Transition From Crawling to Walking and Infants ’ Actions With Objects and People

Associations between infants ’ transition to walking and object activities were examined. Fifty infants were observed longitudinally during home observations. At 11 months, all infants were crawlers; at 13 months, half became walkers. Over age, infants increased their total time with objects and frequency of sharing objects with mothers. Bidirectional influences between locomotion and object actions were found. Walking was asso-ciated with new forms of object behaviors: Walkers accessed distant objects, carried objects, and approached mothers to share objects; crawlers preferred objects close at hand and shared objects while remaining station-ary. Earlier object activities predicted walking status: Crawlers who accessed distant objects, carried objects, and shared objects over distances at 11 months were more likely to walk by 13 months. Around the end of the 1st year, infants display a number of advances in their interactions with objects and caregivers. Infants engage with objects for extended periods, juxtapose multiple objects, and use objects in functional and symbolic way