How many hours a day does an average 18‑month‑old practice walking?

Aaron Hartman, MDFunctional Medicine Specialist | Clinical Researcher

Neurological Bio-Hacks: How a Stander Helped My Daughter Walk Again

27 Mar 2023 · 1 min

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Aaron Hartman, MD describes using a stander (standing device) for his daughter Anna, who has neurological impairment and limited opportunity to practice walking. He explains that typical 18‑month‑old children practice walking about six hours per day, which supports bone and brain development, and that the stander provides weight-bearing on ankles/hips to support development and prevent hip problems. He recounts a past hip-dislocation concern that prompted use of the stander, emphasizes individualized/family-led care, and links this experience to his interest in functional medicine.

Questions this video answers

About six hours a day.

Chapters

So I'm continuing to share biohacks about my daughter Anna. This is her and her standard. So one of the things that happens when people have a neurological issue or a brain damage or any kind of significant trauma, particularly in children, is they don't get to practice walking. The idea of walking, the average, you know, 18 month old practice is walking about six hours a day. That helps bone development, it helps brain and neurological development, helps with a lot of overall development. Well, people with brain injuries or kids with cerebral palsy can't do this. So one of the things we do with her on a daily basis is putting her in the standard. It actually allows her to do school do things, as you can see, but it puts weight on her ankles or hips. At one point in time she actually had an issue with her hips dislocating and they thought they have to do surgery on her. And so one of the things we did to actually help her hips form better was actually putting her in a somewhat standard like this. And as she grows, she needs, needs new ones. So the thing about it is, how can you individualize your care for you, yourself, your loved ones, you know, and that's where you have to really take ownership of your own care. One of the things that I do in my clinic is come alongside individuals to help them in their journey. And that's what I've done with my daughter and that's what got me into functional medicines.