# Cruising along the furniture

A toy at the other end of the furniture encourages them to take little sideways steps without letting go.

To do with your baby between 8 and 12 months. It works on: gross motor skills, balance and self confidence. You'll need: sofa, furniture, bed, toy and chair.

## What do I need?

- Sofa
- Furniture
- Bed
- Toy
- Chair

## How do I do it?

1. **Set up the furniture.** Pick a low, sturdy piece of furniture, like the sofa, the coffee table or a low bed. Put an eye-catching toy on top, at chest height when they're standing.
2. **Help them stand up.** Stand your baby facing the furniture, with both hands holding the edge. Watch them take little sideways steps, still holding on, to reach the toy.
3. **Cheer, then switch sides.** Cheer when they get there, with a smile or a “Well done!” Then move the toy to the other end of the furniture and encourage them to make the trip back.
4. **Keep going while it's fun.** Repeat the trip back and forth for as long as they want to play. If they sit down or lose interest, save it for another time.

### Another way to play

Once they're moving with ease, place a chair 30–40 cm from the furniture. They'll have to let go, take 1 or 2 steps without support and grab the chair, so stay very close for that part.

### Take care

Use sturdy furniture that won't slide or tip over, and stay right beside them in case they lose their balance.

## What are they learning?

Almost all babies cruise along furniture before they walk without support. Each little step works their hips and ankles, and they practise keeping their balance on the move. Every time they reach the toy, they discover they can get around on their feet, and that builds their confidence.

- **Gross motor skills**: Works their hips and ankles with every sideways step
- **Balance**: Stays steady on their feet while moving
- **Self confidence**: Discovers they can reach the toy on their feet

## What the research says

- Adolph KE, Franchak JM. The development of motor behavior. Wiley interdisciplinary reviews Cognitive science. 2017;8(1-2). doi:10.1002/wcs.1430 (https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1430)
- Gerber RJ, Wilks T, Erdie-Lalena C. Developmental milestones: motor development. Pediatrics in Review. 2010;31(7):267-277. doi:10.1542/pir.31-7-267 (https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.31-7-267)
- Adolph KE, Berger SE, Leo AJ. Developmental continuity? Crawling, cruising, and walking. Developmental Science. 2011;14(2):306-318. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00981.x (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00981.x)
- Dusing SC. Postural variability and sensorimotor development in infancy. Developmental medicine and child neurology. 2016;58 Suppl 4:17-21. doi:10.1111/dmcn.13045 (https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.13045)
- Harbourne RT, Stergiou N. Nonlinear analysis of the development of sitting postural control. Developmental Psychobiology. 2003;42(4):368-377. doi:10.1002/dev.10110 (https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.10110)
- Leonard JA, Lee Y, Schulz LE. Infants make more attempts to achieve a goal when they see adults persist. Science. 2017;357(6357):1290-1294. doi:10.1126/science.aan2317 (https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan2317)
- Morgan GA, Harmon RJ, Maslin-Cole CA. Mastery motivation: definition and measurement. Early Education and Development. 1990;1(5):318-339. doi:10.1207/s15566935eed0105_1 (https://doi.org/10.1207/s15566935eed0105_1)

Reviewed by Javier Atance Ibar, PhD in Education.

https://papakoala.com/en-gb/activities/cruising-along-the-furniture/