Toddler Gross Motor Milestones 12-24 Months: Walking, Running, and Climbing
You've been waiting for this. The pulling up, the cruising along the couch, the letting go for half a second and grabbing back on. And then one day — they just do it. One step. Two steps. A wobbly lunge into your arms. Walking.
But walking is just the beginning. Between 12 and 24 months, your toddler goes from those shaky first steps to running (a kind of joyful forward falling), climbing on everything in sight, figuring out stairs, and maybe even jumping. It happens fast, and the house will never feel the same.
This guide covers the full gross motor arc from 12 to 24 months: walking, running, climbing, stairs, jumping, and ball skills. We'll talk about what's normal (the range is wider than most parents expect), what the research says about shoes, and when it makes sense to talk to your doctor.
A quick note: every toddler has their own timeline. The WHO Motor Development Study found that the window for walking alone spans from about 8 to 18 months — a 10-month range. A toddler who walks at 10 months and one who walks at 16 months are both perfectly normal.
→ This is a deep-dive into gross motor development. For the full picture across all areas of your toddler's growth — fine motor, thinking, social-emotional, senses, feeding, and sleep — see our 12-24 Months Main Development Guide.
What Gross Motor Skills Look Like at This Age
Key takeaway: Between 12 and 24 months, toddlers go from first steps to running, climbing, and kicking a ball. The progression is dramatic — and the range of "normal" is wider than most parents expect.
Gross motor skills are the big-body movements: walking, running, climbing, jumping. They involve the large muscle groups and are what most parents think of when they picture toddler development.
The WHO Motor Development Study tracked children across five countries and found that about 90% hit gross motor milestones in a common sequence — but the timing windows were wide. Walking alone had the widest window of any milestone: 8.2 to 17.6 months. That's a nearly 10-month range among healthy children.
What this means for you: comparison is the enemy of peace. Your toddler will walk when their muscles, balance, and confidence are ready.
Walking: From First Steps to Confident Strides
Key takeaway: Most babies take their first steps around 12 months, but the normal range stretches from about 8 to 18 months. Within days of those first steps, most babies go from wobbly to confident.
How walking progresses
Walking doesn't start with walking. It starts with pulling to stand, cruising along furniture, and eventually letting go. The CDC lists pulling to stand and cruising as 12-month milestones. Taking a few steps independently is a 15-month milestone. Walking without holding on to anything is an 18-month milestone.
Here's what first walking looks like:
- Feet wide apart for balance — like a tiny cowboy
- Arms held out by their sides, acting as balancing poles
- Flat-footed, uneven steps — one foot shuffles more than the other
- Frequent sitting down — sometimes on purpose, sometimes not
The good news: most babies progress from first steps to confident walking within days. It clicks fast once it clicks.
Over the next 6 months, the gait gradually matures. Arms come down to their sides. Feet move closer together. Steps become more even. By about 6 months after first walking, the wide-armed waddle gives way to something that looks much more like actual walking.
Late walkers: when to wait and when to ask
If your baby isn't walking at 12 months, don't worry. The WHO study found the 99th percentile for walking alone is 17.6 months — meaning even among healthy children, some don't walk until nearly 18 months.
When should you talk to your doctor? If your child isn't walking independently by 18 months. That's the guideline from both the AAP and the Cleveland Clinic. Before 18 months, as long as your baby is meeting the milestones leading up to walking (pulling up, cruising, bearing weight on legs), they're likely just on their own schedule.
The AAP has a Motor Delay Tool parents can use to create a checklist of concerns to bring to their pediatrician. It's designed for children 2 months to 5 years.
The shoe question
This comes up constantly: when does my toddler need shoes?
Here's what the AAP says: in the early months of walking, toddlers' feet develop best if they're not confined in shoes. Barefoot is better for learning to walk — it lets them feel the floor and use their toes for grip and balance. Socks are enough to keep feet warm indoors.
Once your toddler starts walking outdoors, they need shoes for protection — not for support. Choose comfortable shoes with nonskid soles (sneakers work fine). Don't spend a fortune: your child's feet grow so fast that the first pair won't last more than 2-3 months.
One important rule: it's better to have no shoes at all than shoes that are too tight. Check fit monthly.
Putting shoes on too early can actually make learning to walk harder because they limit foot movement. Barefoot first, shoes for outdoor protection later.
Running: The Toddler Sprint
Key takeaway: Early running starts around 16-18 months and looks like controlled forward falling. By 24 months, running is a CDC milestone.
Once your toddler is walking confidently, running isn't far behind. At 16-18 months, you'll see a stiff run with occasional falls — more of a hurried walk than a true run. By 2, the CDC lists running as a milestone.
Early toddler running looks like they're being pulled forward by their head while their legs try to keep up. It's glorious and terrifying. They can't stop quickly. They can't turn sharply. They will run into things.
Between 19 and 24 months, running gets smoother. They're also practicing jumping, walking up and down stairs with your hand, and learning to change direction.
What helps: Open space. Parks, backyards, wide hallways. Let them run. Chase games ("I'm going to get you!") are the best gross motor activity at this age — free, effective, and they never get tired of them.
Climbing and Stairs: The Vertical World
Key takeaway: By 18 months, toddlers can climb on and off furniture without help. Stairs are a longer progression — crawling up first, then walking up with a hand held, then walking up with or without help by age 2.
Climbing is where this stage gets interesting — and where parents start anchoring furniture to walls.
Climbing progression
- 13-15 months: Climbs stairs when hand is held. May attempt to climb low furniture.
- 16-18 months: Climbs onto chairs. Gets on and off a couch or chair without help (CDC 18-month milestone).
- 19-24 months: Climbing gets ambitious — playground structures, bookshelves (yes, really), anything with a foothold.
Here's an important reality: at this age, your toddler does not understand what is dangerous. They climb because they can, not because they've evaluated the risk.
Stairs progression
Stairs are a separate skill from general climbing:
- 12-15 months: Crawling up stairs, sometimes with hand held
- 16-18 months: Walking up stairs with hand held
- 19-24 months: Walking up and down stairs with support. The CDC lists walking (not climbing) up a few stairs with or without help as a 2-year milestone.
Coming down stairs takes longer to master than going up. Many toddlers go down backward (on hands and knees or sliding on their bottom) long before they walk down forward.
Safety
Once your toddler is climbing, the safety picture changes:
- Stair gates: Install at both top and bottom of stairs. Non-negotiable at this age.
- Window guards: Install operable window guards above the first floor.
- Furniture anchoring: Secure bookshelves, dressers, and TV stands to the wall with anti-tip devices (metal L-brackets preferred). According to the AAP, a child is rushed to the ER at least once every hour with a furniture tip-over injury, and 77% of tip-over deaths between 2000 and 2019 involved children under 6.
- Remove climbing opportunities: A chair left next to a counter, table, or window lets your toddler climb to dangerously high places. Think like a toddler — if they can reach it, they will climb it.
- Sharp edges: Remove sharp-edged furniture from rooms where your child plays and sleeps.
Jumping and Ball Skills
Key takeaway: Jumping with both feet off the ground starts around 24-30 months. Kicking a ball is a CDC milestone by age 2. Throwing starts earlier.
Jumping
True jumping — both feet leaving the ground at the same time — typically starts around 24-30 months. Before that, you'll see attempted jumps that are really just enthusiastic bouncing or stepping off low surfaces. It takes a lot of coordination to get both feet off the ground simultaneously.
Ball skills
Ball play is a big part of this age. Between 19 and 24 months, toddlers are throwing and kicking balls, standing on tiptoes, and squatting to pick up objects.
Kicking a ball is a CDC milestone by age 2. It starts clumsy — more of a walking-into-the-ball situation — and gradually becomes an intentional kick.
What helps: Big, soft balls. A clear space to kick and throw. Rolling a ball back and forth is great early social play. Don't worry about technique — the goal is movement and fun.
Toys That Support Gross Motor Development
Key takeaway: The best gross motor toys at this age give toddlers a reason to move and something safe to move with — push toys, ride-ons, balls, and open space.
- Push toys and push carts — Where baby walks behind holding the handle (NOT sit-in walkers — the AAP recommends against those). Weighted push toys are best because they slow down and force more core muscle use. Look for push toys where baby's feet are on the ground, supporting their own weight.
- Ride-on toys — Low ride-ons they push with their feet. Great for balance, coordination, and leg strength. Build eye-hand coordination too.
- Balls — For kicking, throwing, rolling, chasing. The CDC even suggests letting toddlers push things around (like empty boxes) to practice walking.
- Climbing structures — Age-appropriate indoor climbers or outdoor playground equipment. Supervised climbing builds strength and confidence.
- Open space — The most underrated "toy." A clear area to walk, run, climb, and explore is where skills develop. Just 15 minutes of active one-on-one time per day supports both physical development and social skills.
We see what holds value and what doesn't in this category. Quality push carts and ride-ons are among the most consistently in-demand items on Toycycle — parents buy them because they know these toys actually get used.
When to Talk to Your Doctor
Key takeaway: If your toddler isn't walking by 18 months, talk to your doctor. Early intervention can make a significant difference — and it's easier to build a new motor pattern than to retrain an atypical one.
Every toddler has their own gross motor timeline. But here are things worth mentioning to your pediatrician:
- By 15 months: Not taking any steps independently. Not pulling to stand.
- By 18 months: Cannot walk independently. This is the key threshold — both the AAP and Cleveland Clinic recommend evaluation at this point.
- At any age: Muscles seem stiff or very floppy. Has unusual gait or trouble staying balanced. Moves very differently from other children their age. Has lost motor skills they previously had (regression).
Why early matters: according to Pathways.org, it takes about 300-350 repetitions to build a new motor pattern, but retraining an atypical movement can take 3,000-5,000 repetitions. The earlier a delay is caught, the easier it is to address.
Early intervention services are available for children up to age 3. Research shows these services can minimize and often prevent the long-term effects of developmental delays. You don't need a diagnosis or doctor's referral — contact your state's early intervention program directly.
The bottom line: you know your toddler best. If something about how they move concerns you, speak up. Your pediatrician would always rather hear from you than not.
→ For a comprehensive list of red flags across ALL areas of development (not just motor), see the "When to Talk to Your Doctor" section in our 12-24 Months Main Guide.
The Toycycle Connection
We've inspected enough push walkers, ride-on toys, and toddler climbing gear to know which brands survive this stage and which fall apart. The ones that hold up — solid wood push carts, sturdy ride-ons, quality climbing structures — get handed down and resold because they're genuinely well-made. Toycycle's 12-24 months collection has safety-inspected options from brands we've carried for years.
What Comes Next
By 24 months, walking is old news. Running gets faster, climbing gets braver, and jumping and balancing become the new challenges. Our 2-3 year development guide covers the next stage of physical development.
Other Deep-Dives in This Age Tier
This article is one of several focused deep-dives that sit underneath our main 12-24 months guide. If you want to go deeper on a different area:
- 💬 When Do Babies Start Talking? Language Development 12-24 Months — first words, the vocabulary explosion, two-word phrases, the late talker question, and how to support language growth every day.
- 📖 Back to the main 12-24 Months Development Guide — the full picture across all areas of development.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do babies start walking?
Most babies take their first steps around 12 months, but the WHO found the normal range stretches from about 8 to 18 months. The CDC lists taking a few steps independently as a 15-month milestone and walking without holding anything as an 18-month milestone. Both early and late walkers within this range are perfectly normal.
When should I worry if my baby isn't walking?
Talk to your pediatrician if your child isn't walking independently by 18 months. Before that, as long as they're pulling to stand, cruising, and bearing weight on their legs, they're likely just on their own timeline. The WHO study found the full range for walking alone extends to 17.6 months among healthy children.
Is it normal for a 15 month old to not walk?
Yes, completely normal. The CDC lists taking a few steps on their own as a 15-month milestone, but many healthy toddlers don't walk until 16-18 months. The WHO global study found huge variation — the range extends from about 8 to 18 months. As long as your toddler is pulling up and cruising, they're on their way.
When do toddlers start running?
Early running starts around 16-18 months — a stiff, controlled forward falling with occasional tumbles. By age 2, running is a CDC milestone. Toddlers at 19-24 months are also practicing jumping and walking up and down stairs with your hand.
When do toddlers start climbing stairs?
Stair climbing is gradual. At 13-15 months, toddlers climb stairs when you hold their hand. At 16-18 months, they climb onto furniture. By age 2, the CDC lists walking (not climbing) up a few stairs with or without help as a milestone. Going down stairs safely takes longer to develop.
Do shoes help babies learn to walk?
No — barefoot is actually better for learning to walk. The AAP says babies' feet develop best without shoes, and Pathways.org notes that shoes can make walking harder by limiting foot movement. Once your toddler walks outdoors, they need shoes for protection (not support). Choose comfortable shoes with nonskid soles, and check fit monthly.
When do toddlers start jumping?
True jumping — both feet leaving the ground at the same time — usually starts around 24-30 months. Before that, you'll see enthusiastic bouncing and stepping off low surfaces. It takes a lot of coordination to get both feet airborne simultaneously.
What gross motor activities help 12-24 month olds?
Chase games, ball rolling and kicking, pushing things around (boxes, carts), supervised climbing, walking on uneven surfaces like grass or sand, and dancing. The AAP suggests just 15 minutes of active one-on-one time per day supports physical development and social skills. Open space is the best "equipment."
How can I help my toddler learn to walk?
Give them things to hold onto and walk alongside (furniture, your hands, push toys). Clear a safe space for practice. Let them go barefoot indoors — it helps them feel the floor and use their toes for balance. Don't use a walker with wheels (the AAP recommends against them). Most importantly, let them fall — getting up is part of learning.
When should toddlers walk up and down stairs?
Walking up stairs with a hand held starts around 13-15 months. Walking up a few stairs independently (or with minimal help) is a CDC milestone by age 2. Going down stairs safely develops later — many toddlers go down backward or on their bottom well into the second year. Always supervise stairs and use gates.
Sources
- CDC — "Learn the Signs. Act Early: Milestones at 1 Year" — cdc.gov
- CDC — "Learn the Signs. Act Early: Milestones at 15 Months" — cdc.gov
- CDC — "Learn the Signs. Act Early: Milestones at 18 Months" — cdc.gov
- CDC — "Learn the Signs. Act Early: Milestones at 2 Years" — cdc.gov
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — "Movement: 8 to 12 Months" — healthychildren.org
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — "Shoes for Active Toddlers" — healthychildren.org
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — "Safety for Your Child: 1 to 2 Years" — healthychildren.org
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — "Baby Walkers: A Dangerous Choice" — healthychildren.org
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — "Preventing Furniture and TV Tip-Overs" — healthychildren.org
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — "Is Your Baby's Physical Development on Track?" — healthychildren.org
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — "The Active Toddler" — healthychildren.org
- WHO Motor Development Study — "Windows of Achievement for Six Gross Motor Milestones" (Acta Paediatrica, 2006) — PubMed
- Cleveland Clinic — "When Do Babies Start Walking?" — clevelandclinic.org
- Pathways.org — "13-18 Month Motor Milestones" — pathways.org
- Pathways.org — "Push Toys" — pathways.org
- Pathways.org — "When Can Baby Climb Stairs" — pathways.org
- Pathways.org — "When Do Babies Start Wearing Shoes" — pathways.org
- Pathways.org — "Detecting Motor Delays Earlier" — pathways.org