By 12 months, which motor skill is expected in a well-growing infant?

By 12 months, which motor skill is expected in a well-growing infant?

• A. Walks holding on to someone's hand
• B. Sits up without support
• C. Crawls on hands and knees
• D. Stands alone for a minute

Answer: (A)

By about one year, infants start moving more with help, showing emerging walking ability with supervision. Walking while holding onto someone’s hand reflects that transitional mobility: it demonstrates that the child has enough leg strength, balance, and coordination to support weight and take steps with assistance. Independent walking and standing unaided are still developing around this time, so the hand-held walking milestone is the most consistent indicator for a 12-month-old child in typical development. Sitting without support and crawling have usually occurred earlier, so they fit earlier milestones, and standing alone for a full minute tends to appear a bit later for most infants.

By about one year, infants start moving more with help, showing emerging walking ability with supervision. Walking while holding onto someone’s hand reflects that transitional mobility: it demonstrates that the child has enough leg strength, balance, and coordination to support weight and take steps with assistance. Independent walking and standing unaided are still developing around this time, so the hand-held walking milestone is the most consistent indicator for a 12-month-old child in typical development. Sitting without support and crawling have usually occurred earlier, so they fit earlier milestones, and standing alone for a full minute tends to appear a bit later for most infants.