Encouraging walking depends on who you’re trying to help. For a baby, it’s about creating the right physical environment and gradually reducing support. For yourself, it’s about building a habit that sticks. For an older adult, it’s about making walking feel safe and manageable. Each situation calls for different strategies, but they all share a core principle: remove barriers first, then add motivation.
Helping a Baby Learn to Walk
Most babies take their first independent steps between 9 and 18 months, and the process is more gradual than it looks. Before walking, babies “cruise,” pulling themselves up on furniture and sidestepping along it. You can encourage this by placing a favorite toy on the sofa and slowly sliding it left or right so your baby follows. A good starting spot for cruising is alongside a couch or other sturdy, low furniture.
Once your baby is cruising confidently, slowly move pieces of furniture farther apart so they have to bridge a slightly longer gap on their own. You can also encourage them to walk between two adults, gradually increasing the distance. Reduce your physical support in stages: loosen your grip, offer one hand instead of two, then just a finger. Passing toys from behind while they hold onto furniture encourages them to let go with one hand or both. Singing songs with clapping prompts, like “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” gives them a reason to release their grip.
Use a firm surface like a floor or low carpet for practice. Beds and cushions are too unstable. Once your baby has some confidence, walking on slightly uneven surfaces outdoors helps build balance and spatial awareness. Climbing stairs with supervision also strengthens legs and coordination.
Keep your baby barefoot at home whenever possible. Being barefoot lets them feel the floor beneath them and use their toes for grip and balance. When shoes are necessary, choose soft-soled ones. Trainers and fashion shoes with rigid soles aren’t recommended for babies still learning to walk. And despite their popularity, push-and-pull toys don’t actually teach babies to walk. They’re fun, but they aren’t a developmental tool.
Building a Walking Habit for Yourself
The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity like brisk walking for adults of all ages, including during pregnancy and postpartum. That works out to about 30 minutes, five days a week. Brisk walking means roughly 3 miles per hour, faster than a casual stroll but not so fast you can’t hold a conversation.
The health payoff is significant even at modest levels. A 2023 meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that each additional 1,000 daily steps is associated with a 12% to 15% lower risk of death from any cause. You don’t need to hit 10,000 steps to benefit. Any increase from your current baseline matters.
Use Location and Routine as Triggers
Habits form through repeated associations between a behavior and the context around it. Location is one of the strongest triggers. If you walk the same route at the same time each day, the behavior becomes increasingly automatic. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that the more consistently a behavior occurs in a certain place, the stronger the habit becomes. Pair your walk with something you already do, like walking right after your morning coffee or during a lunch break, and the existing routine acts as a cue.
You can also create friction against the behaviors that compete with walking. If scrolling your phone keeps you on the couch, move the app icons around or set them to require a password. Small obstacles to sedentary habits make the active choice easier by comparison.
Track Your Steps
Wearing a pedometer or fitness tracker is one of the most reliably effective ways to walk more. A systematic review in JAMA found that pedometer users increased their daily steps by about 2,200 to 2,500 more than people who didn’t track. That’s a 27% increase over baseline, and it held up across both controlled trials and real-world observational studies. The simple act of seeing a number creates accountability. You don’t need an expensive smartwatch. A basic pedometer or free smartphone app works.
Pick the Right Shoes
Foot pain is one of the fastest ways to kill a walking habit. Your shoes should match your foot type. Flat feet need firm arch support to prevent the foot from rolling inward, while high arches need deeper cushioning to absorb shock. The heel should feel snug with good padding, and the toe box should be wide enough for your toes to spread naturally. A quick test: when standing, your longest toe should have about a thumb’s width of space from the end of the shoe.
Replace walking shoes after 300 to 500 miles of use, even if they still look fine on the outside, because the midsole cushioning breaks down invisibly. Avoid overly soft insoles or memory foam. They feel comfortable at first but lack the structural support needed for alignment over longer distances.
Encouraging an Older Adult to Walk
For older adults, fear of falling is often a bigger barrier than physical ability. Choosing the right environment makes a significant difference. Look for routes with sidewalks or paved paths, places to sit and rest, and even ground. Uneven sidewalks and curbs are common tripping hazards. City parks often have dedicated walking trails away from traffic.
Walk during daylight when possible. If evening walks are unavoidable, stick to well-lit areas with other people around, wear reflective clothing, and carry a flashlight. During the day, light-colored clothing improves visibility to drivers. Always carry ID with emergency contact information and a phone.
Sturdy, well-fitting shoes with good traction are essential. Before heading out in cold weather, warm up indoors first with light marching in place or gentle arm movements. Check the forecast: extreme heat, humidity, cold, or wind are all good reasons to walk indoors instead. Shopping malls and community centers with climate control are reliable alternatives.
When walking near roads, face oncoming traffic and stay as far from the roadway as possible. At crossings, give yourself extra time rather than rushing, since hurrying increases fall risk. Make eye contact with drivers before stepping into a crosswalk, and check that every lane is clear before crossing.
After Surgery or a Hospital Stay
If you or someone you care for is recovering from surgery or an extended illness, early walking is a core part of recovery in most hospital protocols. Clinical guidelines call for patients to be mobilized at least twice a day, with nursing staff assessing activity levels at the start of each shift. The goal isn’t distance or speed. It’s simply getting upright and moving to prevent complications like blood clots, muscle loss, and pneumonia.
At home, the same principles apply on a smaller scale. Short, frequent walks, even just to the kitchen and back, are more effective than one longer session when rebuilding stamina. Increase distance gradually and use whatever support feels stable, whether that’s a walker, a cane, or a family member’s arm.
Making Your Neighborhood More Walkable
Your physical environment has a measurable effect on how much you walk. Research from the National Institutes of Health found that people living in more walkable neighborhoods, those with shorter city blocks, nearby stores, schools, and parks, walk significantly more than people in car-dependent areas. If you’re in a less walkable area, you can partially compensate by driving to a park or trail, but long-term, advocating for sidewalks, crosswalks, and mixed-use development in your community creates the kind of environment where walking happens naturally and often.