Independence. «Freedom from a condition of subordination» is how the dictionary defines it.
But can the concept of «independence» really be applied to a child? Can a small child, especially one between 9 and 18 months old, be called «independent»? Most of you mothers would probably disagree, horrified. Our children need us, our presence, our guidance as a point of reference. That's true, absolutely true. But what if I told you, dear mothers, that in your baby's fourth trimester of life you witnessed, or are about to witness, the first great act of independence? If your curiosity is piqued, keep reading, because I'm going to walk you through a great achievement: walking!
As explained in the previous article (see The Child 6-9 Months: The Richness of Movement), by 9 to 12/18 months the child has, over the previous trimester, already developed several ways of moving horizontally, which they use to get around on the floor by themselves, to explore the world around them, and to learn in an increasingly independent way from every point of view: cognitive, sensory, and motor.
Along with this, postural transitions are also practiced and experienced more and more often, since they allow the child to change position, experience different heights, and better understand different distances. All of this lets the child encounter new sensations, gain different perceptions of themselves, and engage with the new objects the environment offers them, inventing ever new play activities along the way. But the first real new challenge of this stage is reaching an important sensorimotor milestone: standing upright. This posture is a genuinely significant and rewarding functional milestone, both for the child, who experiences it firsthand «pulling themselves up to stand and lowering themselves back down again», and for the adults around them.
Standing upright is the prelude to the next stage, moving around while standing with the help of the hands; both of these skills open up new and incredible horizons for the child.
Indeed, having gained an upright posture, the child can now experience what's known as «coastal navigation», better known as «cruising», in which they use their hands to hold on to stable supports around the house (e.g. low furniture, sofas). Just as with horizontal movement, standing still and cruising are necessary stages the child must go through in order to train the movements that will be needed for independent walking, and to learn how to handle losses of balance and to fall without getting hurt.
The possibility of falling puts the child in a position to «learn how to fall» and to protect themselves properly when they lose their balance. In these situations, the child usually tends to plop down onto their bottom as they sense they're losing their balance; gradually, they'll begin to develop the well-known parachute reactions. These foundations prepare the child to let go of support and «launch» themselves confidently toward independent walking.