (even though she didn't start walking on her own until she was 12 months) and she loved it. It gave her that mobility and independence that she wanted. If you don't have one already, go get one. Or better yet, check out craigslist for a used one if you don't want to spend the money in case he doesn't like it. I like the push toys that also double as ride-on's so they don't grow out of the toy as fast. I would definitely encourage your son. He wants to learn a new skill, that's great!!

Yes! I'd indulge it! My daughter was the same way and walked at 8.5 months! I believe she only crawled for a few weeks (my memory is hazy now) and when she did, she would just crawl to something she could pull herself up on.
I'd look into structures that allow that too. Once they get their balance, walking comes next!
One product I highly recommend is Walking Wings. I believe they are like $15 at Babies R Us. It will encourage walking and save your back!!
Good luck!

What's best for baby is to support him at ALL stages of development, in whatever manner and timing he wishes. Children progress at their own pace. Don't let anything you read in magazines or the internet take precedence over that.

FYI, just because he wants to "walk" with you now doesn't not necessary make him an early walker. He may indeed walk before 10 months, or he may not walk independently for another 4 months. He may even lose interest and not walk for another 5-8 months. Don't worry about it, and just cherish every moment of his development!

What a bold little cruiser you have. He sounds like a cutie!

I would absolutely support him in walking. If he's trying, he's developmentally ready to try. You'll also be supporting nonverbal communication, which is key to *verbal* language development. And you'll be giving him a "vote of confidence," which is what he needs to develop his OWN lifelong confidence.

I had an early walker and a rather late walker. A push toy was a big help at that stage, especially for my later walker. If you don't mind helping him walk it is good to do it. I was home all day and coundn't do it constantly but did some most every day.

I think you're over thinking this. Eventually all babies learn to walk, neither is "better" for them. It doesn't benefit a baby to walk at 10 months vs 13 months or vice versa. It really doesn't matter. It doesn't hurt to give your baby the walking assistance, and in the end, everyone walks. Crawling isn't necessary, it's only done til a baby can walk (and some kids skip the crawling stage altogether). I know this may seem like a big and important issue to you as a first time mom of an infant, but as a mom of a 16 and 12 year old, I promise that this is not an issue worth stressing yourself over, or needing a multiparagraph inquiry :)

I remember this phase well and gladly indulged my DD in "assisted" walking. I viewed it as a major developmental milestone and was glad to help her along, though it was more difficult to go to the bathroom with someone using my legs to stand! Now that she's walking, my reflexes are in overdrive from dawn until bedtime! Enjoy!

If that's what he wants to do, then let him. My son was an early walker. The thing you do have to watch is crib activity. Get up and check on him frequently. Our son was pulling himself up by grabbing onto the railings, just to stand up and he was only six months old. He even said his first multi-syllable word, "remarkable." Unfortunately or fortunately, how ever you look at it, he thought "remarkable" meant "poopie" and he liked to stand up and poop. Did make it easier to know when to change the diapers. From that, he went on to scaling the cupboards as a way to get around. We had a walker, which I don't know if you can get those anymore since they are now deemed as dangerous. It didn't take long before he could walk without the walker. You might want to dance around the house with him as well. I read a study that the rhythmic movement of dancing with your baby helps them become sturdier walkers.