When Do Babies Stand for the First Time?

With a mixture of strength and determination, your little one should be able to stand on their own two feet (literally!) by their first birthday. Quite impressive considering how they started! Being able to stand—first with assistance and later independently—is an important milestone for babies on their way to walking. You know what that means: It won’t be long now before you have a toddler!  

When do babies stand?

There are some common stages babies progress through—starting with standing while holding onto things and working their way up to stable, unassisted standing. According to the Denver II Developmental Assessment, the average ages for standing milestones include…

• Standing while holding support: 6.5 to 8.5 months
• Pulling to standing position with support: 8 to 10 months
• Briefly standing independently: 9 to 11.5 months
• Standing independently: 10.5 to 14 months 

What are signs my baby might stand soon?

Standing is a link in the chain of gross motor skills that your baby will work on developing during the first year. Before standing, your baby will first need to have control of their head and neck, develop their trunk muscles and posture, and work on their balance. 

Although babies progress through milestones at different rates, you can be pretty confident that your baby will first stand with support, then pull themselves up, and then work on standing independently before becoming (almost entirely) stable. When your baby is first beginning to stand with support, you might notice them bouncing on their knees and experimenting with putting their feet on the ground in the proper position.  

How can I help my baby stand?

Starting around 4 months, many infants can begin to bear more weight on their legs and have the trunk support to use exercise saucers or other activity centers that keep them upright. Although these kinds of gear can help babies develop their strength to an extent, they don’t give your baby the chance to work on balance or coordination.  

To help your baby stand, you will want to give them safe spaces to practice pulling up or standing with assistance. Don’t be surprised if you look on the baby monitor one day to find them standing all on their own in the crib! This is your cue to lower the crib mattress if you haven’t already! (Read more crib safety tips.)

Another great way to encourage this is to put a toy just out of their reach on a couch. Show the toy to your baby and then put them in a seated position in front of the couch. Using their problem-solving skills, they will probably want to work on pulling themselves up. 

Once your baby is pulling themselves up and working on standing independently, offer them something interesting to hold in their hands. By being preoccupied with what they are holding in their hands, they will become less reliant on holding a support.

 Standing requires strength, balance, and coordination. That all takes time—and babies develop these skills on a range of timelines. However, if your child is not standing by 18 months, their pediatrician should know so that you can explore the cause. 

Final Thoughts on When Babies Stand

Remember, when it comes to milestones for your baby, there is a range of what’s considered “typical.” In fact, by the nature of averages, that means many babies will stand “early,” and other babies may stand for the first time after a year. However, if you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to take them up with your child’s pediatrician! 

More on Baby Development:

• 12-Month Milestones
• When Do Babies Talk?
• When Do Babies Crawl?
• How Babies Learn to Play
• When Do Babies Start Climbing?

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REFERENCES

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Important Milestones: Your Child by One Year
• Denver II Developmental Screening Test
• American Academy of Pediatrics, Movement Milestones: Babies 4 to 7 Months
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Motor Delay Tool

Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.