Ways to Play

Cruising along furniture.

Expected Age Range: 9-11 months, or so.

These cruising activities are designed to help your baby develop the strength and balance required to cruise along furniture and eventually let go of the extra support.

Standing at a Supportive Surface While Rotating to Reach Back

While your baby is standing with two hands on a supportive surface, hold one of their favorite toys behind them and to the side. The goal is for them to turn their head, rotate their trunk, and release the surface with one hand to reach for the toy. 

This is a complex movement that challenges their balance and creates a weight shift that is necessary for cruising. 

Squat to Pick Up a Toy From the Floor and Return to Standing

Once your baby has mastered the mini-squat to get a toy from knee height, hold the toy lower and lower, eventually placing it on the floor. As your baby develops more control, they will be able to squat to get the toy and return to standing without sitting on the floor. 

Toy Placement to Encourage Cruising Along Furniture in Both Directions

Choose a toy that your baby is interested in and “walk” the toy along the surface of the couch where your baby is standing. Slowly moving the toy father and farther from your baby’s reach. Once the toy is 1-2 feet away, say “come get the toy!” and pause. Allow your baby a chance to decide how they want to attempt to get to the toy. 

If they are new to cruising, you’ll need to guard them in case they loose their balance and fall to the floor. It can take many attempts before your baby is able to take their first cruising steps without falling. Remember to do this both to the left and right. 

Demonstrate Bouncing

While your baby is standing at a supportive surface, demonstrate bouncing for them. Stand up and bounce up and down, bending your knees, but not jumping off the floor. Babies at this stage will usually attempt to copy you. 

You can also practice bouncing by holding their hands while you support them in standing and moving their hands up and down in a bouncing motion, while saying “bounce, bounce, bounce.”

Letting Go to Hold a Toy in Each Hand

Once your baby is cruising around easily, try placing one small toy in each of your baby’s hands when they are standing at the supportive surface. This encourages them to completely let go of the supportive surface and realize that they don’t need their hands to support themself while standing.

Island Hopping

Arrange two pieces of furniture, like the couch and ottoman, close together for “island hopping.” Island hopping is what I call it when babies transfer (in standing) from one supportive surface to another, with brief moments of letting go of all support. 

Start with the two pieces of furniture close enough together that your baby can easily transfer between the two without letting go. Then, slowly start moving one supportive surface further away, so that your baby has to reach further to transfer. Eventually, they may start to briefly let go of all supportive surfaces to go between the two. 

Create Obstacles to Cruise Over

Try placing these obstacles in their path when then are cruising along the couch:

A scrunched up blanket or a pillow. Walking over the soft and uneven surface challenges your baby’s balance and foot, ankle, and leg strength.

A metal baking pan. Your baby will need to rely on their depth perception to step over the edges and into the pan.

A short box or step stool. Stepping up onto a small height prepares your baby for climbing and requires strength to step up. It requires depth perception, and the ability to shift their weight onto one leg while taking a step up. They can also stand at the couch with one foot elevated on the box while playing. 

Cruising Along Wall

Try taping pictures for family members along wall, at eye level for your baby. Show them that they can stand up and pull the pictures off the wall. Sticky notes also work well for this activity.