Every parent eagerly anticipates each new milestone that her child gets to. There is the usual elated shriek that your baby did this or that. The first time she rolls over, the first time she sits up, the first time she crawls, and then her first steps. As your baby gets more and more mobile, as exciting as it may perhaps be, as well as those baby steps come lots of potential hazards.

Even as soon as the crawling phase, your child has become extremely mobile. You'll be going after after her as she races through the house on hands and knees. Following that, she will begin taking her first steps. At first it will be while holding onto furniture. This is called “cruising”. But soon your baby will begin to dare to take a step or two without holding onto anything. As she gets more and more skillful at this ability, she will continue to take much more risks.

When your baby is learning to walk, it is very important that she not wear shoes. Bare feet are the best way for a child to learn how to take actions on her own, so she can maneuver her feet and use her toes. Be careful if your baby is taking her initial baby steps on a hard surface, such as tile.

Your baby’s first steps will be accompanied by lots of falling down, so a soft surface is the best place for her to try out this newfound skill. You will also want to baby proof your house. As your baby gets much more mobile, he can quickly reach a lot more things and regions of your home.

Consequently, it is critical that you cover all of your power outlets where your new baby can reach, lock all cleaning materials and other poisons in a cabinet or move them away from baby’s reach, and, in case you have stairs, put up gates so your child cannot climb up and/or fall down the stairs.

With these safety measures in place, you are able to breathe easy as you watch your baby take each step.