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Baby and toddler

Pulling to stand

When a baby grips something steady, like furniture or your hands, and pulls themselves up from sitting or kneeling to standing.

What It Means

Pulling to stand is the movement skill of a baby hauling themselves from sitting or kneeling up to a standing position by holding on to something sturdy. CDC lists "pulls up to stand" among the movement milestonesDevelopmental milestonesSkills most children can do by a certain age, like rolling over or waving bye-bye. CDC places each at the age 75% or more of children reach it. See more by 1 year, the age by which 75% or more of children do it. HealthyChildren.org, the AAP's site for parents, describes babies of 8 to 12 months pulling up at every chance, often before they've worked out how to get back down.

Try It: Get Your Home Ready for a Baby Who Pulls Up

Tick each one you've done. The list comes from HealthyChildren.org and CDC.

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How Parents Say It

  • "She's pulling up on the coffee table now."
  • "He stands up in the crib and can't figure out how to sit down."
  • "Watch out, she's cruising along the couch."

The Breakdown

Movement milestones around pulling up

AgeWhat most children doSource
By 9 monthsSit without supportCDC
8 to 12 monthsPull to stand whenever they can; may not know how to get downHealthyChildren.org
8 to 12 monthsCruise along furniture once standing feels secureHealthyChildren.org
By 1 yearPull up to stand; walk holding on to furnitureCDC
Around the first birthdayMany take first steps, though earlier or later is normalHealthyChildren.org

Helping your baby get down. A baby who can stand but not sit can end up crying while stuck upright, often in the crib. HealthyChildren.org suggests showing them during the day how to bend their knees and lower themselves without falling.

When to talk to the doctor. CDC's milestone ages mark when 75% or more of children reach a skill. If your child isn't pulling up to stand by 1 year, or you have any concern about how they move, talk with your child's doctor and ask about developmental screening, as CDC recommends.

Good to Know

HealthyChildren.org says to set the crib mattress at its lowest position before your baby learns to stand, so they can't lean over or pull themselves over the rail. Anything your baby uses to pull up or cruise along should have no sharp edges and should be weighted or attached to the floor, since a baby's full weight on a light shelf or table can tip it.

FAQ

When do babies pull to stand?

HealthyChildren.org describes babies pulling up between 8 and 12 months, and CDC lists pulling up to stand as a milestone most children reach by 1 year.

Does pulling to stand come before crawling?

The CDC and AAP pages used here don't set a fixed order for crawling and pulling up. CDC's checklists list sitting without support by 9 months and pulling up to stand by 1 year, and HealthyChildren.org describes cruising along furniture once standing feels secure.

My baby pulls up in the crib and can't get down. What do I do?

Show your baby during the day how to bend their knees and lower themselves, as HealthyChildren.org suggests. Make sure the crib mattress is at its lowest setting.

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Tasks and Reminders

Make each item on the checklist a Task in Buhata, and set a Reminder to look over CDC's 1-year milestones before your baby's checkup.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Gross motor skills

    Movements that use the large muscles of the arms, legs and torso, like rolling over, sitting, walking, running and kicking a ball.

Baby and toddler

Sources

CDC, "Milestones by 1 Year"; CDC, "Milestones In Action: By 1 Year"; CDC, "Milestones by 9 Months"; CDC, "CDC's Developmental Milestones"; HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "Movement Milestones in Babies 8 to 12 Months Old"; HealthyChildren.org (AAP), "Make Baby's Room Safe: Parent Checklist"

Last updated .